Stillwater / Mikkeller Two Gypsies: Our Side - Stillwater Artisanal Ales

blackie

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

review entered from notes taken awhile back...

a: served in a tulip, the pour produces a dense, persistent off-white head with great retention atop a medium honey-amber colored ale

s: mostly lighter pale malts with a solid backing of toasted caramel, spicy saison yeast influence with moderate levels of muddled citrus peel and pine hops, bright and crisp front but with a sweet and toasty underbody at the same time

m: carbonation high and slightly abrasive on the tongue, body light-medium

t: pale malt backbone with a big enough caramel malt addition to provide a moderate sweetness and toasty grain flavor, yeast brings peppery spice, hop flavors come pronounced - lots of steeped pine and dried citrus peel, spicy and moderately bitter finish with lingering residual sugars

o: a nice beer overall and a unique mash-up of styles, but it seems a touch forced (that is to say, I'm not too sure these styles belong together in this composition), a nice enough drink if a bit lacking in refinement for the price point

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 03:57:34 | More by blackie

Monkeyknife

Missouri

4.06/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle a cloudy peach-yellow color with a huge, rocky white head. Tiny bits of lacing left behind.

Bright aroma of belgian yeast, lemon, white wine, clove, light cracker and white pepper.

The taste and the aroma match perfectly. Lemon, white wine, yeast, clove, white pepper and light table crackers. Finished clean.

Medium bodied and dry with a moderate carbonation.

This is a tasty collaboration from Stillwater and Mikkeller. Try it if you get the chance.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 21:24:40 | More by Monkeyknife

joecast

Australia

4.6/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

And another beer received from a generous Aussie BA, Mr Kennedy

Looks absolutely fantastic in a stemmed Mikkeller glass. Gorgeous white lacing, light reddish gold with medium high carbonation. Very inviting.

Very well managed yeast and hop character on the nose. Light peppery spice, a bit herbal, clove like, and some tangerine hops to finish. Each part plays well into the next.

Gentle Belgian yeast sits in the background. Light clean malt. Hop character is restrained and doesn't cloud the issues. Excellent.

Wow! Blown away. Leaves an impression on the scale of a big RIS.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 10:16:20 | More by joecast

ngeunit1

California

4.23/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a hazy golden-orange color with a finger of frothy slightly off-white head. The head fades down at a very slow pace leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of grapefruit, citrus, and floral hops with some sweet grainy and bready malts, and some Belgian yeast, spices, and lemon zest.

T - Starts off with with grapefruit, orange, and citrus hops with some bitterness and some sweet grainy malts, lemon zest, and coriander. Through the middle, some pine and floral hops come through with a bit more bitterness and Belgian yeast with some spices and some mild funk. The finish is a mix of pine and grassy hops with some bitterness, Belgian yeast, some tart lemon peel, a bit of funk, and some spices.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a dry, tart, and estery finish.

D - Very drinkable. Great overall balance with good hop character and yeast character.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 06:45:06 | More by ngeunit1

ThePorterSorter

New York

3.85/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark hazy amber with a big fluffy tan head that fades quickly. There is a lot of funk and bitterness in the beer's nose, but there are additional spice notes
reminiscent of orange peel and fennel. The taste is yeasty and citrusy, and can best be described as being a dirty amber Saison. Honestly, it's a bit hard to enjoy with the acetone dominating the palate. I'd prefer a bit more smoothness and drinkability, but the taste improves as it warms. As far as Stillwater beers go, this is somewhere in the middle for me...

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 18:58:57 | More by ThePorterSorter

rand

California

3.48/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 750 mL bottle to tulip glass

A: Cloudy orange in color...looks like a creamsicle. Super-sudsy head extends 4 inches up the glass on the gentlest of pours. Pretty much never recedes.

S: A subdued nose yields subtle tones of grass and honey and citrus. Some alcohol is noted, but barely. It stands out onlly because the rest of the bouquet is muted. Lemon-pepper, generic drying-spice linger.

T: The flavors are slightly more bold, starting with the citrus notes and earthy funk. Honey-sweetness meshes with a phenolic bend mid-sip. Some tea-like hop notes dry the palate, helped by a woody undertone. The flavor profile zips up and finishes overly dry.

M: Medium bodied, appropriately carbonated. From the head I expected a carbonated beast but it turned out to have a pretty smooth complexion.

Palatable? Drinkable? Yes...but kinda dull. Not what I was expecting from this collab. The phenolic tones are really the only flavors that stand out (not that they dominate), which isn't my favorite aspect of a saison. Still, not a bad beer, I'm throwing back the rest of the bottle pretty easily.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 08:41:36 | More by rand

kojevergas

California

3.4/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

750ml brown glass bottle with foiled over standard pressure cap served into a Uinta brewing pilsner glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are quite high; Mikkeller is me favourite brewery (if you will...) in the world. Acquired at KnB Wines near San Diego for $13.99.

