Sensory Series V.1 - Lower Dens - Stillwater Artisanal Ales

drabmuh

Maryland

4/5  rDev +1%

01-28-2013 18:24:30 | More by drabmuh

Lob

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%

05-25-2013 01:08:16 | More by Lob

brez8791

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -24.2%

05-21-2013 18:28:52 | More by brez8791

johntfox

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-20-2013 22:15:54 | More by johntfox

jakeox

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

05-18-2013 23:47:05 | More by jakeox

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

4.01/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12.7oz bottle poured into a tulip.

Appearance
Hazy pale gold with 3 fingers of creamy, white head. Low carbonation with some light yeast sediment.

Nose
Peach, lemon, nectarine and pear.

Taste
Bosc pear with notes of nectarine, lemon and a touch of peach. Light grains with dabs of caramel. Very light farmhouse character with touches of hay and lemongrass. Quick snap of lemon and ginger.

Mouthfeel
Light bodied, crisp and smooth.

Overall
Really light and easy drinking. However, for $7/bottle I expect to be punched in the face with flavor and complexity.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 13:25:15 | More by justintcoons

metter98

New York

4.06/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is relatively clear yellow in color and has a moderate to high amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger and a half high white head that took a long time to die down and left a thin head covering the surface and a thick coating of bubbles down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of lemony hops and hibiscus are present in the nose.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell, except that there seems to be more flavors of hibiscus compared to lemons. Faint hints of bitterness are perceptible.
M: It feels light-bodied and a little airy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. A bit of dryness is noticeable towards the finish.
O: While the light-bodied nature of this beer could make it go down in a breeze, the interesting aromas and flavors make this a beer that is also good to sip and savor.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 02:47:27 | More by metter98

DukeX13

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

05-12-2013 05:25:47 | More by DukeX13

Dreamer

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%

05-10-2013 17:48:17 | More by Dreamer

TGS

California

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-09-2013 02:59:28 | More by TGS

strongaf

Washington

4/5  rDev +1%

05-01-2013 07:57:13 | More by strongaf

StoutHunter

Michigan

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

I picked up a bottle of Stillwater's Lower Dens, version one of their Sensory Series, last month for $6.49 at The Lager Mill. This is my first beer from Stillwater Artisanal Ales, I don't really know much about this brewery but, I'm interested in seeing what this brewery is all about, so lets see how it goes. Released December 10th 2012. Poured from a brown 12.7oz bottle into a Belgian tulip.

A- I like the label of this beer, it's got some cool artwork that reminds me of some drawings for the cd booklet of a Tool album, I like it and I really like the fact that this bottle says that the sensory series is all about pairing new senses with their beer and this one was inspired by the band lower dens with a QR code that links to a music video of theirs to listen to while you drink the beer, I think that's a nice and unique concept, I like it. It poured a nice light orange golden color that took on a nice hazy orange color when held to the light with three and a half fingers worth of fluffy white head that died down to a thick ring that stayed till the end and left lots of nice lacing behind. This was a very good looking beer, I really liked the color and the head and lacing were both very good.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness followed by a some classic saison aromas with some earthy, straw, and wet hay aromas followed by some spcy white pepper like aromas and a nice mixture of herbal aromas. Towards the end I get some citrus rinds with a light cherry aroma to finish it off. This beer had a good aroma, it was true to style with some nice herbal and fruity aromas, it was nice.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma and it starts off with a slightly higher amount of medium sweetness that had a real light honey flavor to it and was followed by some earthy, grassy, wet straw and real slight barnyard funk like flavors. After that comes some spicy white pepper along with some herbal and slightly floral flavors that show up on the finish with pretty much no bitterness just a lighter amount of tartness with an earthy, herbal and citrus rind like aftertaste. This beer tastes good it had all the flavors I would expect from the style with some extra citrus, herbal, and floral flavors, I enjoyed it.

M- Pretty smooth, clean, crisp, prickly, refreshing, medium bodied with a higher amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel was good, the prickly higher carbonation worked well with this beer.

