Stillwater Artisanal Rio De Sauvin

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

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: Saison/Farmhouse Ale/Fruit Beer, 7.7%

Reported IBUs: ?

How about dem Sauvin hops. And how about a Farmhouse Ale brewed with mango juice and passion fruit juice. MMMM. 

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. 

This beer was inspired by Against the Grain's Rico Sauvin, and the bottle reads:

Stillwater Artisanal Rio De Sauvin

"The boys at against the grain made a beer based on a fictional 'sexy man' and uhh, his sheep friend.. so sticking with the theme and the fact that we have been spending some time in Brazil lately, we decided to amp up the sexy and host a tropical orgy of fruit flavors, hops, malt and yeast..umm, yeah."

-Brian (Stillwater Artisanal)

Rio De Sauvin is part of the remix series, and not only features dat base Sauvin IPA, but tosses in mango and passion fruit juice. This pours into a hazy, sexy orange body. In brighter light this takes on lemon hues...hue. There's good head retention, good carb, dat bottle. Dat glass. Dat beer appearance experience. 

This smells fantastic....like a fruity farmhouse ale/saison. I'm getting a ton of clove, white sugar, wheat funk, and lots of juicy mango and passion fruit. This has clean lines and potent fruit, and smells exactly how I want a fruited Saison to smell like. There is some subtle lemon rind action going on in here too.

This is baller. The fusion of the fruit juice with the base beer could not have been done better. This drops Juicy Fruit on a solid Saison base with lemon, mild wheat, mild clove, and tons of passion fruit and mango. 

This is light-bodied, refreshing, and way too drinkable. At 7.7% I'm not getting any alcohol, and palate depth and complexity are both spot on. This is just juicy and delicious, I really have nothing to complain about. If they threw some wild yeast into this beer, it would elevate into that Divine category. As it sits now, it's just an Above-Average fruited saison. Which isn't a bad thing.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. This is another solid entry from Stillwater. Would buy again.

Random Thought: This really needs that barrel/sour treatment.

Spiteful The Whale Tickler Mango IPA

Brewed By: Spiteful Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2015 (Batch #246)

Style/ABV: American Imperial IPA/Fruit Beer, 9.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

About Spiteful: 

Spiteful Brewing was founded in January 2010 by Brad Shaffer and Jason Klein. Like many brewers, the duo started out homebrewing. As of today, the brewery houses a 2.5 BBL Brewhouse and 5 BBL Fermenters. Currently, as a nanobrewery, Spiteful Brewing is hand delivering to stores and bars. For more info, check out Spiteful's website, or their Facebook or Twitter. 

Whale Ticklers 

Tick tick tick.

"Late hours spent on the trade forums.

ISO: whalez.

FT: whalez.

The thrill of the hunt. At last, it's mine! Tickle now or tickle later? Maybe never, Whale ticklers, drink this on your hunt. Its tropical notes will brighten the most arduous whaling expedition. It's open season out there. Are you licensed to tickle?"

This is raw and cloudy in appearance, like real apple cider or any assorted juices. Head retention is surprisingly solid with lacing and foam, and there is carb abound. Look at this raw, murky ass execution. Beer uncut from a brewery that doesn't GAF except to make good beer.

Aromas are juicy with mango, pineapple, sweet citrus, sweet grass, agave, kumquat, and a basket of tropical fruit. This has some plantains as well, and rides some sweet and super juicy hop notes. This smells juicy, so if it tastes half as juicy as it smells mission accomplished.

This is raw and uncut, with juicy hops around every corner and tons of mango, citrus, some onion/garlic, juicy citrus, and juicy tropical fruit. The bitterness in this grows on the back end, and is heightened as your drink it. I'm not getting a ton of malts, maybe a faint caramel or cracker backing. 

At 9.2% I'm not getting any alcohol. This is juicy, medium-bodied, and juicy. Palate depth is good, and complexity is good. This has a slight astringent bitterness that grows over time, and works a bit against the lush, juicy notes. This is mostly a tropical juice blaster...with tons of mango, some onion/garlic/grass, and lots of nice bitterness. Would tickle again.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'll toss this a Decent Above-Average. If not for the slightly astringent bitterness, this would be up there. It's a really solid beer, and I love the raw, uncut approach.

