Folklore - Stillwater Artisanal Ales

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.85/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

As the stronger, darker ales of Belgium increasingly flirt with richer, bolder, and robust taste; the infatuation among both quadrupel lovers and stout lovers join in unison to ring home this new taste.

Dark brown in color, the beer is easily mistaken for stout. Hazy with a cloud of yeast keeps the beer looking dense, full, and viscous. A spirited head forms from the carbonation below and tops the beer with a firm coffee-like creme. Slight purple-ish hues and sprite carbonation are the clues needed to speak the language of Belgium brewing.

The beer's aroma profile starts strongly of the strong dark flavors of Belgium. Plumb, currant, raisin, and blackberries rise to entice the nose, just ahead of a casual toast, coffee, campfire and cocoa scent that follows. Spicy notes of peppercorn and red wine-soaked woods round out the beer's appetizing first impressions.

A rich melange of fruit and roast layer on the taste buds with complexity and delight. Slightly burnt caramels meet the taste of hard candy and invite the taste of grilled fruits, bold roasted coffee, smoky dark chocolate, and toasty burnt embers. The semi-sweet taste is buffered by mild woodish hops, roast-derived bitterness, and slight ash.

The stout-like malt components keep the beer robust, despite the best efforts of wine-like dryness from the Belgiany textures. The ample carbonation pulls the sweetness from the tongue and helps to usher a semi-dry closure of fruit, spice, and roast.

Folklore is a very versitile an inquisitive beer that goes in a lot of different directions, and without seeming scattered in taste. It's an easy choice for those times where you're not sure if a stout or a quad is in order.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2012 22:36:10 | More by BEERchitect

Bendurgin

Maine

3.65/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip. This pours dark brown with a cap of light khaki head.

The aroma has dark fruits plumbs and grape skin with hints of cocoa and hints of smoke. The pallet has a grape flavor with hints of cocoa and other dark fruits.

The body is medium with some a slightly dry finish. Good carbonation. Overall pretty solid. Lots of good flavors here.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 02:33:25 | More by Bendurgin

andrewinski1

Maine

3.48/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tulip. The color is dark plum, nearly black. There is a nice full looking 2 inch head that is medium tan colored.

The aroma is mild with the dark fruit. There is a bit more chocolate in the aroma.

The taste is full of coffee and a bit of apple-like fruit to offset it. This seems a bit roasty to be a "Belgian Strong Dark Ale" but I don't think that's what it's trying to be.

This is medium bodied with crisp carbonation. This is pretty enjoyable; it's halfway between a quad and a stout.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 02:26:38 | More by andrewinski1

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

2.88/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

750ml
A: deep black color, opaque, roasted dark brown head, poured big but dissipated to thin veil
S: intense and full, deep roasted malt, dark fruit, almost RIS-esque
T: deep roasted malt, intense, abnormally bitter (acrid) that is very noticeable and unpleasant, too bad they tried to over hop it and killed the balance
M: the acrid taste really kills this for me, lost balance and metallic bitter finish, ugh!!

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 01:38:50 | More by wisrarebeer

vfgccp

New York

4.2/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Dark cola with mahogany highlights.  Dirty beige, creamy head. Nice retention, low lace.

S - Fantastic chocolate liquor nose.  Hints of merlot wine and cognac. 

T - Dry opening of merlot and medium roast grains. Nice bright acidity.  Bitter cocoa and powdered milk sweeten the center before the fantastic dry roast returns for the finish.  Touch of smoke and woody hop bitters on the backend.

M - Medium body with a firm, dry backbone.

O - An excellent brew.  On the drier side of the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 19:20:10 | More by vfgccp

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours jet black, with a chocolate brown head. In the aroma, a caramel roast and notes of molasses. In the taste, caramel, cocoa, a note of earth, and molasses. A smooth and medium to bigger bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry cocoa and small earth in the aftertaste. Quite stout like, with notes of what seem to be saison-ish.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 19:03:10 | More by OWSLEY069

russwbeck

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: It pours out a deep brown with a rather large light brown head. The beer is still bubbling up an hour after the initial pour, bolstering the head nicely. The lacing is spotty down the side of my Deschutes tulip. I thought this was going to be a saison, so when the beer came out I was pretty surprised! Enjoyed before the Red Wine barrel aged version.

S: The aroma is really roasty, but buit upon some dark fruits and hints of caramel and molasses. It does have the nice spiciness I would expect a Stillwater beer, but overall it's a bit underwhelming.

