Strobe Lights
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

A thanks to the captain of the canquest, woodychandler, for this beer. Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a very cloudy yellow/orange color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of tropical fruits. Taste is grapefruit, some tropical fruits, moderate bitterness. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is an enjoyable beer.

I got a late start on this past Sunday's NBS (Week 774) & I did not finish up my DelMarVa (+ DC) adventure as planned. 8=( Further, I have promised that next week's NBS (Week 775) will be dedicated to the wonderful beers sent to me by @jkblr who seems to have a real handle on my drinking habits. CANsparency is key in these things! As a result, I am going to CANcentrate over the next few days on eradicating everything that would have CANbined to form the finale of the DelMarVa (+ DC) adventure. Sit down, strap in & hang on. It's gonna be a wild ride!

From the CAN: "Double Dry Hopped India Pale Ale ".

I am SO happy to be back on the hoppy beer trail! I generally eschew tarts & sours, but through a CANbination of events, I decided to delve deeply into Stillwater Artisanal beers & those were the gateway. NOW, I am back & ready to be my usual hophead self. However, nothing CAN happen without the Crack! of the vent & a slow, gentle C-Line Glug to get things started. It became obvious fairly quickly that any attempts at clarity would be futile, so I then allowed it to run freely. I got just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with good retention for my efforts. Color was a lightly-cloudy Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7). Nose had a pronounced pine mintiness along with a subdued citrusiness. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but on the approach. The taste was quite bitter, almost medicinal in its intensity. Once the initial wash of bitterness passed, it became very tropical fruity with an emphasis on papaya and mango with a grapefruit underlay and the pine coolness CANtinuing. Finish was dry and bitter, but it just seemed unbalanced as though the double dry-hopping had left it (over)saturated, perhaps acCANting for the cloudiness. It was decent, but not my favorite from them thus far. YMMV.

 

Stillwater Artisanal "Strobe Lights"
1 Pint can, contract brewed at Dorchester Brewing Co. and coded "SWSL3-AH 529"

Notes via stream of consciousness: Double dry hopped IPA at 7%? I can live with that! It's poured a murky golden-orange body beneath a full head of rocky off-white foam. The aroma is pungent, yeasty, piney, and tropical. The flavor follows but seems less bright than the aroma suggests it would be. Everything is there, just muted. For fruit I'm finding mango and orange. The malt is basic, and it's got a median bitterness. It finishes dry with some fruitiness fading to leave the pine and resin behind. In the mouth it's medium-light in body and crisp. Overall it's not bad, but neither is it particularly exciting.

Review #6,592

This is one great beer. Color is deep golden. Nose is heavy of hop aromas. Nice lacing on glass wall. Taste is excellent with hop bitterness. Flow through keeps giving of the Hppy goodness.

 

 

A Very Good DDH IPA. Not as hazy or aromatic as many of the New England IPAs, but a very enjoyable, hoppy taste.