REVIEW: Stillwater Classique

A while back I had the outstanding As Follows from Stillwater Artisinal Ales. I said then that I would be on the hunt for more beers from Stillwater. Well, nine months later, I'm finally back to the Baltimore based gypsy brewer of all things Belgian and farmhouse. Today I'm taking a look at Classique, a 4.5% ABV Saison, in that beautifully designed can. To the beer!

Classique pours a hazy, effervescent pale gold underneath a billowy layer of resilient    bright white foam which hangs on quite a while and leaves great lacing. 

On the nose I get robust notes of lemon alongside grassy, earthy hop hints and a touch of a peppery clove spiciness and a bit of banana. 

Classique is light in body but plenty of carbonation lends a creaminess along with a prickly mouthfeel. The flavors here are all very subtle. Nothing really jumps out to the forefront or dominates the palate. Fruity notes of lemon and lime are contrasted by a peppery spiciness and and a grassy herbal hop character. A very crisp, very bitter snap comes in on the finish. 

This is kind of a weird saison. Very light, subtle, and a surprising bitterness. In fact, it almost drinks like a lager with the sessionable crispness. It's different but I really like it. 

HD

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!