Rule Of Thirds (Import Series Vol. 4) - Stillwater Artisanal Ales

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +1%

02-10-2013 17:56:22 | More by yourefragile

desint

Belgium

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

06-06-2013 21:51:50 | More by desint

ThePorterSorter

New York

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottle picked up @ Max's Taphouse in Baltimore, MD last week

The beer pours a rich looking, hazy golden amber with a creamy, tight-knit white head that laces. Yeast/sediment speckle the bottom of my glass. The nose is relatively fruit/yeast forward with a bit of sugar and very little hops. It drinks the same as it smells with yeast esters overpower the beer's sweetness and unapparent hops. The mouthfeel seems off as a typically clean, drinkable Belgian beer style is now a hard-to-consume yeast bomb. The hops used are not particularly aromatic or bittering...so I'm not sure how this beer can be described as a "hoppy" version of anything. Regardless, I'm not completely let down once I've given the beer a chance to warm -- a lot more of the expected tripel sweetness is able to cut through its overpowering yeastiness. I'm not exactly sure how fresh this bottle is/when this beer was released, which may contribute to its overpowering yeast and underwhelming hop profile. I would recommend other stillwater collabs over this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 00:00:25 | More by ThePorterSorter

t0rin0

California

2.75/5  rDev -30.6%

02-21-2013 02:51:51 | More by t0rin0

Mattias

Sweden

4/5  rDev +1%

01-28-2013 21:14:02 | More by Mattias

ngeunit1

California

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

A - Clear golden orange with a finger of frothy slightly off white head. Fades fairly slowly.

S - Citrus, grapefruit, and grassy hops, sweet grainy malts, Belgian yeast, spices, spices, a touch of funk.

T - Sweet caramel and grainy malts, grapefruit, citrus, and a bit of grassy hops, some bitterness, lemon zest, Belgian yeast, coriander and other spices, and and a touch of farmhouse funk.

M - Medium bodied moderate carbonation. Smooth with a dry, lightly tart, and lightly spicy finish.

D - Great balance. Good mix of spices, malt, and hops.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 07:49:35 | More by ngeunit1

stakem

Pennsylvania

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

Thanks to wishuwerebeer for his relentless persuit of drinking all things possible from any/all "Gypsy Brewers" and sharing them with me.

375ml bottle into a tulip. Warning here, this one is explosively carbonated and despite having a glass ready, brew was lost during the gushing. The brew appears a copper orange color with a mountainous 4 + fingers of white head composed of rather large bubbles.

The smell of this is hoppy with herbs, rinds, pulp, zest and earthy mineral quality coming into play towards the back. A pleasant citrus note fills the nose all around and is surprisingly enjoyable albeit unexpected for the style.

The flavor is spicy with yeasty character blended into citrus hop character. Fruity rinds, pulp and zest of oranges mixes with minerals and a bit of sulfur/carbonic quality. The fruity and floral components blend into caramel malt sweetness that hints to something along the lines of belgian candy.

This is a med to light bodied brew with an effervescent, lively and overdone amount of carbonation. This gushed out the bottle and filled the glass with bubbles instead of beer. 3 pours later we have liquid. However, overall its not bad and one of the better stillwater offerings ive had to date.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 14:01:29 | More by stakem

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This poured out as a muddy looking gold color with a fizzy white head on top. The retention and lacing are decent. The smell of the beer is sweet similar to what could be a barley wine. The hops have definitely mellowed but it's still enjoyable. The flavor is still good in my opinion whether the hops have gone south or not. The taste of the beer is sweet, I get notes of honey, some spice, malt and just a touch of bitterness. The mouthfeel is sharp upfront with a solid carbonation that settles into a creamy finish. Overall it's a good brew. Wishing I could have had it fresh also but all in all I found it to be good regardless.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 22:42:20 | More by Knapp85

Guden

Maryland

3.15/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A- Bright gold with a big fluffy head that lasts forever.

S- An interesting blend of sweet biscuits and bread, probably a bit oxidized.

T- Bright and sweet malts with a bit of pepper and some strange bread, might be oxidation. Not nearly as spicy or hoppy as I expected, but this is definitely past the best by date.

