Olivers/Stillwater Channel Crossing
Pratt Street Ale House

 

 

 

 

Reviewed from notes.

Pours from the cask with a nice amber-brown color. Good white head and some nice lacing. The nose brings some light sweetness, honey, and a bit of spice. The taste is pretty light with a bit of sweetness. Feel is good with really nice carbonation and combines spice with the sugar quite well. Drinks nicely and is toward the better end of the Biere de Garde spectrum.

dry hopped with Brambling Cross hops - not sure if that's the standard treatment or what, labeled at ChurchKey as a Belgian IPA, but Biere de Garde seems more appropriate

a: tulip glass, deep copper-brown in color, clear, white head with good retention

s: sweet biscuit-toasted amber malts, clovey phenols and bubble gum, earthy hops, lots of esters, buttery brown sugar

m: essentially flat save for perhaps a slight twinge, body just under medium, don't think the cask mouthfeel serves this style well

t: toasted biscuit, estery caramel, bubble gum, clove, earthy hop flavor with a somewhat punctuated bitterness, a bit dull imo

d: not particularly complex or interesting, but not a disappointment either, just a solid if average local beer

On tap in a goblet at T-Bonz in Ellicott City.

So what style is this? Belgian bitter or biere de garde are both pretty good descriptors for this styleless collaboration. Flavor has strong caramel and biscuity notes like an English bitter with some spice and sweetness from belgian yeast and fruitiness. Appearance is relatively clear, dark ruby amber with a thin off white, quickly fading head. Aroma is mild, more bitter like with subtle sweetness. Thicker side of medium bodied with a dry finish, this is a remarkably drinkable, a little too big to be sessionable beer. As it warms up I think of this more as a belgian or biere de garde than a bitter and it is a little too high and alcohol to be sessionable, but otherwise there isn't really anything negative to say about this.

A: It poured deep amber in color into a snifter glass with a thin white head.
S: The aroma begins to develop as the beer warms up; it is moderately sweet with a hint of vanilla.
T: There is a good balance between mild sweetness and bitterness in the flavors, which become stronger as the beer warms up. Some citrus and malty flavors are also evident.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate with a little dryness in the finish.
D: There is good level of drinkability and I would probably have another because the flavor is rather unique.

Appears an orange tone amber with a small whit cap that quickly fades out into a gentle cap. Scattered bits of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of sweet pineapple, white wine, passion fruit, and white grapes.
Taste is of the aromas with some standout honeydew melon.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, smooth, wig a mild yeast punch at the end.

Served in a ChurchKey tulip glass.

Hmm...I just now found out that this is a biere de garde. It doesn't change much, but still... Well, no matter what it is, I've begun to jump on anything interesting on cask. This guy pours a very cloudy amber topped-off by a half-finger of ecru bubbles. Thankfully my bubble baths never looked like this. The nose is pretty Belgian, with hints of bread, yeast, banana, clove, and some unidentified flowers (lilies, maybe? I've always liked lilies...). It's generally good, but off-balance, and I don't tend to notice that quality in smells all that often. Something just doesn't seem completely right. I dunno. Consequently, my curiosity is piqued to the fullest; gotta take a swig. Things are dominated by a floral bitterness that's as mild and effective as the Big Train's unorthodox delivery. Some orange peel, toffee, and miscellaneous greenery round out the taste, leaving a satisfied, but still somewhat humdrum, feeling. Again, I can't put my finger on it, but something seems off. Hmm. The medium body is nearly decarbonated (uncarbonated?), not unexpected from a cask ale, allowing for a decently drinkable experience. It's worth a try, but not any degree of a following. Word.

Beer served in a snifter. Beer is amber and has a slight haze. Forms a big white head with large bubbles. Leaves some lacing on the glass but not much.

This beer has a great estery and yeasty aroma. Smells like a great saison.

Beer is a smooth body with a medium to light body. There is some late bitterness. The first flavors are a mild sweetness followed closely by a different kind of zest based bitterness. Mid palate flavors are low and flat unfortunately. Carbonation is nice on the palate and mouth. Drinkability is good and mouthfeel is fine.

On cask at max's. The pour is pretty, very clear, light red. There's a dense light brown head with good retention and some lace. The nose has noticeable wheat, brown sugar and honey, with some spice. Light hay as well. Decidedly english in hop and yeast character, there's a nice fruitiness.some citrus is present as well. The palate opens with a grainy and leafy bitterness with some brown sugar and burnt sugar. Mellow spice midpalate, this dries out no the finish with a lingering bitterness. Medium light in body with a low level of carbonation, this beer is quite enjoyable

This is a collaborative effort from Oliver's and Stillwater. On tap at Max's today.

The beer pours a copper amber color with very good head retention and plenty of sticky lacing all around. The nose is attractive, with light brown sugar, a hint of vanilla and orange citrus. The flavor profile generally replicates the palate, though the moderate at most sweetness is quickly pushed aside by some pretty decent hoppy bitterness. As a result, the beer finishes on the dry side, with the bitterness dominating in the end. Mouthfeel is medium bodied to full, with a soft, fairly long finish. Drinkability is pretty good, though there's a bit of alcohol in the finish that hurts it just a bit.

Sort of surprise to see these two brewers collaborate given their respective styles, but in any event, this is definitely a solid effort.