Stillwater Cellar Door

Brewed By: Stillwater Artisanal at Dog Brewing Co. in Westminster, MD  

Purchased: 750ml bottle (1 Pt, 9.4oz) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 201?

Style/ABV: American Farmhouse Ale/Saison, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer is a bit of a mystery...this one has spent some time in my cellar, for no reason other than I shoved it in my cellar, forgot about it, and never got around to drinking it. I realize that this makes me one of "those beer nerds." The guy who puts beer in his cellar, and then forgets about it. I'm not really proud about that fact. The funny part is I never had any intentions to age this beer....I think I picked this one up in 2013? I dunno. 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 more info at the brewery's blog or their website. 

My bottle of Cellar Door reads: "Starting with a base of German wheat & pale malts this crisp slightly hazy foundation was then accented with a blend of Sterling & Citra hops that provide notes of herbal grass & tangerine citrus. To pull this all together and to complete the 'cleansing' aspect of my vision, I gently finished the ale off with a touch of white sage, lending a mild earthy spice character to the blend." I'm not sure if this one is finished with Brett, but I hope. 

Stillwater Cellar Door

As you'd expect, especially with Stillwater: this pours into a hazy, cloudy, golden-yellow body, kicking up two to three fingers of dense, cloudy head. The head settles into a nice centimeter coating, and this is well-carbonated.

The aroma here is spicy and floral. After as long as this has been sitting in my basement, I expect the hops to be dropped off. This smells a little bit like a Witbier, and I'm reminded of Stone's Saison. I'm getting cardamon, clove, sage, banana, wheat, faint lemon, and some fennel. The aroma preferences the spicy aromatics, with a little perfume sweetness as well.

Oh wow....so this non-wild ale has held up fantastically well. This tastes like a Belgian Witbier, with bright orange, coriander/lemon, refreshing wheat, clove, banana, and big apple slaw salad. This is juicy, and punches in this apple and grape note that I can only guess is coming from the sage. The sweetness in here is very toned down, and the spices are also surprisingly mild. This really is all about the grape/apple note, with those faint Witbier backings. 

Wow...this is just refreshing and awesome. I really have to hand it to Stillwater, I don't think Brian Strumke is capable of brewing something not delicious. At 6.6%, this drinks more like a Witbier than a Saison. This is refreshing, clean, attenuated, and well-carbonated. I'm impressed that this has held up in terms of age. This is medium-light bodied with a substantial mouthfeel, courtesy of the wheat malt, and has great complexity. Up front: apple, sage, slaw salad, cardamon; the mids roll into peppery spice, cardamon, clove, coriander, lemon, wheat, faint orange and hops; the back end trails with wheat, and drops lingering sage on your palate. The finish is clean and attenuated. Seriously, this is fantastic.

Rating: Above-Average

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. Fantastic. This could give Unibroue a run for their money, and those guys know a thing or two about making Belgian Ales. This is just incredibly delicious, with apple, grape, and slaw salad notes for days. The subtle clove, cardamon, and coriander spice ices the cake. This is a beer that I would pair with grilled lamb, hummus, a leafy burger, or potatoes with fennel. Sweet... 

Random Thought: Belgian beer....my first true love.