Micro
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

Another week, another several Stillwater beers; or so it seems these days! Not complaining at all, as I love most of Brian's output. And, honestly, even those toward which I don't express outward respect seem to have some kind of saving grace to them, or some niche appeal which disables me from wholeheartedly discouraging the intrepid drinker from imbibing them. This, however, is a non-experimental Stillwater brew... a 4.5% pale ale with a "Citra focus," as the label indicates. Therefore, I doubt it's single-hopped but it should display the grassy, citric and lightly-tropical deftness of Citra hops, when all's said and done.

Pours a very hazy light straw yellow color with a rather fluffy, pillowy head of eggshell white foam. Minimal tiered lace forms as the head dissipates and as I sip. Surface is entirely covered with the suds from the head, which linger with intensity.

Nose is light and grassy overall, but with an underlying current of citrusy goodness... deft and detailed with slight notes of tangerine peel and flesh, white grapefruit peel and blood orange juice. A slight, spicy, white pepper-like element pops out, which both surprises and intrigues my senses. A little soapy and semi-tropical by turns, giving off some light notes of dragonfruit, passion fruit and pineapple among the more prominent grassiness and grapefruit.

On the palate, this is crisp, refreshing and surprisingly complex with crackery malt, light biscuit notes, grassy hops, green tea, tangerine, blood orange and grapefruit-like pithiness combining with a soft and semi-sweet finish that feels a lot like oats. The yeast feels flavorful here, too, giving off some light estery notes that work with the Citra-focused hop bill and simple grain character to lend some anonymous fruitiness that seems a little stone fruit-like.

Feel is crisp, light-bodied, effervescent and detailed, with an ease of drinkability that feels very much in line with what I expected from this brew. Stillwater has once again made a solid, crushable beer which, at the same time, is worthy of consideration and inspection. Given that Brian has had a history of these (recall beers such as Yacht and Extra Dry, for instance), it's no surprise this follows a similar yet strikingly different path.

 

 

 

 

It's fine. Crisp on a hot day but nothing I want to head back for.

 

 

 

Kinda crazy to see such low ratings on this one. It has a bright yellow, hazy appearance. Very fresh citrus notes on my nose (to be expected with citra hops), and that's always pleasant to me. As far as drinking it, there's a nice light body to it. Goes down really easy. I got a nice citra treat in the pallet, so no disappointment there. Super drinkable, definitely a great session beer. I dig the kinda minimalist can too

 

 

 

Mild light bodied pale ale with enough Citra aroma and flavor to make up for the thinner overall vibe of this beer. Surprised this got lower ratings.

Canned 18 Oct 2017, picked up at ABV.

A mildly hazy light yellow with a dense,white head that falls off to a ring rapidly, this looks decent. The nose is a blend of delicate fruit and a noticeable doughy malt note, rather dull and biscuit like. There's a blend of grape, nectarine and grass present. The palate opens mildly bitter with a noticeable dough note, chewy, grainy, rather raw, diluting the hop flavor. There's a nice blend of tropical fruit here, with mango, papaya, mandarin and a little peach. Drying, doughy on the finish, this beer is light in body and moderately carbonated. Decent.