Beer Review: Kopi Luwak Speedway Stout

Reviewing the Kopi Luwak Speedway Stout from AleSmith Brewing Company out of San Diego, California.

Score: 99

January 2013 vintage bottle served in a Perennial and enjoyed during the All-Star Game on 07/16/13.

Appearance: Pours an inky black color with two fingers of dark khaki head that settles to a thin layer atop the glass. This beer has the best lacing and craziest cling/retention of any stout I have ever seen. A thick layer of frothy head sticks to the side of the glass for well beyond two minutes (at which point I stopped counting). This is a truly gorgeous stout. 5/5

Smell: Tons of delicious-smelling roasted coffee notes upfront. Then milk chocolate, molasses, and cocoa. Hint of vanilla a la Stone's Vanilla Porter too. There's also a faint whiff of dark fruit detectable when it gets on the warmer side. 5/5

Taste: Super smooth coffee and roastiness. Absolutely no acidity in tandem with the bitterness. Minimal bitterness off the coffee flavor, which is to be expected from the use of Kopi coffee. Milk chocolate, bakers chocolate and a faint dark fruit character a la Kuhnhenn American Imperial Stout or the original batch of De Struise Black Albert. No vanilla. Finishes with a mildly bitter, raw dark chocolate flavor and a faint hint of coffee. Truly delectable; quite balanced. 5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus bodied, spot on carbonation. Super creamy, slightly dry on the finish. The bitterness quality is really excellent here -- it is not acidic at all, and very smooth and lingering. It pairs perfectly with the chocolate notes on the palate. 4.75/5

Overall: This beer is beyond ridiculous. It is the best non-barrel aged coffee stout that I have had to date, and easily one of the best stouts I have ever had (and I drink quite a lot of stouts). Smooth, flavorful and perfectly balanced, there is little more you could ask for here. This beer is infinitely better than its barrel aged counterpart, and it is arguably AleSmith's best beer (the Vietnamese coffee version is almost as good, and I have not had the vanilla coconut version yet). I sincerely hope that AleSmith bottles this again. If so, I will be buying by the case next time around.

Cost: $18 for a 750 ml bottle.