Rhinestones & Sequins
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

 

Very interesting beer, but for me not worth the price tag ($22 for a 4-pack of pint cans standard by me but my store dropped the price to $8, most likely because of age, so i decided to sample)

Smells of grapefruit, sour grapes, bready malt. Taste follows but is very reminiscent of a sweet and tart white wine which seems to be what the brewer intended. There’s a bit of hop character in the mix but personally I prefer sour IPAs that are more on the IPA side.

Still a well done beer nonetheless and I’ve never had a double IPA that tasted so much like a white wine, but not my type of regular drinker.

Ruby red grapefruit. It hits you like a sack of...well...grapefruit when you take a whiff.
The taste carries on the theme, tart and sweet with minorly vinous character.
I have no idea what a "double Brut sour IPA brewed with sauv blanc grapes" is supposed to taste like. I guess like this?
Am I mad I drank this? No
Am I happy that I paid 8 bucks for a can of it? Not at all
Was it gross? No, it just tastes too much like ruby red grapefruit juice and kind of hurt my tongue by the end of a pint

8/13/19 can @ home

 

 

the brut types that also have grapes or grape juice in them are my favorite. partially because i am obsessed with wine/beer hybrids and fusion styles these days, but also because there is something about not having to depend entirely on hops to add fruity vinous character to the style. this is shocking beer for a few reasons, firstly that its so delicate to drink for its absurd alcohol strength, it drinks more like 6% abv to me, easy and brisk and clean and refreshing and summery. the flavor is awesome, the grape element just pops in here, and the hops seem like nelson or something else new zealand, so incredibly compatible, and with the fruit, they dont have to be dosed to oblivion, which helps keep this from ever being overly hoppy for what it is, no burn or green at all, i love the refinement here, why cant everyone do this?! there is a champagne effervescence too, i love it when the mouthfeel fits the flavor this well. an herbal freshness to the whole thing, some minerals, and maybe just a flash of bitterness before it finishes dry and fast and quenching. im surprised the nerds havent freaked out about this one yet, maybe they are just accustomed to drinking bad brut ipa now, as there is so darn much of it out there. this really does everything i want the style to and nothing i dont, way better than its ratings for me, and another gem from stillwater. i hope they keep making this one! the grapes and the hops together is pure magic, and no weird esters, phenols, or chemical character on the fermentation profile. dialed!

 

 

 

A: The beer is hazy yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a white collar around the edge of the glass and a thick layer of bubbles covering most of the surface.
S: Moderate aromas of sour gooseberries are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and has sour flavors of Sauvignon Blanc grapes along with notes of gooseberries.
M: It feels light-bodied and rather dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I found this beer to be quite interesting. It does a very good job at marrying sourness with the Brut IPA style. It also hid its alcohol very well.

Serving type: can

16 ounce can into tulip glass; canned in 4/2019. Pours fairly hazy/cloudy medium golden yellow color with a 2 finger dense and rocky white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tart/sour lemon, lime, orange, red grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, berries, red/green apple, white grape/wine, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with lighter notes of leathery/musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops, fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, grapes, and moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with great strength. Taste of huge tart/sour lemon, lime, orange, red grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, berries, red/green apple, white grape/wine, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with lighter notes of leathery/musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness, grape tang; pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy bitterness; and peppery Brett spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/sour citrus, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, berries, red/green apple, white grape/wine, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, wheat, cracker, white bread, leathery/musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops, fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, grapes, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with an awesome malt, bitter, spicy, sour, tart, tangy balance; with minimal puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp finishing. Moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness, tart/tang/sourness, and carbonation. Medium-plus carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy, sticky/resinous/rindy, and acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 9%. Overall this is a fantastic sour brut IPA! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops, fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, grapes, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; dangerously smooth and fairly crisp to drink for the big ABV, with the modestly acidic/tangy/bitter/resinous/drying finish; not aggressively bitter or overly lactic. Feels like Nelson Sauvin/Simcoe. Amazingly balanced between juicy/fairly dank/earthy hops, Brett/Bacteria complexity, and sauvignon blanc grapes; with a nice clean pale/wheat malt backbone against acidity. Zero residual sweetness with crisp acidic/resin dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example as expected. Insane amounts of overall complexity, with nothing overwhelming.