T: The spiciness comes through a lot more on the taste than it did on the aroma for me. It falls much more on the spice and roast side of BSDA than the dark fruits and booze end. I do like the differing take on the style, but it just isn't blowing me away. Interesting, but not special.

MF: Medium body with a lot of carbonation. The spice wears on me a bit as I drink it, but the roast and dark fruits make it work. No booze noted, which is surprising for a BSDA, but I think a boozier beer would have improved the balance a bit.

O: I really recommend you try this if you like Stillwater, but it's not a great beer overall. While I liked the new take on the style, it was too thin and too spicy. I think the barrel aging with have a nice impact on this beer, we shall see.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 20:49:32 | More by russwbeck

rapidsequence

Virginia

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle, bought at Bottle Revolution.

Appearance: Pours a very dark brown with a thick medium brown head. Good head retention, but just spots of lacing.

Smell: Belgian yeasty with some spiciness. Theres a bit of dark fruit, but also an unexpected roasty smell and a bit of cocoa powder.

Taste: This beer has a very nice balance of Belgian yeast flavors and roast. These beers can be a mess, but this is nice.

Mouthfeel: Soft, creamy carbonation, but with a medium-light body and a dry finish.

Overall: So, this is not a BSDA at all, but a "Belgian stout". As I said, its nicely balanced and the flavors integrate well. Its pretty damn good.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 02:23:27 | More by rapidsequence

homebrew311

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: pours a dark brown, chestnut color with ruby highlight, a collar of cocoa colored head, some lacing

S: nose is fruit forward with some oak and mild funk, dark cherries and berries come through, a touch of roast at the end

T: starts with some mild cocoa flavor followed up by a little bit of funk and a considerable amount of fruity sweetness, lots of flavor, interesting balance of flavors

MF: mild carbonation, thin body

O: this one skews a little towards the sweet side, definitely some interesting things going on but nothing too memorable

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 02:04:42 | More by homebrew311

Bung

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml. Just picked up in Andersons in Columbus. Dark cola brown pour, large light tan head. Stuck to the glass ok.

Aroma, dark malt, molasses, brown sugar, some chocolate, cocoa. Not overly fruity like many.

Taste, earthy roast and cocoa. Quite dry. Just the faintest smoke and herbal spiciness. I like that it is not a sugary fruit bomb.

Pretty much mid bodied, a good carbonation and very dry. No alcohol presence.

Yeah their brews are a little pricey, but they are unique and worth trying.
Reminded me just a bit of Pepe Nero and Existent.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 03:12:56 | More by Bung

WankelEngine

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a snifter

A: Pours completely opaque black. No light coming through the other edges and no other colors. There is a foamy, even creamy light tan head of two fingers with excellent retention. Sticks around forever but fades pleasantly enough to make drinking easy. Lacing is moderate and spotty.

S: Mostly dark, roasted malts. There is a hint of smoke and a bit of Belgian yeast which provide a little bit of spice and depth.

T: Mildly bitter chocolate is the first thing I taste, and it remains a focal point for the whole beer. The smokey scent I picked up in the aroma is expanded upon, especially as it lingers after the finish. Belgian yeast imparts some of its typical flavor, but is dominated by the dark malt flavors so it is almost hard to detect. Mild alcohol flavor as the beer warms.

M: Medium-light bodied and fairly slick. Just a little bit watery. Carbonation is moderate and somewhat fizzy, but enjoyable.

O: I'm a little disappointed. I had this beer on tap a week or two back and remember absolutely loving it. Maybe it's better on tap or maybe I was tipsy, but this does not live up to my memories. That being said, it is a fairly good beer. It is listed as Belgian Strong Dark Ale but it doesn't have too much in the way of the Belgian characteristics. If I hadn't been paying attention/looking for them, I could have mistaken this for a regular old stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 03:24:31 | More by WankelEngine

nimrod979

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml. One of the old Max's 25 to 1 bottles.
Into a Chimay chalice, it pours a very dark brown. Almost black. Good sized tan head. Decent retention

Chocolatey and toffee malts. Belgian spice and yeast. Hints of dark fruit.

Flavor profile is basically the same. Hint of hoppy bitterness and smoke. Definitely picks up some booziness as it warms.

Full bodied. low carbonation. On the sweeter side with a hint of smokiness in the finish. I actually really like this, but it's borderline more of a stout than a Belgian dark. Has a few Belgian qualities. but overall I'd recommend.

