Hopvine Bling
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

 

 

 

Thusly CANtinuing another day on The CANQuest (tm)! I am bound & determined to get as many CANs drank, reviewed & rated as I CAN while I have the time available to me. I have a CANsiderable backlog here at Chez Woody & it inspires me to get it winnowed down.

From the CAN: "Stillwater Artisanal with Hudson Valley Brewery"; "Dry-Hopped Berliner Style Ale with Sauvignon Blanc Grapes".

During my tour of duty at NAS Alameda, CA from 1987 to 1989, my uncle was still living in S.F. & indulging his hobby as a home vintner. I helped out when I could & drank my fair share of wine, but I never caught that particular bug. I was, and remain, a beer CANficianado.

I led this one off with some in-CAN agitation since it was, at base, a wheat ale. The Crack! led to some foaming through the vent, but no worries! A collectibles dealer friend of mine recently sold me a gorgeous 0.3L Berliner Weisse goblet & so I beCAN a quick, nearly inverted, Glug. The fizzy, foamy, bone-white head rushed up & then disappeared into wisps without a trace. Color was a lightly-cloudy Straw-Yellow (SRM = > 2, < 4). Nose, while evincing the now-familiar tartness of the wheat, also had a pleasant vinousness. I would not have been able to identify the particular grape variety, but it was definitely infused with grapes of some stripe. Mouthfeel was kind of thin, but such is par for the course in this style. The taste was not as sharp as with traditional Berliner Weissbiers, but then again, I would be embarrassed to add syrup to this one, given its inclusion of grapes. Finish was dry & refreshing, as it is intended to be. Very nice.

 

 

 

 

The lightly hazed bright golden yellow colored beer pours out into a Duvel glass with a 1 1/2” white head that begins to recede slowly, eventually leaving an irregular pattern of lots of lacing on the sides, a thin, irregular layer of foam on the surface, and a small ring around the edges of the liquid. Sipping creates scattered patches and legs of lacing, some of which cling to the sides of the glass.

The nicely balanced aromas include some white grapes, some floral tartness, a bit of bready malt, and a very light citric character.

The flavors are a bit more complex than expected from the nose. There’s some definite tartness along with the white grape/white wine character that is all backed up by a bit of citrus. There is a bit of light, bready malt sweetness and just a hint of herbal, grassy bitterness.

The mouthfeel is on the light side of medium bodied and quite smooth with the slightly tingly carbonation. The finish begins as the well balanced mixture of flavors begins to slowly fade to a long dry ending that leaves an astringent feeling in the back of the roof of the mouth and some tartness showing throughout the very long ending.

As with many Stillwater beers this is an interesting beer that has lots of complexities in the interplay of aromas and flavors. The fruity tartness is there throughout, but the rest all play a role for a bit and then change places with the others. I’m definitely enjoying this beer and would like to have this one as a summer thirst quencher. Well worth a try if you can find it.