Free State Owd Macs Imperial Stout

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

from a 2004 vintage growler from Mreusch, courtsey of WeeHeavySD. Thick black brew with no head. sweet oaky aroma. Taste was sweet, roasty with noticible but not overpowering alcohol. Thick and sticky and very yummy

Serving from a growler courtesy boboski. 2004. Poured a rich black with essentially no head, but it was sure thinking about forming one. A thin floe of dark tan hovered around the middle of the glass. Great aroma - a dark wall of roast, a subtle complimentary helping of alcohol, with bourbon and oak notes. It all works together. Medium to heavy bodied, but still real drinkable. Finish is tannic and roasty with a nice warming quality. Mad chocolate and roast in the middle. The barrel-aging is used to great benefit.

Shared with WeeHeavySD on a dreary Saturday afternoon. Pours like a motor oil, tastes like Older Viscosity, and goddamn me right here and now if this wasn’t some deeeeelicious sludge. I want more. Like right now. And I don’t want no lip or I’m gonna bust it wide open!

growler 2004 vintage via Mreusch, many thanks Matt. Shared with Bartzilla and will share some later with bikesandbeer. Pours thick black like motor oil. Smells like angel’s share, woody, sweet, strong, with alcohol but not overpowering alc. The taste is sweet malty, bulbous, huge potent taste. This is some damn yummy beer. My growler poured flat, but it didn’t diminish the beer at all, it is an impy stout after all. This is a damn damn good impy.

growler....thank you mreusch......appearance: deep black , relatively thick with a very thin off-white head that doesn’t hold on for very long. a really great looking stout.....aroma: woody with a strong vaniila component...taste: huge whiskey taste to it, sweet, malty with a lot of intense chocolate zest. this had an incredible mouthfeel to it that leaves the mouth coated in its goodness, very chewy.....hmmmm let me ponder for a few more sips....mmmmmm....yes, pretty darn good.

HUGE THANKS TO BOBOSKI!!! 2004 growler. Dense, black, opaque pour. Seems to no carbonation. Aromas are unending, it is wave upon wave of sensory overload. Chocolate, molasses, raisins, hints of licorice, wisps of whiskey. Alcohol is there, but is no means overwhelming. An amazing experience. I bow in awe.

2004 Growler. Pours an oily black cola color with a few brown bubbles on the top. Pretty much flat in appearance. Strong aroma of dark chocolate fudge cake, prunes, plums, raisins, whiskey and alcohol. Taste is flat yet so enjoyable. So many flavors. Dark dark chocolate fudge, prunes and plums, raisins, roasted malts, with a nice hint of whiskey and alcohol. Man, does this one clear the sinuses out. SUPERB !!!

2004. Growler. Excitement. Big time.

This is exactly what I wanted to see. Used motor oil pour, complete with a thick black body, mahogany perimeter, a thin ring of bubbles that indicate very low carbonation (or such a heavy, sugary body that no bubbles can make the climb to the top of the glass) and a small helping of creamy linear lacing. A true beauty. Warming raisin and ethanol usher in a gut punch of whiskey and oak scents. Anise and various dark fruits are softly blended in though their notes are powerful and exciting. Chocolate is cherry tinged, just one of the many, many fruit aromas found just at the surface of this monster. Coffee is light, very spicy and seems freshly and coarsely ground. The alcohol is signifigantly weightier than expected considering the substantial time this was aged in the keg. It must have been hot as hell when fresh. The flavor is so packed with whiskey and chocolate it almost calls for a fork and a breathalyzer to be kept tableside, just in case. Hops that were apparently packed to the hilt have treated this libation well. There is hardly any discernible, resinous or citric/piney nuances left, but this has substantial balance and no hint of oxidation. Bitterness is very mild, no acidity is present. Malt is creamy and moderately to heavily roasty. Caramel notes become very aggressive once room temperature is neared, alcohol fades(just a result of a large amount initially that caused quick palate numbing). The sweetness level stems from a blend of fruit notes and alcohol and mild and very complimentary vanilla. Oak is steady from start to finish. The finish is lightly roasty with medium sweetness, incredibly chocolatey and has hints of caramel and copious whiskey. The finale here is as complex and stunning as the prior puzzle pieces;they sure do meld together well. Alcohol in the aroma and the flavor is very overwhelming. This is my one single qualm with this otherwise stupendous beer. The mouthfeel is very vinous, with chalky chocolatey notes and just a touch of carbonation. This is a magnificent creation.