Now goes by the name of Folklore. I have a bottle of that too.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 21:06:59 | More by nimrod979

Homebrew35

Connecticut

3.88/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a one and a half fingers worth of a mocha colored creamy head. Opaque black body. Great lacing and good retention. Is this a Belgian dark or really an imperial stout, let's move on to the smell.

Smells like a sweet, malty English style Imperial stout. Big chocolate, coffee toffee and sweet malts.

Tastes is quite complex as I enjoyed this one over a half hour. Initially I get a firm earthy hop bitterness, some chocolate and roast coffee and roasted malts. As it warms the 8.4% is detected and gradually overwhelms the palate. A big sweet almost cloying sweetness and boozy undertones send this one into the hard to finish category for me.

Medium full bodied, medium carbonation.

Overall this is a sipper. Big bold yet well integrated flavors. The boozyness and sweetness make it a bit hard to finish. I suggest spliting with a friend. This did not taste like a Belgian in anyway, but oh well I still enjoyed most of it.
$10.50 a 500ml was quite high. I would not pick this up again if I saw it.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 14:54:15 | More by Homebrew35

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown with about an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like dark chocolate, dark fruit, roasted malt, coffee, and some smoke. Taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like dark chocolate, coffee, wood/earth, smoke, roasted malt and a bit of dark fruit. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's smooth and has a good amount of carbonation. Overall I think it's a good brew. At $10.99 a bottle, I'd buy this again. Definitely worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 22:15:14 | More by bluejacket74

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.85/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a St Bernardus goblet.

A: Nice creamy-dark head has decent retention and tops an opaque mahogany beer. I love the label, and the lacing isn't too bad either.

S: Bland malts and iffy Belgian yeast. Disappointing. Hint of smoke.

T: Wow, a lot more of the roasted malt here, and it is used to great effect. A sort of Belgian stout. I rather like it. Sweet at times, but mostly dark and bitter. The Belgian yeast comes through as rather floral and spicy. I expect nothing but the tastiest strains from Stillwater, and they delivered.

M: Full-bodied and substantial, with a wisp of drying smoke on the aftertaste complementing the roasted grain in the maintaste.

O: I would recommend this beer, even drink it again, but it doesn't seem to shine. That is, it's almost great, but not quite. Maybe the flavours seem a little flat, or complex and incredible is overshadowed by roasted flavours, but something ineffable is off. Still, really glad I picked this up.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 02:09:45 | More by AgentMunky

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

2.03/5  rDev -47.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Draft pour into a 13oz tulip for $7. Sampled 12/23/11.

A: Served with 1 finger of medium dark brown head, foamy and loosely compacted and semi rapidly deflating. The body is black and has dark amber edges along the top when backlit. Rather still looking. No lacing.

S: The Belgian yeast is the notable character on the nose, which adds some fruity esters and complexity. Dark chocolate malts come through in modest strength. Earthiness, straw and trace scents of new leather and anise add dimension to what is a surprisingly underwhelming nose.

T: The taste is nice and all...but kind of forgettable. Even as a high strength Belgian Stout, the flavor is not very distinguished. And definitely not the type of beer where "less is more." Short, one dimensional, and surface-of-the-tongue. ABV goes unnoticed however.

M: The body is too thin. The carbonation is too fizzy. And the beer finishes way too quick.

O: This one didn't really come together for me.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2012 13:37:22 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

ckollias

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this bottle out of a Belgian tulip glass.

A: Pours a dark black hue with a thick, dark brown, 3-finger head that quickly dissipates into a persistent lace.

S: Strong syrupy roasted malts aroma with a caramel background.

T: Dark rich ale with a generous sweetness and sharp roasted malt bitterness. Slight chocolate and coffee overtones, with a nice malt background.

M: Very strong and boozy. Heavy body and medium carbonation.

O: Excellent strong Belgian dark brew – nice and malty and enough alcohol to make it interesting.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 02:17:53 | More by ckollias

