O.W.K.
Side Project Brewing

O.W.K.O.W.K.
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
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:
69
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:
Photo of 26reddevil83
Reviewed by 26reddevil83 from Missouri

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, 2018
More User Ratings:
Photo of REVZEB
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
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 AM
 
Rated: 4.94 by bret27 from California

Mar 22, 2024
 
Rated: 4.7 by JAWS from New York

Dec 24, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by Nedster10 from Michigan

Dec 21, 2023
 
Rated: 4.89 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Dec 17, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by beersgud from Kansas

Dec 09, 2023
 
Rated: 4.4 by ADG2995 from Missouri

Nov 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.89 by KT123 from Pennsylvania

Nov 22, 2023
 
Rated: 4.89 by Bhubbard34 from Pennsylvania

Nov 22, 2023
 
Rated: 4.86 by SadMachine from New Jersey

Nov 11, 2023
 
Rated: 4.94 by Shogun250 from Vermont

Nov 09, 2023
Photo of edthehead
Reviewed by edthehead from Maryland

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, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by crobinso from Colorado

Oct 29, 2023
Photo of StoutSnob40
Reviewed by StoutSnob40 from California

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, 2023
 
Rated: 4.65 by ragnar3 from Iowa

Oct 08, 2023
Photo of cdinardo21
Reviewed by cdinardo21 from Pennsylvania

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, 2023
Photo of BeerRay
Rated by BeerRay from Rhode Island

5/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
2023
Oct 02, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by akopczyk from Ohio

Oct 01, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by MJSFS from Florida

Sep 29, 2023
O.W.K. from Side Project Brewing
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 69 ratings