M- Medium carbonation, dry with a nice creaminess.

D- Definitely an old beer that is hard to measure versus what it once was. Not a great beer at this point, but drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 02:01:59 | More by Guden

samEBC

Belgium

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

08-12-2012 16:32:33 | More by samEBC

vfgccp

New York

4.45/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Nice wheat orange body. The white head sits low with low retention and lace.

S - Great nose. Green apple, sage, hard cider, and a lace of spruce.

T - Sweet apple and honey opening. A spruce and rosemary center counterbalances the sweetness and keeps things in check through a soft malty finish.

M - Creamy, medium/full body.

O - Delicious. Great profile and excellent smoothness for the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 16:51:17 | More by vfgccp

busternuggz

Arizona

2.73/5  rDev -31.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 11.2 oz bottle into a red wine glass. No freshness date, but I bought it something like 5 months ago (probably a bit past it's prime).

Pours a dark golden/orangish color with a 3/4" white head. Ample floaties and a little yeast sediment. Head settles to a thin layer, like 1/8".

Very estery nose, with a little dried banana and something like palm sugar. Some kind of spice...allspice? Ginger? Smells like it's going to be too sweet and estery, but interesting.

Definitely tastes hoppier than it smelled...there's a rough alcohol to it, makes me think of nail polish. There's some of that nice estery/yeast character and some of the allspice and ginger notes, some apple, a little peach. The alcohol is really unpleasant though and overshadows anything else going on. It fades as it warms a little, but it only really goes from boozy to astringent. A slight citrusy aftertaste.

The texture is smooth, unobtrusive. Medium bodied, not too thick.

Dunno what to make of this one. I'll say this, despite the initial booziness I kept drinking it because there was enough other stuff going on. I wouldn't buy it again, or recommend it at the price, but it had some character. And I probably drank it a little old for a "hoppy triple", so there's that. Definitely my least favorite of the export series.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 05:11:54 | More by busternuggz

tln13

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

04-22-2012 19:10:48 | More by tln13

oline73

Maryland

3.33/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a Chimay goblet.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy orangish amber color with two fingers of foamy white head. The head fades to a layer on top of the pour.

Smell: Very sweet and malty. Getting a strong grape presence with some hops as well. The sweetness also has a hint of brown sugar to it.

Taste: Just as sweet as the smell indicates with some Belgian spice from the yeast. Still getting the strong grape notes as well as brown sugar and perhaps some wine. The finish has a slight hop bitterness to it along with the malt.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and over carbonated with a slick finish.

Overall: This one was a bit too sweet for me. Not terrible, just a bit too much.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 03:20:48 | More by oline73

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Rule of Thirds, purchased at Max's during last year's BBW. In a goblet.

A: The hoppy tripel is champagne-like, foamy and bubbly. The first pour was only a few ounces of beer and an overwhelming white head. Three pours later, I had a hazy autumn brown ale, sediment-laiden and thick, resting underneath that dense white head.

S: From an arm's length away, the tripel aromas waft out of the glass, big with spicy sweetness. Candi sugars and phenols, paired with citrusy hops, create a big swirling nose. Hard to pin this one down, but the ale smells bubbly, if that makes sense.

T: The carbonation is ample, leading to a zesty mouthfeel. As that passes, my first register was caramel, fuller malts supporting the yeast and sugars. Pepper and botanicals, paired with the herbal hop varietals, gives the tripel a zing that overcomes that caramel malt start. The spices and hops, which grow more prominent as the ale warms, crowd out that unappealing caramel presence (I'll blame the temperature). The hops rear up in the finish, adding an herbal bite that couples well with the candi sugars - nearly a Belgian IPA.

