Stillwater / Brewer's Art Debutante - Stillwater Artisanal Ales

C20Percent

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a gold color with a big bubbly white head of foam on top. Mighty bubbly.

S: Strong floral smells. Citrus. Fruits. Honey. Reminds me of a white wine. Sweet.

T: Spices -- rye, maybe -- lemons. Fruits. Flowers. Honey. Peppery?

M: Bold carbonation. Pretty smooth for a Farmhouse Ale. Bonus.

O: If you like this style, then you'll probably really like this beer. I'm not a huge Saison / Farmhouse Ale. I like the spices. Like the smell. Good brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 16:56:55 | More by C20Percent

Monkeyknife

Missouri

4.23/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from the tap a bright golden color with two fingers of sticky white head. Nice amounts of lacing left behind.

Aroma of floral and herbal hoppy notes along with white pepper, clove, and a bit of yeast and honey.

The taste was very nice with the hoppy floral and herbal notes along with the clove, pepper, and yeast notes from the aroma. Finished clean/

Medium bodied and smooth with a moderate carbonation.

A very nice Saison from Stillwater. A must try.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2013 01:11:26 | More by Monkeyknife

popery

California

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes, 8/11/11. Bottle, home. Pours a cloudy golden yellow with a healthy white head. Aroma has fairly mild floral notes with a bit of rye, nice light grain and a big musty earthiness. It’s nice and dry with a touch of spice and a bit more floral presence. Good, fresh grain flavor. Light feel. Well carbonated. A nice beer that manages to work in floral notes on a dry, earthy body.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 03:44:16 | More by popery

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

P: A huge creamy peak of mountainous meringue head that billows on top of a unrelentingly murky body of dark apricot. Retention is outstanding. The creamy film never goes away and delicate lace clings to the glass.

S: Aroma is floral with bountiful rye notes, honeysuckle, soapy yeast, musty cardboard, white grapes, and spicy wheat. Reminds me of the decorative floral bath soap by grandma used to have when I was a child.

T/M: Spices are more upfront than the nose. Earthy, floral and fruity with a timid kiss of hop bitterness. Honeysuckle is prominent with powdery yeast and rustic wheat gracing the creamy, yet prickly body. Finish is very dry with spicy and floral bite. Bartlett pears and ground black pepper linger afterwards.

O: Debutante is my first Stillwater offering and i can say I am eager to try more. Aggressively earthy and floral with hearty wheat, spices and a kiss of fruit. Wonderfully complex and well blended saison. What a great introduction to Stillwater ales.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 22:22:48 | More by Hopswagger

srhoadsy

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served chilled into a flute.

Pours a clear straw color with an inch and a half of airy white head that very slowly recedes and leaves a quarter inch surface layer with nice lacing.

Aroma of sour grapes with a grassy background.

Flavor follows through aroma with a slight peppery taste as well.

Body is dry and crisp with good dose of carbonation.

Not my favorite from Stillwater(Existent), but all around a nicely balanced and drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 00:40:49 | More by srhoadsy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a cloudy bright golden color ale with a super large foamy head with good retention and some excellent lacing. Aroma of rye and spelt malt is easily detectable with some good notes of rustic ester and light residual sugar notes. Taste is a complex mix between some fruity ester with good notes rustic malt with spicy notes of rye malt and light residual sugar notes. Body is full with limited filtration and good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Very well brewed with excellent level complexity while retaining a very nice level of drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 18:29:16 | More by Phyl21ca

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

My first beer from Stillwater. Looks nice. Smells nice. A good profile of flavors, but not really pushing it or trying to be obnoxious. And that's the key I think. Do it right and do it well, but don't try to be out of control with things. A very well done brew.

Serving type: on-tap

08-30-2012 17:13:04 | More by RblWthACoz

vfgccp

New York

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Semi opaque light gold body. Nice lace and retention.

S - Lightly sour with dried flowers, dandelion, honey, and green banana.

T - Smooth opening of malt and honey into an orangey fruit center. Tart, dry hop note on the backend with hay and herbal characteristics.

M - Medium/full and surprisingly creamy for a saison.

