Preternatural Cuvee 1
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

 

A - Dark orange color with thin lacing

S - Tart white grape with some booziness.

T - Tart white grape dominates from start to finish.

M - Big medium body that's soft.

O - Tart white grape, white grape, and white grape. Any questions?

Aroma: A slight malt, graham cracker sweetness that melds well with the variety of grapes used. Some spicy and herbaceous aromas that accentuate the hops used and the barrel aging character. Floral with heavy tones of funk and earth. Hints if honey, wood, vanilla and coconut with very slight hints of stone fruit and citrus.
Appearance: Golden with a small, lingering white head giving it some more character. Has a small amount of haze in the body, but still very clean. Has small amount of lace on side of glass.
Flavor: Forefront of flavors are earth and horseblanket with strong grape tones with a mild, yet sweet malt honey, cracker presense. Orange peel, apricot, and hints of coconut. Slight herbaceous characteristics of basil, thyme, and tarragon that melds well with the citrus and floral tones of the hops. Wildflower and slight lavender tones that melds with the slight spice of vanilla, allspice and white pepper. Finishes off with a grape/wood backing that lingers on the palate.
Mouthfeel: A sweet, dry and well rounded mouthfeel. Lightly carbonated, sort of drinks like a Riesling. Coats the palate, but not viscous. Lingers with sweet and herbal flavors.
Overall: A definite vineqsue style beer, that did the job rather well. Good balance between ingredients with a backbone of the grapes and woods used in the process. Rather a sweeter beer, but I would say due to grapes. A slight funk, tartness that helps accentuate the beer. Would recommend, especially if one is a fan if wine.