Free State Owd Macs Imperial Stout
This very special beer was brewed as a Double Strength Imperial Stout. Imperial Stouts being very big beers to begin with, that puts this at the strength of a barleywine. The Original Gravity is 27.5 P/1118, then the hopping level is very hard to define, though there are enough hops to achieve 100 IBUs in a smaller beer, this beer still has a distinct sweetness due to a high percentage of unfermentable sugars. After fermentation, this beer was aged in old whiskey barrels from the McCormack’s bottling plant in Weston, MO, hence the name Owd Mac’s (owd being a British regional colloquialism for old).
4.1
262 reviews
Lawrence, United States
Community reviews
Howler with thanks to RobertDale, thanks man! Aroma has notes of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, whiskey, oak, caramel and a little smoke. Lovely. Very dark brown that sits black in the glass. Small off-white head that fully diminished and left no lace. Flavor is very sweet and bitter. Palate is very full bodied and oily with soft carbonation. Overall a fantastic Impy. Huge aroma but the whiskey is not overpowering. It does play a central role along with the malts. Nice hop balance to everything. I have been looking for this beer since I started rating. Finally, a dream come true!!!
Growler with thanks to RobertDale! Pours opaque black with a small slow to develop creamy dark brown head that dissipates slowly to a ring and laces well. Aroma is roasty, chocolate, whiskey, anise. Flavor is medium sweet and quite roasty bitter, light whiskey notes present but in the background. Not a lot of barrel astringency. Some anise on the tongue, and a bit of a burned note. Medium plus body, creamy mouthfeel. Opens as it warms. A very nice beer.
32oz growler from the brewery and sent by RobertDale. Was quite cold upon arrival and obviously after sitting in the fridge but after almost 2 hours sitting in the glass it was finally at the right temperature and had properly opened up. Black with a thin brown head that completely disappeared. Lots of roasted and a bit of burnt malt, hint of anise, slight booze bite, oak, an interesting doughy and bittersweet aroma. Moderate+ body, smooth, mild carbonation, sweet at first, then it becomes bitter but with a whiskey warmth that brings out a lot more vanilla, booze, chocolate, leather and oak then you get on the nose. Quite tasty.
Growler share thanks to Homer. Pours black with tan head. Aroma of chocolate and coffee. Taste is smooth, a bit sweet, chocolate. This is yummy.
Growler thanks to RobertDale! Nose is a moderate booze with chocolate and coffe. Taste us similar. Lots of chocolate and very well balanced. Barrel character is nicely done.
Growler share thanks to Homer321. Sticky, smooth, sweet, barrel. Sticky sweet, thick, roasty, syrupy. Yummy, boosty, and Yummm.
Via trade with RobertDale. The aroma is chocolate, whiskey, vanilla, licorice, molasses. The appearance is deep black, small tan head. The flavor is chocolate, whiskey, vanilla, licorice, molasses, brown sugar. The booze is subtle, nice, and not overpowering. The finish is whiskey, lightly sweet, lightly roast, pine. Medium in body, a bit light for this style, actually odd for this style. That’s the only thing off putting about this beer. Glad I got to try this.
32 ounce howler. Another amazing top 100 hookup from bob. Black pour with a minimal tan head. Aroma is subtitle oaky vanilla dominant bourbon. Taste is mild bourbon. Very smooth. Roasty. Dark fruit, dark sweetness, maybe molasses. Very good stuff but not quite sure that it is top 100 material.
Poured from a 32 oz. Free State growler (thanks Dustin!) into a Kuhnhenn snifter. Sits in the glass, near black, but has some transparency to it....thin mocha head. Aromas are of roasted malt, molasses/maple syrup and a little bit of booze...all very light, imo. Nothing robust about this nose. The taste is a different story. A work of art, really. Has very nice hints of anise, coffee and chocolate flowing over the roasted malts. A very nice sweetness to this gives me hints of maple syrup and oak....maybe a dash of vanilla in there. The slick and oily mouthfeel gives this one the texture I desire...yet it keeps a medium thickness to the body. Not "heavy" like some other Imperial Stouts...just balanced. The finish lasts a mile! The barrel character is so in synch with the profile that you don’t really notice it until the very back end....waaay back. A slight warming feeling. Very, very nice beer!
From Douglas. Thanks!
A: Pitch black with a thin ring of cappuccino head. Great legs.
N: Chocolate, char, vanilla. Touch of soy, prune, and licorice.
T: Hefty bitterness with a sweet backing. Black licorice comes to mind. Tasty.
M: Oily with a very heavy and dense mouthfeel.
O: Reminiscent of Expedition. Recommended; I’m glad to have tried this.
On tap at the brewpub. Pours pitch black with a yellowish brown head that dissipates to the edges and laces nicely. Aroma has a combination of sweet and bitter chocolate supported by dark grains, a bit of roast and a hint of dark fruits. Flavor has sweet dark grains and chocolate up front that are balanced in the finish by bitter chocolate, dark grains, a bit of roast and a hint of dark fruits.
On tap at KC Beer Fest 2013, huge, velvety dark chocolate dominates on a silky smooth, rich body with enough carbonation to keep this monster moving
@RBWG-JAX Grand Tasting-still-black that sheets. A-sweet roasty/molasses-dk malt, whiskey. T-follows. Nice.
On tap at GTMW 2013 - Wow...no line for a RB top 100 beer. Crazy. Pours black with a tan ring of head. Nose is sweet, with brown sugar, soy sauce, and medium roast. Same taste--real sweet with brown sugar, molasses, soy sauce, and a little bourbon. Thick, slick, and low carbonation. I missed this one a couple of fests ago, and I think I would have liked it better then.
