Stupid Head
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

I got a late start on NBS (Week 774) & I did not finish up my DelMarVa (+ DC) adventure as planned. 8=( Further, I promised that NBS (Week 775) & now, Week 776, would 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! That last one kind of put me off of Maryland, at least for the moment, so it's time to visit some of the other victims, I mean, honorees. Just when I thought that I had put Stillwater Artisanal behind me for the time being, following my recent marathon, this one Pop!ped up! 8=O

From the CAN: "Totally Radical Flavors!"; "Double Dry Hopped!"; "Tropical Smoothie!"; "Hefeweizen"; "Wheat Ale Brewed with Pineapple and Mango"; "Contains Lactose".

Given it style as well as its adjuncts, I did some in-CAN agitation before Crack!ing open the vent. This was to try to ensure that any and all flocculate was back in suspension, but I coupled this with an inverted C-Line Glug to really keep things moving along. It erupted to form just under two fingers of foamy, soapy, rocky, eggshell-white head with very limited retention, quickly falling away to wisps. Color was a murky Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7), almost orangish. Nose was very tropical, easily identifiable as pineapple and mango. As one previous reviewer, it would be easy to chalk this up to the double dry-hopping, but it was actually fruit bringing these scents. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was very fruity, more like a tropical smoothie than a Hefeweizen. I really liked it, but there were none of the usual (traditional) esters, which has to count against it when rating to style. Finish was semi-sweet, but there was still nothing to mark or identify it as a Hefeweizen. I liked it as a result since I generally do not like Hefeweizens. Hmm. YMMV.

A hazy golden color but not as hazy as most Hefes. A normal pour into a snifter produced a thick and creamy white head. Huge tropical aroma with mango, banana, and pineapple as expected. There was also a sweet vanilla aspect. The fruit was all there on the taste but it was a bit muddled, with the Hefe esters crashing into the fruit additions (IMO). Almost full-bodied but not overly sweet or boozy. Overall an interesting beer but not my thing.

 

 

 

This beer smells and tastes like a pineapple, lemon meringue, banana smoothie. Creamy aroma. Lemon citrus and pineapple tropical fruit hops. Medium sweetness on the palate driven by moderate, traditional Hefeweizen flavors. Very light bodied and way too drinkable for 8%. It is totally radical.

Interestingly enough, as I look this beer up while writing my brief review, I see that it is actually brewed with pineapple, mango and lactose. I did now know that. That is weird, wild stuff. That actually takes away from the beer for me. Here I thought the hops were generating these flavors. Then I find out it’s brewed with fruit. If I like it, I like it. Does that really matter? I feel like it does. Either way, it’s a fantastic beer.