Overall I thought this was a good a beer and a good example of the style, the addition of the hibiscus didn't change the beer too much, it had some subtle herbal and floral flavors that blended well with the traditional saison flavors. This beer had good drinkability, it was smooth and refreshing with some nice and clean flavors that did a good job at holding my attention, I could probably drink a couple of these during the summer, I think it would make a nice and refreshing saison to have on a warm summer afternoon. What I liked the most about this beer was how balanced the flavors were, nothing seemed to be too overpowering and the appearance was really good. What I liked the least about this beer was the price, it's a good Saison, but I think it's very expensive for what you get, it's a good beer, but I don't feel like it's worth the money. I don't think I would buy this beer again, I have another bottle sitting in the cellar to see how it develops over time, unless it transforms into something truly awesome I don't think I would buy it again anytime soon unless they drop the price. I would recommend this to anyone who like Saisons. All in all I have to say that I was happy with this beer and I thought it was a good example of the style with a little extra complexity. I really like the concept behind the Sensory series and I wish more brewers would think out of the box and come up with unique ideas like this, but I wasn't a fan of the music that went along with this beer, it was a little to weird and rambling for my taste, but I kind of liked the way the video was shot, it's a cool concept none the less. This beer made for a good first impression for stillwater and I'm interested in checking out more of their beers, good job guys.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 04:05:33 | More by StoutHunter

Twig2848

New York

4/5  rDev +1%

04-06-2013 03:30:43 | More by Twig2848

GRG1313

California

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

04-05-2013 06:52:21 | More by GRG1313

George2744

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

04-04-2013 01:39:35 | More by George2744

MadScientist

New York

3.66/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

A: A hazy golden colored beer. The head doesn't last that long and is is made of white, rocky and big soapy bubbles.

S: Orange, earthy spicy, pepper and and an herbal aroma dominate. The herbal is sort of a tea and floral type of quality mixing in with a low soft, floral alcohol aroma. There is a low honey sweet aroma in there. There is some citrus peel and a light smokey character. There is a more fruit than just orange also a little dark cherry-like.

T: The taste reflect the aroma with mostly light fruit and earthy spice, a moderately-low herbal and floral component with a smokey undertone. There is a medium-low bitterness that seems partly hop derived with a bit of s citrus peel character. There is a low malt sweetness making for a balance that is slightly bitter. The finish is medium with a lingering pithy, bitterness and a slightly smoke flavor in the aftertaste.

M: A light bodied beer with strong carbonation and a slight prickle on the front and sides of the tongue.

O: A complex Belgian that's not quiet a Saison and not a wheat with a fair amount of an herbal component backed up with fruit and spice and mixed with a little smoke. I'm not sure what to make of the beer but I'm eager to seek out another sensory series beer whenever one is released after having this one. It's a good beer, not great but defiantly different.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 01:19:35 | More by MadScientist

sneaks2210

New York

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

03-31-2013 00:44:14 | More by sneaks2210

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

03-28-2013 21:58:24 | More by DrinkSlurm

GrindFatherBob

New York

3.25/5  rDev -17.9%

03-20-2013 12:19:59 | More by GrindFatherBob

sloelco

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

03-10-2013 08:11:53 | More by sloelco

JohnBender

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

03-07-2013 02:40:48 | More by JohnBender

BKArmstrong

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

03-07-2013 01:55:34 | More by BKArmstrong

avalon07

South Carolina

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

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a yellowish color and a cloudy texture. There was an inch of foamy head that lasted a fair amount of time. Good lacing.

S: A sweet, fruity, floral aroma. Hard to place exactly what's in the aroma, but it is somehow alluring.

T: Tasted of some light fruit, a very definite floral element, light hops, and some sweet malt. Definitely an interesting, lively flavor. Quite sweet, but easy to like.

M: A highly carbonated beer with a smooth finish. Light-bodied.

O: Lower Dens is an offbeat beer, but definitely has a lot of verve and likeability. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 15:26:05 | More by avalon07

GTB

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%

03-03-2013 03:39:38 | More by GTB

xdefeatsy

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

03-02-2013 19:53:13 | More by xdefeatsy