Served refrigerator cold and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

Poured clean, with no issues at all.

A: Pours a seven finger beige colour soft head of nice cream and thickness, and excellent retention considering the highish ABV. Body colour is a hazy dirty yellow. No yeast particles are visible. Nontransparent. Non-opaque. No bubble show. It's not looking great for a saison, but I'm excited to try it.

Sm: Bright clean lemon zest, pleasant floral notes, clean citrus, light bretty yeast, fruity, slightly tart, and very alive. Quite appealing and above all fresh. Mild to average in strength. I'm quite excited for it. No alcohol comes through.

T: Floral bright hopping. Light lemon with little acidity. Bretty yeast. Fruity but not distinct. Some grapefruit in a non hoppy sense. Clean and luscious. Clean bright malts provide a solid backbone. Evocative and tasty. Nicely balanced. A bit simple, but also quite subtle with what few flavours it does have. I like it. No alcohol comes through. Nicely balanced. A bit lactic. Has enough body. A bit zesty. Has some light spice.

Mf: Smooth, light, thin, wet. Has presence. Apt for the style, but not ideal for the flavours. Above all else, it's soft - probably the best characteristic of the beer as a whole.

Dr: Drinkable and enjoyable for the style. Far overpriced at $13.99. I wouldn't get it again, but it's nice for what it is. Hides its ABV well. A mild disappointment from Mikkeller, but then again brighter beers are not his strong suit. Only worth trying by hardcore fans of the style.

A decent candidate for short term aging.

Best served chilled.

B-

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 04:12:52 | More by kojevergas

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from recent Maine trip. So looking forward to this one, what would be the problem then? Fresh fruity and yeasty aromas greet me. Tasty peach, apricot, lemon, white pepper with the mix. The problem - way too much carbonation. Became a sipper as there was gas gas gas.Will time cause it to calm down?

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 03:09:22 | More by northyorksammy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a hazy deep orangey color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some great lacing. Aroma of hoppy dry notes with semi-sweet Belgian malt base is quite nice. Taste is a complex mix between some hoppy dry notes with light cat pee notes which are well balanced against some sweet rustic malt notes. Body is full with limited filtration and good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Another solid offering from a brewer that I love more and more.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 18:53:50 | More by Phyl21ca

ToddT

Pennsylvania

2.65/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A- Slightly hazy amber color topped with a large off white head. Head fades slowly but only leaves a few spots of lace on the glass. A careful pour was required to keep this from becoming a glass of foam, plan accordingly.

S- Almost nonexistent, a hint a grapes, floral hops, and a slight note of caramel or sugar sweetness. Kind of disappointing.

T- Much better than the nose, grape sweetness and grass hops are the first notes, they carry through till the finish which was astringent and dry. The final note was of herbal hops, not a very pleasant finish.

F- Light in body and high carbonation, the body of the beer so far is the best hing about this. Still not liking the finish though.

O- I was looking forward to this and I was pretty disappointed. I thought that blending an IPA and Siason could yield some nice results and something interesting. The real problem for me was the finish and the drying astringent qualities in the taste. The 7.5% ABV was in line, but I'm going to think of this as a failed experiment from two really good brewers. Better luck next time.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 18:13:29 | More by ToddT

NWer

Washington

4.2/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Abundant foam result of semi-aggressive pour into my Russian River Chalice.
Foggy golden yellow. Apparently unfiltered but I'm guessing by its appearance.
Balanced. Nothing dominates this beer - malts - yeast - hops.
Slight tanginess reminds me of the style.
Very enjoyable sipper on a cool late summer afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 23:52:14 | More by NWer

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a D'Achouffe tulip.

A- pours a clear, golden color with a enormous 4" white head that nearly feels the glass. Large blotches and trails of lacing.

S- grapes, some apple and light citrus with spices and pine aromas.

T- has the grape/vinous notes but not as strong as the nose would lead on. Some citrus, spice and nice crisp hop bitterness.

M- medium body and high carbonation. Dry and effervescent mouthfeel.

O- nice saison with some fruitiness and citrus that finishes dry.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 02:06:29 | More by kawilliams81

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

2.45/5  rDev -38.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bottle into a Duvel tulip

A- pours a very cloudy shade of yellow with a three finger offwhite head. Crazy carbonation with this one, but the beer itself is pretty murky and blah looking

S- slight grassy aroma, but really not much going on here at all. Disappointing

T- there is a bitter hoppiness to start...very grassy. Slight lemon. Doesn't taste very saison-esque...tastes more like an old IPA

M- medium bodied

O- I'm not a fan of this. I get more IPA qualities out of this than saison qualities, and it's just a mess

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 19:45:09 | More by bigfnjoe

spdyfire83

Ireland

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

256th Review
75cl bottle poured into Westy 12 (small) chalice

Thanks ricoch3t for this birthday gift!

