ASMR Frisson 002
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

 

the missing link in this series for me, having enjoyed the first and the third installations already. this is clever beer, very unique, and quite good, a different kind of sour it seems too, less acidic on the teeth and in the belly, but i feel it in my jaw at the same time, quite bracing and intense, but like earlier in the experience, its very peculiar but i like it. the lemon is strong in this and contributes to that, quite natural. the honey is also appreciable, but the beer isnt sweet, just sort of blooming and floral, and nice complexion for springtime here. chamomile adds some bitterness and also some of that floral and herbaceous character, this seems light and fresh and even healthful to me. great carbonation activity from the can, this really pops, fizzes, and holds its head. its light, on the dry side, and maybe just a little less interesting in terms of the fermentation profile than i wanted it to be, sour as it is and as odd as the sourness seems to be, its without a lot of flavor past the lactic thing and whats here from the lemon. no real funk or anything to it. i love the mix of ingredients through, and could see them working in anything from a light lager to a saison to even a hazy ipa, so its more about a nice mix of extras than a particularly amazing base beer, but this is delicious and distinct and seems to fit with what stillwater has been up to lately, for better or worse...

 

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!

Speaking of Wild, thanks to staying with BAL & MD, I now have an AmeriCAN Wild Ale as my next beer! If this keeps up, I'm going to get my status as a hophead in good standing revoked! 8=(

From the CAN: "Sour Ale brewed with Chamomile, Lemon & Wildflower Honey".

This sounded more like tea than a Sour Ale to me, but I am a heathen when it comes to this style, so what did I know? I was about to find out & hopefully get smarter in doing so. It all beCAN with a Crack! of the vent, followed by a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. Once again, it foamed up quickly to form just under two fingers of foamy, fizzy, rocky, bone white head with very limited retention, quickly falling away to wisps. Color was a slightly-hazy Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5). Nose was definitely rocking the honey! Mmm. The ex-Old Lady is/was an apiarist & home meaderist who has now gone CANmercial. She was the one who really turned me onto Braggot (mead with beer malt) & this smelled like a Braggot to me. Mmm. Mouthfeel was light, thin-to-medium, not watery, but not much removed. The taste remained honey-driven, but the lemon presence gave it a soothing cough drop quality. Sour? More tart than sour & even then, it was pretty light. This had a really mellow quality throughout, more tea-like than I was really expecting. Finish was dry, but was it due to the yeast? To the yeast's interaction with the honey? Both? Something else? Let's call it "dry" & leave it at that. YMMV.

 

Tall boy from Covenhoven.

Pint glass. Cloudy orange lemon, active, heady body.

Smells of lemon oil, sour mix & very soft florals.

Taste is dominant with wildflower honey upfront & a tart lemon twang middle turning acidic & full sour on the finish. Frothy, medium bodied, strong carbonation. A significant amount of honey in this.

Tasty.

 

A: The beer is quite hazy yellow in color - too hazy to see if there is any visible carbonation. It poured with just a small patch of bubbles on the surface and a minuscule ring of white bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of chamomile are present in the nose along with hints of lemon.
T: The taste is somewhat sour and has flavors of chamomile along with notes of lemons and hints of floral essences.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer has a delicate balance of sourness and chamomile in the taste and is very easy to drink.

Serving type: can