-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
O.W.K.
Side Project Brewing
- From:
- Side Project Brewing
- Missouri, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
Ranked #2 - ABV:
- 15%
- Score:
- 100
Ranked #3 - Avg:
- 4.86 | pDev: 3.7%
- Reviews:
- 13
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Tuesday at 01:49 AM
- Added:
- May 26, 2018
- Wants:
- 48
- Gots:
- 4
The 2023 release started in 2020 with the brewing of our O.W.K. recipe on three separate occasions through 2021. Then I began earmarking exceptional barrels. After adding Ugandan vanilla at three different times and a final blending of the beer which was aged in three different barrels - Willett Family Estate bourbon, Old Rip Van Winkle 10-year and Willett rye - the five years of waiting for its return are over. O.W.K. 2023 boasts the most pounds of vanilla per gallon of beer we have ever released, yet showcases an endless depth, complexity and integration by allowing the time and barrel selection to direct the final experience without becoming sugary sweet or confectionary.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by 26reddevil83:
Reviewed by 26reddevil83 from Missouri
4.94/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
4.94/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
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.
Jun 11, 2018More User Ratings:
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois
4.75/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.75/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Cellared 5 years. Pitch black oily pour, no head. Let's start with the mouthfeel because it is basically perfect: rich full body with silk smoothness, booze warmth is at the perfect level, dark wood, mild roast, and rye all come together to help shape a complex beauty. Tastes of rich chocolate fudge, black strap molasses, leather, caramel, vanilla, earth, char, roasted malt, prune, complex barrel, finishing complex wood. Smell is more barrel forward with chocolate, char and vanilla as the leading complimentary emphases. Complex, deep, rich, and refined. Really impressed as this exceeds the hype for me, excited to compare with the 2023 bottle I have
Tuesday at 01:49 AMReviewed by edthehead from Maryland
5/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Batch 2. This stout certainly lives up to its reputation. Black, oily, faint carbonation, thick mouthfeel, big big but balanced and pleasant vanilla and barrel on the nose and palate. GOAT stout caliber.
Nov 06, 2023Reviewed by StoutSnob40 from California
4.68/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.68/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Pours oily black that sits in the glass like road tar. No notable head, but syrupy legs stream down that glass as it’s swirled in a futile attempt to generate one. This looks evil.
For the amount of vanilla in this beer, it doesn’t overpower the nose. It’s definitely there, but the barrel and dark chocolate malt balance things out. It’s crème brûlée with boozy dark chocolate ganache on top.. if that’s a thing.. If anything, I was looking for more barrel in the aroma to help invite you into the glass.
God damn, this is good. It’s vanilla-heavy and playful, but still oaky and austere. Tons of dark chocolate fudge, spicy rye, waffle cone, maillard, soaked charred oak and earthy cacao. I’ve found Side Project’s extended-aged stouts have been far more dry and oaky lately. It’s a good evolution for them.
Oct 21, 2023For the amount of vanilla in this beer, it doesn’t overpower the nose. It’s definitely there, but the barrel and dark chocolate malt balance things out. It’s crème brûlée with boozy dark chocolate ganache on top.. if that’s a thing.. If anything, I was looking for more barrel in the aroma to help invite you into the glass.
God damn, this is good. It’s vanilla-heavy and playful, but still oaky and austere. Tons of dark chocolate fudge, spicy rye, waffle cone, maillard, soaked charred oak and earthy cacao. I’ve found Side Project’s extended-aged stouts have been far more dry and oaky lately. It’s a good evolution for them.
Reviewed by cdinardo21 from Pennsylvania
4.99/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
4.99/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Probably a top 5 beer I've had. Consumed from a bottle pour at the SP 10th anniversary. Blend #2 (2023). Pitch black pour - amazing viscosity. Perfect blend of bourbon and vanilla. Starts off with bourbon forward followed quickly by the perfect vanilla punch. Don't really have much in the way of notes on this one. It's a world class stout and somehow, despite expectations behing high, this still managed to exceed them.
Oct 02, 2023Rated by BeerRay from Rhode Island
5/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
2023
Oct 02, 2023
O.W.K. from Side Project Brewing
Beer rating:
100 out of
100 with
69 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!