A: Pours a vibrant hazy orange. 3+ (foamy white) fingernail head on medium pour. Holy head!

S: Smells of cracked wheat, white pepper, Belgian yeast, citrus fruit. Very rich and inviting.

T: Classic saison here - nice earthy yeast tones with loads of spice. Touch of wheat and mellow citrus zest. Crisp, refreshing, and easy to drink.

M: Light/medium bodied with loads of carbonation.

O: A nice collaboration brew from two really good (gypsy) brewers!

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 09:15:53 | More by spdyfire83

samie85

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark orange color with two fingers of white head.

Smells very similar to the as Follows profile in terms of esters and also hops.

Way more caramel sweetness and herbal hop aroma/bitterness than the nose lets on. it strikes an almost even balance between the two edging slightly towards the hoppy end of the scale.

Light bodied with a prickly feel and ample carbonation with a nice dose of dryness on the finish.

This a is really nice beer. I'm starting to think I've been missing out this whole time on Stillwater. I really want to try more of their offerings, but the price-point is a little prohibitive for my budget.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2012 18:04:43 | More by samie85

vfgccp

New York

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Huge off-white head with great retention and lace. Pale orange gold body.

S - Stillwater never disappoints when it comes to delivering the complex earthy nose that I love in a good saison. This version is on the floral side of the style. Dry dandelion, orange and grapefruit zest, mildew, green plant stems, and honeysuckle.

T - Dry and earthy profile with dried flowers and plant stems. A touch of honey sweetness rounds out an otherwise dry, herbal finish.

M - Nice carbonation on a medium/light frame.

O - Great drinkability. The dryness has a pleasant sour kick to it, and white indescript, the profile has nice complexity.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 16:27:15 | More by vfgccp

cvm4

Mississippi

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a hazy orange with a touch of gold, huge eggshell head.

S - Fruity, yeast, musty along with some hops. Not much standing out here.

T - Earthy, grassy & spicy beer here! Slightly underscored yeast and citrus. Hops hit you at the end that are somewhat piney but not 100%.

M - Medium bodied, high carbonation. Not a wet or dry finish to me.

O - A lot of different flavors/elements in this beer and a very well done saison.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 23:52:26 | More by cvm4

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a cloudy medium orange amber. A careful pours produces a massive white head with good retention and tons of lacing. Aroma of sweet malt and heavy on Belgian spicing; faint hops. Flavor is dry, grassy citrus with light malt and peppery spicing, developing a hoppy bitterness and finishing peppery and dry. Light to medium bodied with active carbonation giving it an interesting mouth feel. Well made and interesting, but a bit on the dry side for my tastes. Glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 03:31:32 | More by LiquidAmber

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Stillwater / Mikkeler Two Gypsies
No apparent freshness dating.

I had an interesting experience with this beer. Upon opening, I started to pour it but was a bit too rough in my approach and brought up too much head. As it didn't seem to want to die down after waiting a bit, I started to pour another glass. The same thing happened but it was more controlled and the head didn't come up quite as large. The first glass was crystal clear, but the second contained yeast and was quite hazy. In tasting them then, I found quite a difference. The clear one was more malt based, and offered floral notes but not much of the sharper mineralish and fruity character that I found in the yeasty version. Additionally, the yeasty version seemed more bitter. How that can be I don't know, but I tried it several times and found it to be so. That said, I combined the two in the hopes of getting a 'standard' mix.

Appearance: It's a hazy golden-orange amber beneath a large head of pillowy off-white. The head dies down slowly, but sadly not as much lacing is left behind as might be expected.

Smell: Floral, sweetish without being candy-ish... just a touch sugary. Some citrus fruit is present. Some red berries as well.

Taste: As is usual, the flavor follows the aroma. There's a bit of yeasty chalkiness to it, and some mineral. The malt is kind of subdued... it's gently candy-ish - softly sweet, and really more grainy than anything else although there is a bit of honey to it. And there is a touch of caramel as well but it's light. The hops are leafy, grassy, and citrusy... perhaps just a slight touch piney as well. Grassy notes seem to be dominant. As to the fruitiness, I think mainly of orange with a bit of apricot, and not juicy pineapple or raspy grapefruit. Some minor, underlying spices just float along almost unnoticed. There's a solid bitterness that balances it and brings it home dry. The yeast really rules the roost here, but it's more of a center point that holds everything together than a main point to be focused upon. Some alcohol is present but it's not out of place. In fact, it's welcome as it adds a spritz of dryness along with the chalky citrus rind and gentle pine in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full in body, and quite spritzy at first with a zesty, fine-bubbled seemingly-natural carbonation.