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The label is enough to sell you on this beer there's the devil dancing with a couple Victorian era white dressed fiddling women out in the forest. Artwork is created marketing these beers with fantastic labels and a reputation as one of the first American gypsy brewers making kick ass saisons. Forms a dark cola body with a chocolate cake tinted tan foaming head that dwindles rather quickly, fine Belgian style lacing. Aromatics offer up dark ripened fruit a touch of smoke and dark roasted malt accents including a touch of dark chocolate. It doesn't seem overly decadent and has a nice spice profile as well, it was honestly hard to read the print on the side of the bottle so I'm not quite sure what other possible additions were on this beer. A very balanced flavor between spices, mild tree bark notes some residual sugar sweetness caramelized sugars at that. A depth of lively fruitines hidden amongst the dark roasts and hints of smoke. Mouthfeel was effervescent with carbonation medium to lighter bodied despite the big dark color going on. Finishes dry and interesting with spice interplay, smoke, and dark ripened fruits summing it up. Alcohol is hidden pretty well not overtly booze ridden definitely doesn't burn the palate or the throat a smooth sipper for sure. Overall I'm intrigued by this offering it inspires me, search out more of his gypsy brewed offerings.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 18:46:14 | More by WVbeergeek

ocelot2500

Arizona

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep garnet with a tight, mocha head that leaves chunks of lacing.

Smells of dark fruits with some roasted notes and a bit of woodiness.

Tastes of the fruits layered with roasted notes and a bit of spice. Notes of figs, dark cherries, and plums abound with a fair amount of sweetness to back them up. Some tartness comes through along with oak notes that gives a bit of a wine feel. Roasted notes rush in with chocolate and coffee that add depth to everything. A bit of clove spice is noticeable as the beer warms, as well as some anise.

Mouthfeel is medium-full with a smooth amount of carbonation.

Overall, this is quite good, and is verge of being great. Honestly, I would like to see it toned down.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 02:19:21 | More by ocelot2500

avalon07

South Carolina

3.8/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a goblet. Had a coal black color and a thick, muddy consistency. There was a massive, tan-colored, long-lasting head. Very good lacing.

S: A nice aroma of Belgian yeast, coffee, chocolate, and dark fruits.

T: Tasted of malt, Belgian yeast, dark fruits (plums, etc.), coffee and chocolate. Not bad, but surprisingly thin, especially in the finish.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a dry, smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This is a beer with some good qualities, but is certainly uneven. I have a feeling it could have been better.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 13:32:11 | More by avalon07

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into tulip. Pours a deep black color with tan thick thick foam. Ok lacing...not great. Smells of alcohol...cherry chocolate and slight belgian yeasts.
Taste is of chocolatey cherry with vanilla and smokey wood. Alcohol is present throughout the sip.
I rarerly mention mouth feel, but this is superb. Its smooth as can be and so easy to drink.
This is a great brew. Not so much a belgian, but more closely resembles a stout. Either way its excellent.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 00:46:44 | More by DrinkSlurm

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had a goblet at Liberty St Tavern and looked almost identical to the stout I ordered for a friend. I wasn't sure what to make of the beer. The roasty edge was matched with a mild tang, nothing on the scale of a lambic, but enough to really balance any sweetness. The flavor itself was a little more subtle than I'd have liked, with a mix of cocoa and dark fruit that gets cleaned up by the sour bite. Relatively light and drinkable overall, worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2012 19:06:57 | More by tempest

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer poured out at a dark brown nearly black colored brew. The head was pretty heavy at first and then it settled down a bit. It had decent retention but no lacing. The smell was heavy on the Belgian yeast and had a good amount of roasted aromas coming off of it. The taste was similar to most Belgian stouts. I found it to be earthy and roasted. The mouthfeel was smooth and drinkable. Overall this brew isn't anything too spectacular it's good but not great.

Just bought a bottle of this thinking it was a new beer from Stillwater. I hope this doesn't turn into what Rogue likes to do. Nevertheless This beer really impressed me so I'm revising my review. I felt that the flavor of the beer was much better than how I ranked it last time and overall I felt that the beer was impressive. Had I known that I already had this one I probably wou;dn't have bought it again. However the label on the new bottle is very hard to resist.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 01:06:34 | More by Knapp85

metter98

New York

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is very dark brownish amber in color and pored with a quarter finger dense tan head that never died down.
S: Aromas of smoke and burnt malts are present in the nose.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has notes of dark fruits, smoke and spices.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer has good drinkability because it is lighter-bodied compared to other beers in the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 00:21:29 | More by metter98

merc7186

New York

3.78/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer poured from a bomber into a sampler glass.

A: Dark Opaque, Passes Almost No Light, Mild Off Brown Head Ring, Some Lacing

S: Roasted Chocolate Malt, Mild Coffee

T: Chocolate, Mild Coffee, Mild Toffee

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium to Heavy Bodied, Smokey, Dry

Overall, a decent beer but nothing better than your typical smokey coffe stout.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 02:09:21 | More by merc7186