M: The ale feels like its got a bit of age. Still though, the hoppy finish and effervescent feel are very nice. I've been nursing this one for a few hours, give it time to warm (and wake) up.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 23:33:22 | More by akorsak

iskeptopotamus

California

3.25/5  rDev -17.9%

03-19-2012 02:48:30 | More by iskeptopotamus

sludgegnome

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +19.9%

03-10-2012 21:21:51 | More by sludgegnome

grantino9

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%

02-26-2012 17:52:06 | More by grantino9

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.83/5  rDev +22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into a Nostradamus flute. Pours a cloudy yellow orange amber. Massive fine white head. Aroma of sweet malt, orange citrus, light fruit. Taste is complex sweet fruit, apple, yeast, caramel malt. Hops faint at first then becoming dominant in the finish. Pleasant hop and fruit aftertaste. Creamy medium to heavy bodied. This is really good. On the sweet side for a tripel, but one of the nicest, most pleasant tripels I've ever had. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 04:51:07 | More by LiquidAmber

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip.

A: Pours orange with gold highlights. This is a yeasty beasty; obviously unfiltered. Cloudy and murky. Yeast is suspended throughout the glass. There's 3 fingers of fluffy white head that sticks around for quite a while before dissipating.

N: Orange juice and notes of grassy noble hops. Bread, wheat and hints of strawberry banana. Unique and subtle.

T: Very bready and wheaty upfront along with faint notes of strawberry banana and orange juice. Nothing really develops mid-palate but is does get slightly sweeter. Okay, maybe just a hint of coriander in there. Finishes with orange citrus notes and noble hops.

M: Medium bodied, smooth, sticky and dry with a light-moderate bitterness.

O: This is incredibly easy drinking. Not as hoppy/bitter as expected. Although not extremely complex, it is rather tasty. If you're a fan of Tripel's I'd say give this one a go.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 16:24:44 | More by justintcoons

John11486

California

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%

02-09-2012 22:11:57 | More by John11486

IdrinkGas

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -24.2%

01-31-2012 05:56:07 | More by IdrinkGas

drabmuh

Maryland

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

Beer served in a Stillwater wine glass because I love to do this. Beer is yellow, hazy with a nice white head of small bubbles, some lacing, moderate carbonation, nice retention. Looks good.

Aroma is tea-like, sweet, with a nice yeastiness to it. Smells good.

Beer is pretty spicy, sage-like, sweet, yeasty, light to medium in body, mildly dry finish. Decent beer, a repeat for me. 8%? Really? Hides the ethanol well.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 01:43:10 | More by drabmuh

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy golden orange with a tall, dense, white head. A surprisingly citrusy aroma to this. There's a nice bit of banana to it, too. Maybe a little bit of straw. Some sweetness of malt and sugar, as you might expect. The flavor is a bit bland. Light sweetness with some bready malt. A little straw and citrus peel flavor, maybe even lightly bitter. A faint banana flavor toward the back end. Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 08:24:13 | More by womencantsail

cosmicevan

New York

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

Big big thanks to 321jeff for continuously helping to feed my stillwater obsession. poured into a stillwater wine glass.

a - classic tripel look, but a bit more murky than i had expected. generous foamy head and some small yeast chunks. dark orange...almost brown in color the head lasted for days and has a classic belgian look that you just don't find from beers brewed in the states. really creamy looking. lacing clings hard.

s - very nice and complex smell. oranges, lemons. hops are there but more of a dry hopped vibe. gives the beer a touch of bitterness to the smell.

t - flavors are melded nicely not letting anything really stick out too much, but finishes with some booziness. somewhat fruity and definitely yeasty. kind of pale ale-ish and definitely some candied sweetness. the hops come across mostly in some bitterness.

m - uber creamy. really nice tripel. super easy to drink. has the mouth and qualities that i look for in a high quality quad or BSDA. really smooth and silky. fantastic body.

o - all-in-all a very unassuming tripel that is pretty balanced and easy to drink. i do find that tripels can be polarizing, but this one is a pleasure...especially when it comes to the mouth feel. it is also wonderful to drink other styles from brian aside from saisons. i think he's hit the nail on the head with cellar door and i was extremely pleased with the belgian strong dark and his barrel aged brews have been nothing short of fantastic. this is a really nice tripel with a touch of a bitter finish counterbalanced by some really nice candied sweetness. VERY glad i got to taste this one. thanks again to 321jeff for helping me try as many brews from this amazing brewer!

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 03:19:16 | More by cosmicevan