Premium - Stillwater Artisanal Ales

Tone

Missouri

3.88/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy amber color. 2/3 inch head of a white color. Good retention and great lacing. Smells of grapes, hops, yeast, hint of floral, hint of grass, and a hint of sweet malt. Fits the style of an American Blonde Ale. Mouth feel is smooth and thick, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of slight alcohol, grapes, slight grass, hint of yeast, slight floral, and a hint of sweet malt. Overall, good appearance, decent aroma, feel, and blend.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2013 16:50:19 | More by Tone

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Pours pale straw with a large head.
Nose shows funky, goaty Brett, soft lemon, light malt, grassy cow shit. Smells like a bloody farm. Intriguing.
Some of the farm characters transfer through as flavours, along with dry saison notes and grainy malt.
Massively high carbonation.
This one grew on me, despite the cow shit.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 02:30:44 | More by CrazyDavros

ADZA

Australia

3.61/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours the lightest hazy blonde hue I've ever seen borderlining urine colour with a fluffy three finger head and clingy lacing everywhere,the smell is sweaty socks,funk,citrus and lemon sherbet,the mouthfeel is lightbodied and well carbonated with tastes of lemon sherbet,mandarins,the slightest touch of funk and i mean slight just enough to make itself known and finished with a thirst quenching herbal fruity dryness and overall not bad and nice for when you want a tasty thirst quenching beer without too much going on it cheers.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 10:18:28 | More by ADZA

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.94/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

22oz bottle. More ornate, withered Victorian manuscript label imagery, very 'artisanal'.

This beer pours a very, very, very pale cloudy, almost white straw 'colour', with a tumultuous rising mass of thinly foamy, whipped cream head, which leaves broad swaths of chunky, splattered fuzzy lace around the glass as it genially abates. It is blonde, in the American sense, this much is certain.

It smells of funky, sort of cheesy yeast, a sour lemon and cherry fruitiness, grainy pale malt, soft earthy spice, and a sassy grassy hoppiness. The taste is tart lemon and mild white vinegar, a paler Brett funkiness than that of the nose (but still kickin' it), gritty pale malt, a touch of cornmeal, some understated black pepper mill detritus, and still prominent wet hay and grassy hops.

The carbonation is obviously quite the showman up front, and mostly keeps at it with a sharp, sometimes fizzy nature, the body medium-light in weight, maybe a smidgeon thin, but generally smooth for such a hoppy, modulated acidic brew. It finishes off-dry, the sweetness of the rice/corn kind of shouldering its way in, while the bitter hops and sour/funky combo just sit back and smirk.

A tasty enough pale wild ale, I don't quite grok the insistence on placing this in the Blonde Ale classification, even if said category, as a whole, is loosey-goosey at best. So a few niggling points off for that. And did pre-WWII beers in America really rely on wild yeast and bacteria for their fermentation? Maybe I've got some further reading up to do.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 02:00:00 | More by biboergosum

brentk56

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Batch 1

Apppearance: Quite the gusher indeed but after cleaning up the mess, the beer poured a cloudy honey color with a beaten egg white head that left multiple strands of lace

Smell: Vague hints of lemon and chalk with undertones of an adjunct lager (more rice than corn)

Taste: Starts out chalky dry, with lemon pound cake undertones; in the middle, there is a vanilla and pepper character that contrasts with the rice flavors; the rice actually adds a bit of sweet rice pudding to the malt profile as the beer settles into the finish

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate to high carbonation

Overall: Intriguing and probably a bit better fresh, this is still a nice example of what Brett can do to the American Blonde style to make it interesting and appealing

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 23:08:56 | More by brentk56

srhoadsy

Florida

3.86/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured chilled into a fluted tulip.

Blonde is beautiful. This beer pours an amazing light blonde color with an inch plus of white airy head that slowly recedes leaving a moderate surface layer and moderate to heavy lacing.

Strong aromas of lemongrass and spice.

Taste follows through the aromas with a lot of sourness and funk from the yeast. Very complex; sour, sweet and musty all at the same time.

Light to medium bodied with crisp, dry finish and moderat to heavy carbonation. Lingering aftertaste.

Overall a great looking beer that may have been just a touch to funky for me. Would definitely like to try again and reassess the flavor profile.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 23:34:00 | More by srhoadsy

ToasterChef

Maine

4.21/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A cold 22oz bottle is poured into a pint glass.

A straw colored liquid fills my glass. It is ever so slightly hazy with plenty of tiny bubbles rising within. The head is made up of white foam and it fills the top quarter of my glass. As it recedes some lacing is left behind.

The beer has a funky brett aroma. Grassy hops are also present. I could smell the corn and rice while pouring the beer—at least I thought I could—but once I hold the beer close to my nose I am not smelling either of those adjuncts.