Random Thought: #whalez

5 Rabbit / Nøgne Ø Naked Rabbit (Conejo Desnudo)

Brewed By: 5 Rabbit Cerveceria in Bedford Park, IL /Nøgne Ø in Grimstad, Norway

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Pale Ale/Fruit Beer, 6.6%

Reported IBUs: ?

I wanted to jump on this beer sooner than later. This Pale Ale collaboration between 5 Rabbit and Nøgne Ø is brewed with "juniper and mango." That sounds great, except the weather outside has been cold and shitty. About 5 Rabbit Cerveceria: 

5 Rabbit Cerveceria is an Illinois-based craft brewery launched in 2011. The brewery has a unique perspective, focusing on Latin-themed craft beer. The company is lead by CEO Andrés Araya, Creative Director Randy Mosher, and brewmaster (and former Goose Island employee) John J. Hall. For more info about the brewery, check out their Facebook or their website. 

About Nøgne Ø:

Nøgne Ø is a brewery based out of Grimstad, Norway. The brewery was founded in 2002 by homebrewers Gunnar Wiig and Kjetil Jikiun. The name Nøgne Ø, which translates to "naked island," is a poetic term used by the poet Henrik Ibsen to describe the stark, barren landscapes visible in the rough sea off Norway's coast. The founders co-opted the term, because they felt it was symbolic for their passion to share their beer. Sort of like a flasher, only with beer and not balls. This "uncompromising brewery" loves Marris Otter malt and American hops. With a passion to show you their goods and brew bold beer, what could you complain about?  

The Naked Rabbit is a collaboration, as previously stated. The back of the bottle reads: 

"A chance encounter between our two breweries led to a realization of some common values and a collaboration was born. It turns out that juniper from the cool north and mango from the torrid south are soulmates, amplifying each other and blending perfectly in this characterful pale ale. Motueka, Pacific Jade and Hallertaue Blanc hops add to the beautiful piney, fruity aroma. 

The name is a mashup of our brewery names: Nøgne Ø means "naked island." It has been an honor to work with Norway's first and most important craft brewery."

5 Rabbit / Nøgne Ø Naked Rabbit (Conejo Desnudo)

This yields something very reminiscent to a Pale Ale: a slightly hazy, golden-orange, pale affair. The beer kicks up two fingers of fluffy, white, sustaining head. The head leaves nice lacing, is hop fueled, blah blah. The beer is carbonated nicely. 

The aroma is one note, like a baroque juniper symphony. Some Bach apologist will show up and defend the nuances of baroque, and your eyes will glaze like adult industry psychology majors with broken dreams. I was cracking this beer to protest the cold weather, but all I smell is Christmas. Juniper, pine, Christmas trees, Midwest forests, and some suggestions of mango that are otherwise held hostage by the overt juniper.

The taste is much more in line with what I was hoping for. Here the mango gets to shine, with refreshing waves of apple, apple slaw salad, mango, sweet pine, and big floral hops. This leans in the direction of mango and pine, with hints of floral and fruity juniper in the taste. This is clean with little in the way of malts. There's maybe some faint caramel sugars in the back, but this mostly rides on carbonation and hops with the fruity adjuncts brightening things up.

As far as fruited Pale Ales go, this is really solid. It's incredibly juicy and refreshing at 6.6%, with a light-full to medium-light body, tons of carbonation, juicy fruits, and good depth and complexity. I mean, you really can't ask more from this beer. While the aroma is unsettling, this does settle into something incredibly enjoyable. I'd be very happy butt chugging this in the Summer months. To recap, this opens with big refreshing pine, mango, and apple/slaw up front; that gives way to really nice hoppy notes, with floral pine, floral mango, some hints of citrus, and mild bitterness; the back end lingers with mango, apple, pine, juniper, and some faint caramel. This finishes clean and refreshing, and is actually both unique and drinkable.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average here. Very good for a Pale Ale. My only regret is this beer's limited availability and the price. I'd like to see this in a 6-pack on the regular. I'm going to pair this food with leftover Italian chicken with mozzarella and tomatoes, but I think you could go with some more inspired Summer dishes. Like many of 5 Rabbits beers, I think this beer would be a great food pairing vehicle. 

