Free State Owd Macs Imperial Stout

Brewed by Free State Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Lawrence, Kansas USA

Serve in Snifter

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UPDATED: JAN 23, 2006 2004 A very big thanks to Chris (csbosox) for promoting good beer throughout the country. I see the last handful of peoples’ ratings and I wonder before I drink it. Was this not meant to be? Then, after finally hand bottling (from an already handbottled bottle) two 8 oz beers (2 bottles of Old Foghorn, which I drank, then sanitized), I tried, for myself, what was left. Ahem, getting off on a tangent. I was expecting this beer to be thinned out. I poured it into a red wine glass (which is convex). The aroma takes a little while to build, but after holding my nose there, there was the distinct note of oak. Like a batch of cabernet sauvingon aged heavily on oak. Dark, sour cherries, hints of dry molasses. The appearance is superb; dark brown-tan color, with some dark reddish-copper hues swirling about. I swirl it gently, and it does not lace, but rather, coats the glass. It is heavily hazy and obviously highly unfiltered. I begin to drink, yes, here is the light thinning I have been expecting. But then, magnificently pure chocolate emerges, followed by rich salty smokey licorice flavor. It is both sweet and vinous at the same time, very homogenized flavors abound. The mouthfeel, all the while, coats the palate with its velvety smoothness, and thick, viscous body. The round vanilla flavors play with a delicate roast, as more layers of chocolate arise for a finish of pure bliss. It is everything I want from an Imperial Stout and has made me question my belief in the Dark Lord. Can this only be a young 2004 sample bottled from a growler almost 3 weeks ago??? I can’t even imagine what this would be like aged and fresh off a handpump at Free State. This is truly magnifcent beer and the people who received the growlers need to look past the slight wateriness and flatness from being growler-bottled (of course there’s no head, how can you fault the brewer for that?). If there is a type of beer that can handle this consistency, it sure is this. Consistency not unlike an English barleywine. Some will fault the thinner than usual body, but I can not. Go Kansas.

2000 vintage, hand bottled from Csbosox. Consumed on 9/22/2005 with OldGrowth. A bit of a let-down, was this. Not so much on flavor or anything, and it really wasnt even watery for its age, even pouring a nice, albeit small tan head. A very chocolatey beer, lots of peanut brittle and chewy, salty toffee. The oxidation has created some odd flavor combinations among the malt. I can see the traces of the brilliance from the 2004. Still, flavor does not have the incredible complexity that the earlier one does and the oxidation works against it, giving it much too dry a flavor, with some dullness on the end. Still a great beer, and pretty impressive that it’s even this good, being 5 years old and then hand-bottled. Certainly in no shape to apply numbers. I’m sure it would be fantastic at the brewpub.

huge thanks to belgianbeergal for bringing this treat to me. poured black with a beige head. aroma was bourbon, chocolate, fudge, and dark fruits. flavor was fudge, dark roasts, bourbon, oak, and some hints of dark fruits. body was thick and slick with low carbonation.

Pours black inpenatrable, no head and not too viscious. This smells amazing! Vanilla, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, bit of roast, cream, bourbon. Taste is delicious as well with a lot of the same aspects- vanilla, smoke, creamy chocolate. Overall this is delicious.

courtesy of ericandersnavy. Black color/ fleeting tan head. Big boozy whiskey vanilla aromas with some dark malts. medium bodied. Vanilla, whiskey, chocolate, dark roast malt, boozy flavors.

Hand bottle shared by alexsdad06. Poured a clear dark brown color with a minimal frothy brown head that mostly diminished with minimal lacing. Moderate to heavy toasted chocolate, wood and alcohol aroma. Medium to heavy sweet wood and dark malt flavor with a heavy dark sweet and small alcohol bite finish of long duration. Full body with a smooth texture and flat carbonation. This is a standout beer.

[Handbottle] by StFun and shared by DalzAle. Thanks Greg! Pours a deep brown with pretty much no head. The aroma shows a fair amount of oxidation, dusty chocolate, astringent roast, moderate sweetness – like artificial vanilla. The flavor is sherry-like oxidation, a lot more alcohol than you would expect for a 9.5% beer, dusty chocolate, light roastiness. The mouthfeel is moderately slick, there is actually a little bit of carbonation, about as much as the ‘undercarbonated’ Angel’s Share. Overall, I’m pretty surprised how well this has held up.

Hand bottle shared by DalzAle. Pour is dark brown with little to no carbonation and no head. Aroma is boozy and black licorice with some dark dried fruit (purnes). Taste is sweet and bitter with purnes and coco some licorice. Palate is oily and sticky full feel and dry finish. Glad I had a chance to try this!

UPDATED: JAN 17, 2011 Bottle. Poured into a tulip glass a dark brown color with zero head, swirling generates a minimal tannish wisp. The aroma is very pronounced with notes of vanilla and chocolate with a slight soyness to it. Surprised I’m not really picking up too much of the barrel aromas. Starts off with a sweet nutiness, vanilla, and ends with a bitter dark chocolate roasted flavor that lingers slightly. The booze shows slightly. Decent beer though. As this warms caramel and dark fruit notes become slightly apparent.

Handbottle thanks to StFun. Dark black pour, almost no carbonation and a nice mellow dark chocolate/whiskey nose. Flavor is sweet creamy dark malt, vanilla, still plenty of smokey bourbon which lingered on the aftertaste. Slight oxidation, but didn’t detract much from the enjoyment.

(growler with big thanks to ericandersnavy) near black, no head, viscous in body, and clearish edges. Nose of raisin, sweet fudge, nice and funky reminds me of Belgian yeast. Taste is very fudgey, raisin, honey. Thick body but under-carbonated. Very flavorful. Nice beer!

big thanks to erica for this growler. poured black with no head. nose is thick with chewy malts, syrup, and fudge. thick on the palate, flavor is chewy malts, dark fruits, raisins, dates, chocolate, and awesome. yes, awesome is a flavor.