The beer has a great farmhouse taste. The brett adds some sourness, but this isn't a puckering beer. Its subtle but noticeable and works very well with the grassy hops and light malt sweetness.

The beer has a medium body and is rather fizzy. A wet coat is left behind inside my mouth. It holds onto some of the malt flavors. My lips are left a touch sticky.

I like this beer. It is incredibly easy drinking and has some wonderful sour characteristics. It isn't exactly what I would reach for if I was in the mood for an adjunct lager (which is rare), but it is what I would grab if I wanted a fancier lawnmower beer. It is recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 01:14:24 | More by ToasterChef

metter98

New York

3.96/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

A: The beer is clear light straw yellow in color and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation. It poured with a two finger high bright white head that took a very long time to die down but never completely faded away, consistently leaving a thin head covering the surface as well as lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: The Brettanomyces yeast imparts light amounts of sourness to the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste is a little sour and also has notes of lemon citrus and grassy hops. Hints of peppery spices are noticeable in the finish.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and a little clean on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This would make for a really easy to drink beer for someone that is just getting into sour beers because the brett is not overdone. I really liked how the brewer used a little sourness to make a beer brewed with adjunct malts that doesn't taste bland. It's extremely drinkable given its low alcohol content.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 22:08:19 | More by metter98

shand

Florida

4.04/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was really excited to pop this beer open, because I honestly had no idea what to expect from it. Stillwater Premium pours out a pale golden yellow color with a large white head. The aroma, at first, smells like an adjunct lager with maybe a touch more bright citrus. As either the beer warms or I get closer into the glass, more subtle aromas come out. The musty aspects from the Brett start to take over, as well as a bit of spicy/earthy hops. The taste is, again, really interesting. It has the clean, crisp, and citrusy lager taste there, but it's subverted by a heavy amount of very musty funkiness that cuts right through the lager base like a knife. The Brett funkiness has a fun time interacting with the citrus and hops in the beer. I don't know how to really describe the feeling of the funk hitting in this beer - it almost feels like the mouthfeel gets thicker when the funk comes rolling through, even though it obviously doesn't. It's probably due to a strong dryness from the Brett that fights against the crisp, bright, and light lager base. Premium might not be a beer that completely succeeds on all levels, but it's interesting enough that I can't help but recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 22:55:31 | More by shand

russwbeck

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Batch 2

A: Bubbly, bright yellow color with a huge white head. The head lasts forever and is bolstered by a furry of bubbles. What does recede sticks heartily to the side of my glass. A significant amount of yeast is resting at the bottom of the bottle, which I poured into a different glass. 4

S: It smells really interesting. Wheaty, lemon, light, and, of course, the Brett. It really takes over the entire aroma. Musty and citrusy, the smell without the Brett would probably be off-putting. 4

T: The taste, amazingly, not only packs a Brett punch but an array of fruits as well. The lemons and oranges honestly take the Brett and wheatiness over and make you almost forget it's there. The finish is slight sour, but more like a saison funk and not an American Wild Ale hit. 4.5

MF: Light, crisp and absurdly drinkable. I wish all "Premium" beers tasted like this beaut. 5

O: Took a chance on this weird beer and was absolutely rewarded. I'm really starting to get hooked on what Stillwater is doing, looking forward to the next time I come across them. 4.5

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 23:25:46 | More by russwbeck

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

bomber into NY Giants pint glass. assuming batch #2 since it is a bomber bottle. little disappointed by the fill height on this bottle...

A: almost a fake looking gold hue with how bright this pours. looks very much like a light lager in my pint glass. bright white head is frothy and has reasonable head retention.

S: barny. earthy. horse. eggy. sulfur. smells rustic, if that makes any sense. struggling to find any hop aroma. the aroma seems to be dominated by brett aspects.

T: starts watery, not much to it. acidic dryness puts a twang to the flavor. finish has a corny linger, but is also pretty dry.

M: a sizeable carbonation. works well with the barny flavors and the light body.

D: a pretty unique brew. highly quaffable as the Brett dries things out. I would enjoy this in a smaller serving vessel as it would make for some solid session beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 19:15:33 | More by Jimmys

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Beer is cloudy golden in colour, very light. Looks rather like a wit. Good-sized white head, fades steadily leaving a good amount of lace.

Smell is dominated by brett. Quite funky, barnyardy. A bit of a cheesy scent. Some grain. I like brett but the scent is not the best.

Like the nose, the brett is quite strong. Other than that, the taste is very thin. Very funky with a cheese flavour. I get almost nothing other than brett.

Beer is very thin, very light-bodied. Moderate carbonation.

