REVIEW: Stillwater Artisanal As Follows

So today's beer is something a little bit different. I have no idea what it is. I was at the party source in Bellvue last week looking for an interesting beer to talk about and this wild looking label caught my eye. Now I remember having heard of Stillwater Artisanal at some point but I've never actually had one of their beers. I'm not sure where they're from, what their reputation is, or what their approach to brewing is. It doesn't even mention on the label what style this beer even is. I also didn't notice until after I had poured it that the ABV was mentioned on the label. This is all a long way of saying that I have no idea of what to expect when I pop the cap off of this beer. I don't know if it's a lager, a stout, a lambic, or something in between. I don't know If Stillwater is known for brewing good beer or junk. All I know is that the bottle bills this beer as 'an eschatological ale.' Whatever that's supposed to mean. This is as close to a blind taste test as I've ever done on the blog. This is kind of exciting. To the beer!

As follows pours a quite hazy, very pale gold color. The murkiness is a bit clearer at the bottom of the glass allowing me to detect a steady stream of effervescent carbonation rising to the surface and feeding into that huge layer of billowy, bone white head.

The aromas are led off by a powdery dry sweetness. Lots of zesty lemony citrus notes are joined by an estery, spicy pepper character. So we're definitely dealing with something Belgian in style here. Perhaps a tripel or a saison?

As Follws is medium to fairly light in body. Spritzy carbonation hits up front and leads into a pretty great creaminess. Fabulous fruit flavors abound in this beer. Notes of lemon, pear, grapefruit, and tangerine are all swirling around in there. For all of the fruitiness though the beer never becomes too overpowering, too sweet. Everything is kept well measured and very balanced by a slight grassy/ floral hop flavor. As such, this is a very drinkable beer, even though it clocks in at 9% ABV. That ABV never comes across as boozy. In fact it's only evident long after the finish as a great warming sensation from the middle of your chest. It's much much milder of course, but it recalls the warming sensation felt after a sip of good bourbon.

This beer is outstanding. Once I finished it I went online to do some research. To figure out what exactly I had enjoyed so much. It turns out that Stillwater is a gypsy brewery, much in the same vein as Mikeller, who we've looked at here before. Stillwater is based out of Baltimore, Maryland but brews ther beer at different locations around America and Europe. And this one, As Follows, is a Belgian style strong pale ale. Turns out, it's one of the best Belgian style strong pale ales I've ever had. Hell, my mom even enjoyed this one. If you see a bottle of this one at your local liquor store/ bottle shop snatch it up. You won't be disappointed.

HD