Overall: A ready to drink saison: it's not a full or rich style, in so many ways, but it should convey complexity, and this one is no sloucher. At the same time it should not be over-done, and this one is not. It's fairly well-balanced keeping the malt, hops, spice, bitterness and yeasty fruitiness & mineral character in check and all working together. Worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 04:32:30 | More by NeroFiddled

brentk56

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy golden apricot with a massive head that leaves lacing all around the tulip glass

Smell: Musty and fruity, with peppery spice, yeasty phenols and grassy hops

Taste: Yeasty phenols dominate, up front, with bread, caramel and grassy elements developing; very peppery, in the middle, with both pepper and bitter, grassy flavors building into the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body, slightly creamy, with buoyant carbonation

Overall: While there are a lot of interesting elements to this beer, they are not necessarily in harmony; I respect it more than I like it, as a consequence

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 22:17:57 | More by brentk56

codsmith

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Hazy/cloudy golden orange with a massive white foam head that stays around and laces the glass nicely

S: Nice subtle mixture of yeast and hops that really sets the tone for the overall beer. A slight spicyness

T: Good malt, hop and yeast balance. The hops have an earthy and spicy tone that really shine through with a very slight bitterness to finish it off.

M: Full mouthfeel, good carbonation.

O: A very flavorful and well rounded beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 02:47:51 | More by codsmith

homebrewhawk

Kansas

3.98/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle served in a tulip. Lots of carbonation. Poured a hazy gold with a massive head. Plenty of citrus in the aroma along with some Belgian spice. Light bodied and crisp. Spritzy carbonation. Fair amount of hop bitterness. Spicy Belgian yeast in the finish. Hop dryness. Easy drinking beer, good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 20:44:40 | More by homebrewhawk

jsanford

Georgia

3.43/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy orange-amber with a very dense white head that settles to a 2-inch cap. Aroma consists of resinous orange and grapefruit peel hops, pineapple, peaches, and a rustic farmhouse yeast strain. Very nice, and I'd expect nothing less given it's pedigree. Taste is lacking much of the tropical hop character hinted at in the nose, however, I'm unsure of the age of this bottle. Indeed, this tastes like a past-its-prime DIPA fermented with a Saison yeast strain. Not bad, really, but not at all what I wanted this to be. Perhaps I'll re-visit with a fresher bottle. Mouthfeel is nice, with a crisp, spritzy medium body and good carbonation. Finish is moderately dry, something Stillwater always pulls off well. Overall it's a nice Saison, and I certainly appreciate what those crazy gypsies were going for.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 00:53:20 | More by jsanford

mynie

Indiana

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The little Pepridge Farm-esque story on the side of the bottle made this sound like a hoppy saison, and so I bought it because I love that kind of stuff and this was actually competitively priced when compared to French saisons. Just--fuck--imagine going back to 2007 and telling yourself that by 2012 you'd be happy to find a domestic saison that only cost as much as Fantome! Things have gotten awful these past few years!

Anyhow, I better hold that in. I still got 400 or so days until I turn 30, so it's unseemly of me to sound like a bitter old man.

It wouldn't be unseemly of this beer to smell bitter, though, seeing as its label explicitly promised me resinous hops. Instead, the aroma betrays strong (and very pleasant) nodes of farmhouse yeast, but without much of anything complicating them. No hops, no fruit, no green bottle skunkiness. There's some spice, and it works, but it's not nearly as neat or intense as I had hoped.

Tastes like it smells, only thankfully a bit more complex. The hops are there, though not resinously, and they do a nice job of fronting the spicy yeast which dominates the bulk of the beer, occasionally giving way to light nodes of lemongrass.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 02:54:10 | More by mynie

siradmiralnelson

Iowa

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 750 ml bottle into Tulip.

A. Pours 4 fingers of head. Thick lacing. Great retention. Color is a really nice bright orange.

S. Belgian yeast, spices, citrus, earthiness, a little sour, a little funk. Really nice smelling Saison.

T. Yeast, spice, citrus, some sour flavor. I get some hop flavor, but Im not sure I would describe it as piney and resinous as it states on the label. Has lingering hop presence that comes out really far back on the tongue.

M. Medium bodied. Medium/full carbonation. Drinks and finsihes pretty dry.

O. Nice Saison. Maybe a touch dryer than I prefer, but definitely a solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 22:10:57 | More by siradmiralnelson