Overall, disappointing. It just tastes like the brett was added to a tasteless beer. Meh.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 19:37:45 | More by jrenihan

kylehay2004

Florida

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

Half finger head wit excellent lacing in a cloudy banana yellow body. Aroma of clove, Belgian yeast, garbage and lemon. Flavor has a lot of corriander and clove with Belgian yeast funk and light lemon custard sweetness. Moderate carbonation and light to medium body. Lots of Belgian yeast and funk character. Drinkable but comes across very simpe. Not overly dry.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 18:26:41 | More by kylehay2004

kangarooAdam59

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Into a pint glass:

A: light golden-yellow colored body with a two finger frothy white head. The head fades into some valleys and leaves some nice lacing around the sides of the pint glass. Lots of carbonation is seen rising through the body

S: mixture of corn, citrus hops, lemon peel with some pepper in the background

T: peppery tartness up front making a bittery/zestiness with a good pop on the taste buds.

M: light to medium with a good balance between wet and dry. There's some harshness on the tongue, but its expected due to the style. I would say this is very drinkable.

O: though this is my first one by Stillwater, I would say I'm mostly pleased, but would fault myself for having this one this time of year because I think this one would probably show its aspects better in the warmer months of the year. I'll be looking for it next summer. Though, I will say its nice to see this in Maine.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 16:15:31 | More by kangarooAdam59

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a cloudy golden-yellow with a big finger of frothy white head. The head fades down very slowly leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of sweet grains with some corn, citrus hops, some lemon peel, some funky Brett, and some tart green fruits.

T - Starts off with a mix of sweet corn and other grains with some citrus hops, some mild bitterness, and some tart lemon zest and other green fruits. Through the middle, more funky Brett character comes through with some more tartness, with just a hint of spice. The finish is a mix of sweet grainy malts, funky Brett, and tart lemon zest and green fruits.

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

D - Very drinkable. Nice crisp finish with good Brett character throughout. Well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 06:44:22 | More by ngeunit1

nickfl

Florida

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours with one and a half fingers of white foam on top of a hazy, straw colored body. The head sinks down slowly and leaves decent lace on the glass.

S - A slightly sulphury aroma of yeast, grainy malt, and earthy Brett.

T - Clean, earthy malt up front with notes of hay. The Brett comes out in the middle with notes of wet dirt and lemongrass. The beer finishes with lots of earthy hops and matching funky straw and dirt yeast character.

M - Medium body, high carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - Really interesting. The funky notes play perfectly with the earthy European hops and make for an odd but endearing little beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 08:55:39 | More by nickfl

fmccormi

New York

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Of Love and Regret in Baltimore, MD. Received a 6oz half-pour in a small snifter-lookin’ kinda glass. They have nice glassware at that bar, for realsies.

Appearance (5.0): The body is a light straw-yellow, just barely hazy and extremely pretty. One finger of fluffy, white head, with very good retention, comes off of the pour but it leaves unbelievable lacing all around the sides of the glass as the beer goes down—as in, it literally coats the sides of the glass. Unreal.

Smell (4.5): There’s a very light, pale grain scent mixed with the sweet notes of corn-based, classic adjunct malt and the light crispness of rice that you get from AALs when you dig into them. Peppery brett notes are equally strong. Apparently, the malt composition of this beer is identical to Natty Boh and Old Milwaukee, so in that light the scents of the malt profile make perfect sense. Moderately fruity, musty character is also evident. Very fragrant, lightly citrusy with apple and pear notes.

Taste (3.5): Well, brett. Plain and simple, in all its weird glory. There’s that familiar mix of peppercorn and soft cheese-rind funk coming out of the finish, with a modest peppery character coming before it. The malt is pale and crisp, as would be expected from the nose, and washes down easy to leave the brett to shine in all of its peppery, musty glory. That dank, musty character that personally I prefer in a brett-forward beer really takes a backseat to that peppercorn/cheese rind phenolic funk, however. Some modest, lemony bitterness is present throughout.

Mouthfeel (4.0): This has an excellent feel, with very smooth and lush carbonation, devoid of any prickling. Clean finish, light bitterness, light-to-medium weight body. Very dry finish.

Overall (4.0): To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this beer. I get what Brian’s going for, and I think that he probably did an excellent job in creating that beer, but it’s not quite what I was hoping for and is definitely not for everybody. Admittedly, I’m a bit picky when it comes to brett funk: I like the musty, dank, and fruity characters, but get a little sensitive when the spicy, phenolic side of brett becomes more prominent. In this beer, the latter is definitely the case. But, it looks, smells, and feels fantastic, overall—it's just the prominence and balance of different brett notes that I'm somewhat at odds with. My understanding is that Brian wanted to create a very clean, very drinkable brett beer, and using brett in primary with the malt base he did, he did exactly that.