O - Sweeter and creamier than traditional for the style, but it works beautifully.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 16:41:49 | More by vfgccp

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Nostradamus flute glass. Pours a medium orange amber with a one finger fine off-white head and lacing. Aroma of light fruit, floral elements light spicing and a suggestion of sweet caramel malt. Flavor of light fruit with peppery bitterness from the heather, develops nice floral notes in the middle to finish somewhat dry with a touch of rye sourness. A very pleasant flavor progression. Complex variety of flavors, but none dominate, allowing something interesting to develop over the taste. Although light to medium in body, it manages a bit of creaminess in the mouth feel. Another interesting and fun to drink take on the saison style. Nicely done.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 03:24:35 | More by LiquidAmber

avalon07

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had an orange color and a cloudy consistency. There was a massive, long-lasting, creamy head. Average lacing.

S: An unusual aroma: Kind of herbal, kind of floral, kind of spicy. Interesting.

T: Tasted of some malt, spices (cloves, et. al.), a good amount of yeast, and a pronounced herbal quality. The flavor here grew on me as it went on. Very strong forceful. Note: This beer tastes more like a biere de garde than a saison.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a somewhat harsh finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Like everything Stillwater makes this one is worth a shot. Not my favorite of theirs, but pretty solid.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 13:10:02 | More by avalon07

DCon

Missouri

3.7/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed on-tap @ The Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar in St. Louis, MO for $9. Tapped from the "Dark" Looking Tap Handle from Stillwater into a 12oz Pint Glass. Stillwater's 750mL bottles are ALWAYS over $15 so I decided to try this on-tap first.

Aroma- Tons of complexity comes from this brew. Huge spices and a fresh/fruit blend is included. Bit of clove as well. Super potent!

Appearance- Received with a 1.5 finger head that has good head retention. Has a deep golden colored body but clear. Leaves thick frothing behind.

Flavor- VERY malty and almost a deep grain flavor from the beginning. Spices then come in with a bit of pepper and then prickles at the finish with slight bitterness.

Mouthfeel- Light-Medium Bodied, High Carbonation, Effervescent, Sweet Spices, and then a mixed fruit flavor finishes on the palate.

Overall Impression- A decent Saison by Stillwater/Brewer's Art but not worth the price... I haven't seen this in bottle shops yet but won't be looking to purchase it. Not even taste/flavor for me. The spices were a good contribution to the beer but needed more character.

Serving type: on-tap

07-02-2012 15:14:41 | More by DCon

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.63/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured on-tap and served in a tulip, the beer is a cloudy opaque, pale, orange marmalade coloring with a thin, filmy coating on top. Aromas of sweet honey and a blend of spicing, including a clove presence. Flavors are light, with an effervescent feel on the tongue. Subtle sweetness in the backbone carries the dynamic spice profile of nutmeg, clove, heather, and oregano on a smooth body. The aftertaste is a muted version of the flavors, doing a good job of carrying the major profiles over into the end of the palate. Quick, clean finish, with a touch of citrus sweet at the very end. Very easy to drink, and very well balanced.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2012 16:47:23 | More by GarthDanielson

benbazi

California

4.58/5  rDev +18%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy orange with a nice pillowy head in my tulip glass.

smells of delicious floral, citus fruits and pepper!

tastes of fruit, earth and delicious pepper spicyness with a right on dry finish.

medium body appropriate carbonation, smooth.

overall this another winner from stillwater, i dig this beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 01:06:00 | More by benbazi

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-golden color slightly cloudy with a decent white head and some lacing

S-lemon, floral, and herbal with hints of spice

T-yeasty, spice,floral and earthy flavors with a hint of sourness

F-light to medium body with moderate carbonation, crisp slightly tart feel

O-a decent Saison, but not in the top tier

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2012 01:42:58 | More by MDDMD

cosmicevan

New York

3.63/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

big thanks to 321jeff for yet another stillwater hookup. enjoyed from my stillwater wine glass.

a - the brew poured a murky golden orange with a generous creamy head. the head hung out and left big chunky lacing on the glass. visible carbonation could be seen rising to the surface along the glass' edges. really dark color...opaque, kind of like a pewter orange.

