Stillwater ’Omnipollo Nebuchadnezzar’ (Babylonian Style Ale) Remix

Brewed By: Stillwater Artisanal at Westbrook Brewing in Baltimore, Maryland  

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Sheridan 'L' Longue in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/Belgian Ale/Saison, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

I need to drink more Stillwater Artisanal Ales. I think that's a reasonable goal to have for the rest of this year. About Stillwater Artisanal Ales: 

Stillwater Artisanal Ales are a Gypsy Brewery based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 2009-ish, the beer is brewed by Brian Strumke. You can find the brewery's blog/website HERE.

Tonight's beer, the Omnipollo Nebuchadnezzar, is labeled as part of "The Remix Project." The bottle says: "Inspired by the artistry and assertiveness of Omnipollo's Nebuchadnezzar, I decided on a demure approach. Expressing the lovely hop profile of the original & tying it together with farmhouse yeast & brettanomyces for a fruity, funky fiesta;7" -Brian (Stillwater Artisanal) 

Stillwater Babylonian Style Ale

This one pours out into a juicy, unfiltered, body. It's a glorious thing to behold, that raw Saison juice, with radiant yellow and gold/orange tones. The beer props up a finger or two of white, Saison-like head. Bright light confirms the same stuff, with a nice coating of head hanging around, and lots of white webs of lacing abound.

The aroma here is absolutely awesome, with giant hops, tangerine, grapefruit, and tropical fruits...all upholstered on a funky Brett backdrop. The aroma has that dry citrus from the hops that is accentuated by the Brett. It's earthy and raw, like smelling raw hops. There's a lot of citrus on the nose: grapefruit, orange, and big lemon. And I'm getting big peaches and Brett. Enough said.

This is a bit heavier on the taste than I was expecting. It's a bit lower in carbonation (although not to a fault) with lots of juicy character, and an almost rustic, mead-like quality. Okay, it's not as heavy as a mead...I mean, this is still amazingly drinkable and crushable like you would expect from a Saison. I attribute a lot of that to the Brett cleaning things up. I'm getting juicy pineapple, citrus, grapefruit, orange, lemon, and big peaches in here. There are also big notes of Brett, dry wheat, barnyard funk, mango, and some crushed Aspirin bitterness (again, not a bad thing). 

This is medium-bodied, and totally juicy and crushable at 6.0%. The carbonation that is present does a great job, and the mild dryness from the Brett is perfect as you get Brett funk and big peaches and tropical goodness. The bitterness here isn't over-the-top, and there's very little in the way of peppery spice. Palate depth is fantastic, and complexity is middling. There's not much to add. Up front is big citrus, hops, tropical fruits; the mids roll into Brett funk, dryness, bitter hops, huge peaches; the back end cleans up with bitter hops, bitter Brett, earthy, and mild bitterness. It's all done very well, and dat juicy goodness.

Rating: Above-Average

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this...this is just more confirmation that Stillwater is awesome and I need to snag more of their stuff when I see it. Truly impressive beer here, I would pair this with Mediterranean dishes, Greek salad, lamb, a leafy burger, Italian pizza, or some rustic potatoes and poultry. Really good shit and reasonably priced. 

Random Thought: Brett makes farmhouse ales better, yo