Random Thought: Go see Gone Girl. It was fantastic...minus some potential misogynistic implications that I am still exploring. 

Founders Mango Magnifico

Brewed By: Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013
Style/ABV: Fruit/Vegetable Beer, 10.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

I feel very entitled about tonight's beer. I was lucky enough to track down a bottle in my distro, and went and picked one up first thing in the morning. It's weird buying beer at the liquor store at 10am...with the other drunks and alcoholics. Not that I have any judgement. Anyway, my sense of entitlement here is that I love Habaneros and spicy foods. I have high expectations for this beer, and the sweet citrus heat from the Habanero should pair magnificently with the mango in this beer. About Founders:

Founders is the holy grail of Michigan brewing. Based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Founders was founded in 1997 by Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers, and produces some of the best beer in the world. If you haven't heard of Founders...well, what are you doing? Get on that, now.

This beer is the seventh beer in Founders' Backstage Series. The Mango Magnifico con Calor (with heat) is a high-gravity fruit beer brewed with mango, and Michigan-grown habaneros. The fruit is supposed to be complimented with a hint of heat, adding a layer of complexity. You can read more about the beer here and here.  

Founders Mango Magnifico

The beer pours into a gold/orange body, and kicks up two fingers of creamy, off-white head. The head soaks up some gold/orange tones. The beer looks to be semi-transparent with a touch of haze, and there's a lot of carbonation streaming upwards in the form of small bubbles. I'm surprised by the head retention, or the two fingers of head I initially got on the pour. In bright light, the beer is much the same, with a hazy golden-orange body. The head seems a bit more white in bright light, with sea foam persistence, and your usual lacing and all that. 

As you might guess, there's not a ton of heat on the nose. What you do get on the aroma is HUGE mango. If you like mango, this beer delivers on the aroma. I'm getting mango, peach, maybe some earthy habanero-citrus, tea, sweet tea (peach tea), sugar, and some underlying malt fatness. The malt backing leans towards a cracker or wheat base. 

The taste delivers everything as advertised, with zesty/peppery mango up front. The mango proliferates on your tongue and you do get zesty heat up front. But the actual heat/spice really kicks in on the back of the palate. This is pretty straightforward stuff. I mean, there's some shades of mango, peach, and sweet tea in this. As the habanero kicks in I'm getting some peppery citrus, earthy heat, and even a bit of cinnamon spice. The peppery heat makes your mouth tingle in a pleasing way. There's some honey/biscuit/cracker-like density from the malt as well, and this has a welcomed and big body at 10.0%.

Seriously, this beer is not too thick. I always get sad when I crack open a coffee or chocolate Stout/Porter that has a thin body and mouthfeel. This beer is dense with a huge mango character, and lots of peppery habanero. Palate depth is outstanding, with each sip lasting a long time. Complexity is low. The mouthfeel is like medium-full to full-bodied, but is assisted by lively carbonation and peppery heat. It almost feels like Pop Rocks on your tongue. I feel like this is pretty easy to sum up: mango up front; malt sweetness and sudden heat in the middle; big peppery citrus and habanero heat on the back. The beer leans on a reasonably large malt base. The heat grows if you take sips back to back.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd) 

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. You definitely get a lot of peppery heat in this, and you might even find this to be a bit hot if you don't frequent spicy foods. That said, this beer promises EXACTLY what it advertises. Mango + Habanero. This is one of the better pepper beers I've had, and I really enjoy the huge mango sweetness that you get here. I don't know what I would pair this beer with. I feel like you could go a couple of different directions....pork tacos? Something with chocolate? The big mango, citrus, and pepper heat in this beer would work with chocolate. You might even get away with pairing this beer with plain fried chicken. I think, above all else, this is just a fun beer. I paid 12 or 13 dollars, and I wouldn't pay much more. If you enjoy spicy peppers and beer, grab a bottle to share with a friend and pair this beer with some savory pork tacos or a sweet chocolate-dipped churro. 

Random Thought: I missed out on Doom, but to be honest, I didn't try very hard to track a bottle down. I heard that Doom is still sitting on shelves in Michigan. Hell, I heard that the Frangelic Mountain Brown is still sitting on shelves in Michigan. I assume this one will hang around for a while too. They can't all be CBS.