s - as advertised...a nice rustic farmhouse. excellent spicing on the earthy base. soft hint of sweetness, but drowned out by rye and mostly belgian spicing and white pepper.

t - a bit of a let down in the flavor dept. kind of muddled and muted. fairly grainy with lots of spicing. as the beer warmed, some great citric and floral notes came out.

m - cooling and soft, prickly carbonation...somewhat dry finish.

o - overall, not a bad beer, but a bit of a let down. stillwater makes so many excellent saisons, but i found this one to be better than average, but not really at the level that i've come to expect from brian's saisons. enjoyable on a warm memorial day weekend, but lacking in the sweetness to be the perfect beverage for right now. probably more of an end of summer beer than an early summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 22:04:31 | More by cosmicevan

homebrewhawk

Kansas

3.7/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle served in a tulip. Poured a hazy gold with a finger of white head. Floral aroma that I wasn't really a fan of. Also some citrus. Light bodied with plenty of carbonation. Nice and dry with some Belgian spice in the finish. More citrus in the flavor. Taste was better than the aroma. Not my favorite Stillwater.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 22:11:38 | More by homebrewhawk

mltobin

Connecticut

3.68/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-draft at The Pony Bar.

Appearance is a hazy orange with two fingers of white head. This collaboration from Stillwater/Brewer`s Art has a a smell of of yeast, spice, honey and lemon. The taste is grains, fruit and bread. Mouthfeel is rather earthy, a musty aspect, finishes rather clean however. A nice farmhouse, that has a bit of barnyard character to it, but not too much, was easily quaffable and would be great way to introduce "newbies" to the style.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2012 03:57:48 | More by mltobin

rapidsequence

Virginia

3.65/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750 ml bottle from Pints O'Plenty. I think it was 12 bucks. Again, nice packaging from Stillwater.

Appearance: Hazy dark yellow-orange. Fair head retention and lacing. Not too exciting, but not bad.

Smell: Fruity, earthy, floral, herbal, and clovey-spicy. I know the smell of heather or hyssop, but I smell fresh honeysuckle all the time and that smell is very common in saisons in general. This one too.

Taste: The flavor is much more toward the spicy and clovey. There's an herbal bitterness and a strong peppery flavor too. Some light fruit sweetness in the back, but this is dominated by the spice and herbs.

Mouthfeel: Very nice soft, almost creamy mouthfeel. Carbonation is appropriately high, making it feel lively. Finish is pretty dry.

Overall: I usually love Stillwater's saisons, but this one has too many funky additions. Too much spice and the herbal bitterness is too much. Still good, but not great.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 00:22:44 | More by rapidsequence

metter98

New York

3.9/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at DBGB Kitchen & Bar, New York, NY

A: The beer is very hazy yellow in color. It poured with a small tan head that died down and left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and a ring around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of heather in the nose, along with some floral aromas and hints of spices.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has initial flavors of heather, hyssop and honeysuckle along with some notes of spices towards the finish.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and a bit chewy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There is a very slight amount of dryness.
O: This beer is easy to drink and is an interesting representation of the style due to the addition of flowers and herbs.

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2012 01:15:50 | More by metter98

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap at DBGB Kitchen & Bar in New York, NY

A: Pours an extremely hazy golden yellow to orange in color. The beer has a half finger tall off-white head that reduces to a very thin film covering the surface of the beer with a thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate lacing is observed.

S: Overall the aroma of this beer is not very intense. There are light notes of florals and botanicals - including heather and what might be honeysuckle. Additionally there are some hints of spices.

T: The taste follows the smell. Upfront there is a lot of floral presence and some botanicals. The finish is full of the flavor of the rye including the expected hints of spiciness.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. There is a very light hint of dryness, but not as much as I expected for the style.

O: This beer is very refreshing and very easy to drink - I really enjoyed this beer and it is one to get another time. This beer is very much a sessionable beer and definitely one I would enjoy drinking through an entire meal. My only real critique is that I wish there was a little more dryness in the mouthfeel.

