O.W.K.
Side Project Brewing

Thankful for a friend who brought this out for our party, 2023 bottle. Pitch black stout pour, brown ring. I want to start with the feel because I think it sets the tone here: luxuriously smooth and warm, with emergent and complex barrel character, thick and heavy but not cumbersome, it drinks like a bougie dessert ale. Smell has rich notes of dark chocolate fudge and various bourbon and rye barrels, accented with char and earth, finished with big vanilla, lesser so molasses, and caramel. Taste is the same but now the accented char and now toasty earth fully join the barrel flavors, some dark fruits lightly added to the sweeter end elements, magnificently rich and complex. Yeah the hype is real here, just incredibly well done

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B2. Served at SP from bottle. Waited for it to warm for awhile. Pitch black. Nice balance of bourbon and vanilla on the nose. Complex beer. Starts off with bourbon forward, then vanilla comes in very subtlety and finishes with delicious chocolate. Medium to heavy mouthfeel. Would’ve liked it heavier some. Vanilla is there but subtle showcasing the barrel. I would’ve liked more vanilla however.

 

 

B1 (2018) Poured May 2021

L: Jet black, viscous, and coating the glass nicely
S: Vanilla, chocolate lots of bourbon
T: Vanilla, more vanilla, bit of marshmallow. Bourbon and fudginess as it warms
F: This coats the mouth. It isn't WeldWerks thick, but is pleasantly present and doesn't leave
O: An all time great vanilla stout, and an upper echelon BA Stout. Cory and team are masters at the BA game.

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle at brewery. Pour is extremely viscous black with a hint of carbonation. Thick oily coat on glass. Aroma explodes with vanilla and super rich chocolate malt. Some coconut and wood in there too. Huge. Depth. Flavor also loads of chocolate malt and vanilla for days. But the vanilla is in balance; not the only player. Lingering chocolate and light bourbon. Very light carb on the palate. Just right to make it even more silky. Outstanding.

 

2022 Side Project Invitational, 04/09/2022.

A little late compiling my notes together for this beer, but finally getting around to diving into its incredible profile. Fortunate enough to grab two pours of this at Side Project's Inaugural Festival of Barrel-Aged Stouts & Barleywines (2/2/2020).

These pours of O.W.K. were from a March 2018 keg.

In the glass, the motor oil thickness is immediately noticeable. No traces of head or lace to be seen; only small, chestnut brown-colored bubbles that lazily rise in a broken circle around the ring of the beer itself. Swirling it lightly in the glass really shows the density of the body, with wine-like legs trailing slowly in the wake of the quickly motionless liquid.

With this beer approaching two years old, the still-dominant vanilla aromas are amazing. Bordering on pastry, the initial 1-2 punch of vanilla combined with a rich, sweet, chocolate-forward stout base is something to behold. After a moment, however, there's an exquisite bourbon barrel complexity on the backbone that characterizes charred oak and a touch of caramelized dark fruit.

On the palate there is a bit more evidence than the nose that the vanilla has begun to mellow, but it is still complimenting at just the perfect level. As mentioned previously, the barrel character of this beer is unmatched. Lightly earthy cacao does well to soften what can only be described as bourbon-soaked brownie batter. Notes of rich marshmallow fudge, vanilla bean, & charred oak lead the way for a viscous, boozy warmth that can be felt all the way down.

Touching on it briefly, the mouthfeel on this beer is unbelievable. Side Project stands above all at achieving stouts that have the ability to be decadently soft and smooth, thick and chewy, and finish with a boozy warmth all at the same time. O.W.K. is no different. This beer literally coats your mouth, being sure that every taste bud experiences the full essence of what this barrel-aged beauty has to offer, with a chew on the palate and a warmth down the hatch that sticks around well into that inevitable next sip. If you ever get the opportunity, savor it. It might not be too overly dramatic to say that it won't ever get topped.

 

original review of b1 (overall 4.54): Sample pour at SP anniversary party. pitch black. no head at all. huge vanilla aroma with some chocolate in the background. this is a vanilla showcase though. even after a year and a half’s time. taste is vanilla and chocolate. the Ugandan beans give it a more frosting or cake icing flavor similar to D13, although i think i liked the nose and taste of that one better. mouthfeel is thick, low carb, sticky. excellent beer, but can’t give it the insane through-the-roof ratings as i just don’t care that much for vanilla stouts. glad to have tried a little pour though.

updated for b2 (2023). poured from a 750mL bottle into a SP BBT22 snifter, i consumed this beer over the course of three days with the help of a wine stopper. kept refrigerated upon purchase and overnight during the weekend of consumption, i let it sit out for quite some time before pouring essentially consuming at room temp. both my sample of 2018 OWK were quite limited but this seems like a different beast altogether. the very low carbonation does allow it to be drank like a glass of red wine (or port wine) although the flavor profile is much more of a vanilla frosted chocolate cake. it is decadent and rich like a glass of good red wine or port. in the years since having b1 i have grown to be a much bigger fan of vanilla in BA imperial stouts, however, i’m pleasantly surprised to find just how in check the vanilla is in this beer. it’s there for sure but it is so well integrated into the beer that it basically acts as a compliment to the chocolate flavors. the barrel is less present on the nose on day 2 and 3 but still there in the taste, especially in the finish. this is an incredible beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If ever there was a perfect stout, this is it. The most balanced stout one can imagine. Cory is insanely skilled and i’m thankful I had the opportunity to try this one. Delicious on all levels.

L - Dark, viscious, coats the glass with some legs on it. One of the thicker beers I've had in recent memory. Dark brown ring around the edge of the glass

S - Pure Vanilla, Marshmallow and Bourbon. The vanilla dominates on the nose, as it warms you get a fudge and barrel characteristic

T - Vanilla dominates up front, though there was a massive amount of vanilla added to this beer, it is one of the most balanced and complex BA niller stouts I've ever had. Tons of barrel on the finish, but neither are overbearing.

F - Thick and chewy, coats the mouth with pure vanilla sex leaving you wanting more.

O - In the top 3 of BA Niller stouts I've ever had. It might be my favorite for the shear fact that even though it's loaded with vanilla it's perfectly balanced with those WIllett Barrels

 

Thick and chewy like you'd expect from SP. The vanilla is the highlight, but nothing overpowers the palette. The taste lingers like only the best stouts tend to do.

 

 

 

Pure 5. Glass-staining, viscous oil. Smells of chocolate and vanilla. So smooth and balanced, prominent vanilla, bourbon, and chocolate. None overpowering the other. 15% percent was subdued and not hot. Each sip coats the palate and flavor linger well beyond.