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2012 17:46:28 | More by fmccormi

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bomber into a tulip. Thanks go to wishuwerebeer for the share. The brew appears a clouded golden yellow color with 2 fingers of frothy white head. Patchy to webby lace sticks to the glass. Rising bubbles maintain about a finger strength across the top.

The nose has a nice lemony snap of fruity aromatics. Somewhat tropical as it warme and opens up in the glass. Hints of pineapple blend into more of a wheat-like grain inclusion. It smells somewhat tart but with hints of sulfur and grass.

The taste is pale grain blending into a bit of wheat sweetness. There is a mild indication of saison yeast and a touch of clove, spice and sulfur. A bit of exaggerated lemony oil quality like coriander is mid-palate blending to grassy and earthy qualities. The finish goes back to the straw character with a bit of perfume-like lemon.

This is a light bodied brew with a modest to effervescent level of carbonation that is lightly prickly on the tongue. It is interestingly enjoyable at times but it does have some distractions that make the brew fall apart a bit as the experience continues. The blend of saison character and tropical hints was brilliant, the sulfur and oily lemon - not so much.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 15:16:22 | More by stakem

thagr81us

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle signed by the brewer! Batch #1! Served from bottle into a Duck-Rabbit nonic. Poured a slightly hazy pale golden yellow with three finger pure white fluffy head that subsided to one finger very slowly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, earth, banana, fruit, spices, earthy funk, and horseblanket. The flavor was of sweet malt, fruit, spices, earth, and massive funk. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a good brew. The brett going on in this one definitely took a front row seat in both the aroma and especially the flavor. The brett plays a really nice role in this style as it can stand out and dominate the brew. The aroma is quite nice on it as well. An absolute must try if you have not done so already. You won’t regret it at all.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 11:49:00 | More by thagr81us

pmlondrigan

New York

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I suppose for the style the appearance does not get much better. Its yellow, but it has nice lacing and fair head retention. The aroma is a lot of lemon lime soda, phenols, band - aid, earth and funk. It is just on the right side of off putting honestly. Strong herbal, earthy, and bitter hop flavors. A well hopped beer for sure. The lemon lime soda appears again here as does the band - aid and phenol but it is more subdued and mostly in the finish. Wonderfully dry and crisp. I would love this on a hot summer day. A neat interpretation of a bastard style in the beer world.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 00:53:59 | More by pmlondrigan

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The farm smell is right there wafting through and after the pour. Really funky. Above average mouthfeel. Nothing exceptional taste wise, a little pepper, drinking of hay, but drinkable. Some rice as in saki, as in roast and toast rice. Worth a try for something different.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 13:03:54 | More by northyorksammy

OBeerMeGreatOne

California

3.6/5  rDev -7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours straw/blonde with an impressive inch and a half of head. Huge gobs of lace get left behind. Looks very appealing.

The smell starts with heavy corn, grass and grain. Citrus and flowers make a small appearance.

The grain shows up quick, lemon and grass follow shortly. Simple but well balanced. Goes down very easily.

Easy to get through a bottle, but not worth the price. Love Stillwater, sort of like this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 02:13:06 | More by OBeerMeGreatOne

zeff80

Missouri

4.08/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured out a hazy, pale golden color with a one-finger, bubbly white head of foam. It left thin rings of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled very phenolic and funky with caramel notes.

T - Good funky flavor with a nice spicy bitter bite. Nice funkiness, too.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light to medium bodied ale with a very dry finish.

O - This is a pretty tastier beer. It reminded me of a lighter version of Rayon Vert.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 21:28:09 | More by zeff80

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap

The body sits a light golden yellow with a foamy white cap. Great retention with lines of lace inside the glass.

The nose is strong with brett. Barnyard, hay, lemon, fruity yeast, with some pale malt holding down the back end.

Holy brett. Easily the most brett forward beer I have come across. A clean lager-like base with a sweet, cereal-like graininess and a huge dose of Brett. Heavy barnyard, straw, wet hay, lemon.

Light body with moderate carbonation. I've run in to some brett beers recently that had the carbonation turned up too high. This guy got it right. High, but yet complementary to the prickly brett qualities.

The brett hits you like a ton of bricks. What a unique base for such a heavy brett character. If you like brett, seek out this beer. Nicely done.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2012 21:24:26 | More by ColForbinBC

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

pour is a very light pale yellow, light haze, with a fair amount of white fluffy head. Nose has a great Brett presence, dusty and lightly leathery, hints of peppery spice with a lemony fruity back end. The taste is great, strong Brett presence again, dusty, very fruity array of tropical fruits. Mango's and apricots, very expressive and tight. Soft body, a touch syrupy, decent carbonation. Extremely refreshing and so bright especially for the abv.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 13:34:26 | More by cpetrone84