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2012 21:11:54 | More by dbrauneis

mdfb79

New York

3.58/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From 03/25/12 notes. had on tap at Fireworks in Arlington, VA yesterday. Served in a tulip.

a - Pours a bright murky orange color with one inch of fluffy white head and moderate carbonation evident. Leaves some spotty lacing on the glass.

s - Smells of spices, floral hops, yeast, pepper, citrus hops, and some fruity malts. Pretty nice but heavy on the spices.

t - Tastes of spices, floral hops, Belgian yeast, earthy notes, hay, pepper, ligth citrus hops. Again, heavy on the spices.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Pretty smooth body.

o - Overall a nice saison, but not my favorite Stillwater beer. A bit too heavy on the spices for me. If you like spice/pepper in your saisons you may like this more then I did, but I probably wouldn't seek it out again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-26-2012 18:48:46 | More by mdfb79

brentk56

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Arrives with a clear amber color; the modest head sticks around and dots the glass

Smell: Bready, with floral honey tones

Taste: Bready, up front, with developing floral tones, though there is an herbal spice cake character that arrives, after the swallow and lingers into the finish

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body; moderate carbonation

Overall: A refreshing brew; like the spice cake elements

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2012 01:45:29 | More by brentk56

elNopalero

Texas

4.28/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Purchased and enjoyed in February, 2012.

This pours a golden-orange color with a tight layer of foam. Lovely aroma. I get a light floral ‘wildflowers in bloom’ note which accents the estery aroma. It has a zesty flavor and a real zing to each sip. There’s a light crispness to this that’s all about the flavor. It’s estery, yeasty springtime floral-ness forward. The grain bill has some interesting components but I couldn’t identify or single out some of the specifics, other than an apparent rye zest. But spelt? Heather, honeysuckle & hsyssop?

While I enjoyed this beer tremendously after tasting the Debutante and a Fantome in the same weekend I also found myself wondering if I’ve hit a wall in terms of my ability to detect some of the more subtle and unique variations, or if I’m missing out on some things.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 23:00:42 | More by elNopalero

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.68/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sampled November 2011
A solid pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip produces a four-finger thick, pale tan colored head. The beer is a light amber hue that shows a brilliantly clear, pale amber tinged, full gold hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells floral and fruity with notes of hibiscus, red pears, perhaps a touch of floral apple and a general flower nectar that displays lots of honey-like notes. This up front character is supported by some spicy white pepper notes, touches of ginger, a touch of mustiness and a solid phenolic character that is more spice than clove (though some of the latter too).

Spritzy and carbonated up front this serves as a nice foil to the ample sweetness; much of the latter is perceived, accentuated by the ample floral and fruit notes in the flavor. Sweet fruit notes of hibiscus, Macintosh apple, some floral pear, a soft berry character, lots of flower nectar notes and of course a solid honey like character (without the medicinal sweetness that honey has though). There is a slight spiciness towards the finish that has white pepper notes, a touch of young ginger, some phenolic notes in the finish that leans towards plastic perhaps a touch of clove and a slight mustiness.

The nose and the flavor lean a bit too much towards the fruity and floral side of things; it needs more spiciness and / or funkiness to balance out this super fruit and floral character that is on show so well in this beer. This is a touch unbalanced, but in the end is pretty tasty; actually it really reminds me a lot of a Saison I made with Hibiscus, it too really needed some balancing funkiness or spiciness in it. I wonder if the standard French Saison yeast was used in here, I find that this yeast doesn’t supply the bite and balance that my favorite Saison yeasts are able to supply.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 02:10:46 | More by Gueuzedude

DapperGrowler

District of Columbia

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Tried this beer out of a bottle. It was really pleasant. The beer poured out of the bottle in a cloudy orange/amber ocular with light foam.

S: Herbal, yeasty, floral, earthy, fruity (citrus)

A: Cloudy, Amber/Orange color with a thin head

T: Citrus (kinda floral on the back)

M: the beer was very crisp

O: this beer was nice to try but almost tasted like a juice.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 01:41:12 | More by DapperGrowler