Tap @ GTMW 13.
Pour is black, with a reddish hue, and have no head to it at all.
The aroma is packed with chocolate, coffee, licorice and some dark fruity notes.. Slight boozy with faint woody notes. The taste is pretty sweet, with a light roasted bitterness.
The body is somewhat (compared to "Imp. stouts") thin/watery, but with an oily texture, and a rather flat carbonation. Pretty nice and complex.
This is a great stout. Dark Lord type quality if not better. Very smooth. Lots of complex aromas. Was the best thing we had at 2013 great taste.
1/19/2011: Owd Mac’s Imperial Stout... Aroma: Red wine
(Merlot); creamy vanilla tannins; suggestions of alcohol; vanilla-like
barrel char. Appearance: Ruby-tinged dark brown color; fairly still
(little carbonation). Flavor: Lots of maltiness (caramel, roasted)
with a great level of residual sweetness; deep, complex red wine;
vanilla; soft barrel char; hint of vanilla and whiskey alcohol in the
finish. Palate: Medium-full to full body; smooth, milky texture;
coats the mouth; slips down easily. Overall: Delicious and still
going quite strong; too easy to drink for such a BIG beer!
12 fl. oz. hand-bottle shared by alexsdad06. Thanks Brad! Rating
#233 for this beer.
Many thanks to peteinSD for the hand bottle - dark brown, nearly black - quite a viscous pour - a lot of character from the whiskey barrel in the nose - toasted coconut, vanilla - the qualities of the whiskey itself are deep and rich in the aroma, so much so that it is momentarily easy to forget I’m sniffing a beer - despite this, there is nothing overpowering, boozy, or abrasive about the aroma - slick mouthfeel - quite sweet up front, but there is a fair amount of char, roast, and bitterness to counter - bittersweet chocolate and espresso - whiskey is apparent, but unlike the aroma, it becomes a little hot and boozy in the finish - lingering sweetness and alcohol heat - it’s still quite good - not worth going through all the trouble many people go through to get it, but still good.
Poured from a growler, thanks to Doug. Chocolate, ash, some hot alcohol, vanilla, woody, leather, coconut. Very tasty.
Growler shared at RBWG! Pours an opaque black with bubbly tan head and moderate lacing. Aroma of booze, dark fruit, chocolate, and roasted malt. Taste follows, a little astringent, but well balanced and very nice. Thick on the tongue, but still good carbonation. Nice stout.
Growler shared by markwise at RBWG, poured a nice dark brown color with aromas of chocolate, booze, vanilla, light earth, and some roasted malts. Flavors are the same a nice blend of chocolatey, vanillay, booze that was a nice ba beer over all. Thanks again Mark for the share.
Growler courtesy of RobertDale that Markwise opened at RBWG. Thanks to you both! Pours dark muddy brown/black with a small yellow tan head. Nose is big, sweet, cocoa, light coffee, light whiskey. Similar flavor. Another well made ba imperial stout, but of course, this was one of the originals.
Growler courtesy of RobertDale that I opened at RBWG. I am so psyched to finally try this one, and I waited a while, but low and behold, by the generosity of someone on Ratebeer, I finally got to try this sucker. Pours a nice stout brown color with a tan head. Nose is roasted malts, some chocolate, some wood, vanilla, and booze, with bits of earth. Flavor is a shot of chocolate and roast up front quickly fading into chocolate and bourbon, then some nice bitter roast with hints of coffee on the back end. Medium to full in body and a very nice BA imperial stout overall.
Growler at RBWG. Nose of coffee, vanilla and tobacco. This is one of be best non-BA Imperial Stouts I have ever had.
Growler to taster at the RBWG Winter Gathering (BIG thanks to beastiefan2K for sharing this). Looks good; a fairly opaque black with light beige lacing. Smells good too; dark malt and booze. Tastes like it smells with a good mouthfeel. Good beer!
Growler at RBWG 2013 Grand Tasting. Thank you! Pours clear, dark brown with a thick, yellow-brown cream head. Standard dark malt nose, hints of alcohol and cocoa. Big sweet flavor, boozy kick, burnt wood, earthy bitterness, some cocoa. Full bodied with fine carbonation. Warm finish, lots of dark malt sugars, earthy and burnt leafy bitterness, some sugar chocolate, decent stuff overall.
This poured a darker cola brown with a lighter tan head. Aroma was not what I was expecting. A good amount of chocolate and light roast with very very little barrel notes. Flavor was lots more barrel than the aroma, however, though not hot at all, with nice chocolate notes. Nothing over the top flavorwise, but very well done BA impy.
Pour from growler thanks to John, thanks for the opportunity man! Pour is dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma and flavor are pretty straight forward and solid with notes of coffee, light roasted malt, faint vanilla, and a little alcohol burn. Nothing over the top, just a solid barrel aged stout.
Handbottle from foppa78- thanks a ton, Mat, for this mega long-time want! Pours a deep, not quite opaque cocoa brown with some amber around the edge and a small, wispy khaki head. Notes of oak and whiskey lead the way in the aroma, with notes of coconut, chocolate, and roast. The flavor has more pop to it, with whiskey, caramel, coconut, oak, molasses, and a hint of brown sugar. Both the nose and flavor are smooth and boozy. Medium-bodied, with smooth, chewy mouthfeel that warms the palate. Seems like more than 9.5%. Warms the chest a bit, too. Really nice barrel-aged stout.
Pours pitch black with a medium creamy tan head. Aroma of smooth bourbon and awesome notes of toasted coconut, vanilla, and chocolate. Flavor is very roasty...burnt/bitter...some oaky bourbon. Mouthfeel is light/medium with a very roasty warming finish.