Score: 88
2013 vintage bottle served in a n Upland snifter glass and enjoyed on 07/03/13.
Appearance: Black coffee in color with caramel ruby tones at the outer upper edge when held up to light. Pours a thin layer of khaki bubbly head atop that settles to ring around the glass at a quicker than average pace. Poor lacing, virtually no retention. 3.25/5
Smell: Very oak forward, followed by coffee. There's an astringency that I did not expect and banana-like eaters. Can practically smell the dryness. Notes of chocolate too. 3.5/5
Taste: Way too oak forward, though the coffee comes through more prominently on the palate than in the nose. This tastes better than it smell. Chocolate and oak towards finish. Quite dry. No alcohol detectable. Lingering flavor that is like chocolate rubbed oak with a hint of coffee, though most of the coffee flavor comes immediately upfront and does not linger. I do not detect any barrel character other than the oak. Not a whole lot of roast. 4/5
Mouthfeel: Full bodied, spot on carbonation. Has an unexpected amount of bitterness since it uses Kopi coffee, though this brew is not as bitter as most coffee forward stouts. 4/5
Overall: While not a bad beer, I thought it was nothing special. I was disappointed by this beer given how much I liked the non-barrel aged Kopi Speedway (it is, to date, my favorite Alesmith beer consumed). Barrel-aged Kopi is hardly worth its retail cost (let alone rarity) given how many beers of equal or greater quality are available for cheaper. Quality-wise, dollar-wise and rarity-wise, you are better off seeking out the base beer. I think with some tweaking (less dryness, more roasty coffee, more barrel) that this beer could be something truly delicious. I would probably give it another shot if re-brewed. However, I would not seek out this vintage again (though I would not refuse a pour if offered either).
Cost: $30 for a 750 ml bottle.
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