Fruit (And Hops) On The Bottom
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

i just dont understand why this needs to get made. i get hoof hearted is more or less a gimmick from the name on down, but i respect the heck out of stillwater, thats why i bought this, as lame and trendy as this recipe obviously is, i trust and love these guys and dont want to miss a beer from them, although life would certainly go on if i would have missed this one. its hazy and pale and without any head at all, although it does have some carbonation. its tart but clean, more sour than yogurt is, lemony there, but good. i get very little banana in nose or taste, and in fact dont get a ton of fruit overall, but the strawberry is for sure in front of any banana, which is probably for the best. the vanilla is thankfully subtle, and its not that sweet even with the lactose, the label reads a lot worse than the beer drinks, which is rare for one of these, so i am thankful for that. it does have some hops too, but i think forcing this to be an ipa is unnecessary, it seems mostly dry hopped, not much bitter, and it works with the fruit, but it gets a little kitchen sinky to me as it warms, maybe some ripe yellow banana later on, citra maybe too, i dont taste yogurt or dairy specifically either, which i am thankful for. its fine beer, a cool and modern sour overall, but i just dont want beer to turn into this sort of thing, a slippery slope, and this seems an awful far cry from cellar door...

Tasted in a Rastal Teku from a one pint can on December 12, 2019. Great label! Brewed with Mosaic and Citra hops. I like that they went subtle with the banana and strawberry.

 

For my next entry in New More Odds 'n' Sods Beer Sunday (Week 780), I am returning to the DelMarVa (+ DC) debacle & my old friend, Stillwater. I still have a number of DuClaw & some Keys before I totally close the book, but I was starting to get bogged down to the point of taking a break. This seems like a nice add to The CANQuest (tm) while helping to reduce the backlog.

From the CAN: "A rotationally-hopped sour India Pale Ale with Strawberry, Banana, Milk Sugar, Yogurt & Vanilla Extract".

I like @spelingchampeon 's photo, but it does not do justice to the total label. 8=( The obverse has a nunchuck-wielding banana alongside of a battle axe-wielding strawberry, both of whom are fanged & ready for action! 8=O

I readied the CANtents for action with a gentle in-CAN agitation before Crack!ing open the vent. I just CANnot believe that they were striving for clarity when adding all of those adjuncts! I was also rather aggro with my C-Line Glug, still attempting to (milk)shake & stir things up. It worked in that I got two-plus fingers of foamy, soapy, rocky, eggshell-white head with very low retention. Color was a murky, turbid Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7). Nose left no doubt that strawberries were involved, but I did not get a lot of sour/wild notes out of it. Good for me, less so in the style. Mouthfeel was kinda thin & watery, okay in this style, less so if they had gone with it as an IPA. The taste was slightly tart, not at all sour & the fruitiness really played out well. The strawberry seemed to be the more assertive of the two, although banana definitely had a presence. It was VERY evocative of a Strawberry-Banana Julius from the stand at the mall when I was a kid. The hops (whatever they may have been) lent the proceedings a light bitterness that seemed to offset the milk sugar & vanilla extract. Finish was really amazing in that I swear that I tasted yogurt! How did they bring this off?!? Color me impressed! Finish was in that Twilight Zone between semi-dry & semi-sweet. I could drink this more often, which is something that I rarely say of others in the style. YMMV.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whether its a beer that's brewed as a yogurt or a yogurt brewed as a beer, the strawberry and banana IPA of Hoof Hearted and Stillwater fame might as well be billed as health food.

Pale gold and with the faintest twinge of peach, Fruit on the Bottom leaps right out with a tropical and berry medley with bold citrus aromas and a verbena-like herbal scent that floats just above a rich and soapy lather. Low lying sweetness splashes the early palate with sourdough, taffy and a supple sweetness of agave.

As the sweetness dissolves quickly on the middle palate, its the hops that layer upon the tastebuds with juicy impressions of orange, grapefruit, pineapple and mango. Expecting bitterness, the flavor of acidity comes instead with those impassioned banana flavors with hints of red berries. Finally a turn to bitterness seems sprucy and botanical leaving a wake of grapefruit juice on the finish.

Light in body for IPA but rounded for a sour ale, the mix-match of tastes culminates in a strong pink grapefruit impression with plantain and currant nuances dancing in the periphery of flavor. A medium long linger is short with sourness but longer with bitterness that lingers on the after palate with citrus fruit peels, piths and rinds.

 

L: Generic golden blonde.
S: Strawberry flavor.
T: An initial start of strawberry into a hop and banana mix. Ok but nothing exciting.
F: Generic fruit beer.
O: Decent flavor just nothing exciting.

16 ounce can into tulip glass; canned on 8/26/2019, best before 8/26/2021. Pours very hazy/cloudy deep golden/amber/light orange color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big juicy/tart/tangy strawberry, banana, fruit skin/seed, lemon, lime, orange, red grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, blueberry, gooseberry, red/green apple, white grape/wine, citrus peel/zest, wood, peppercorn, pine, vanilla, cream, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, light lacto funk, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of strawberry, banana, citrus/fruity/tropical hops, fruity/acidic yeast, lactose, vanilla, and pale/wheat malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big juicy/tart/tangy strawberry, banana, fruit skin/seed, lemon, lime, orange, red grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, blueberry, gooseberry, red/green apple, white grape/wine, citrus peel/zest, wood, peppercorn, pine, vanilla, cream, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, light lacto funk, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness, fruit tang; and pine, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy strawberry, banana, fruit skin/seed, lemon, lime, orange, red grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, blueberry, gooseberry, red/green apple, white grape/wine, citrus peel/zest, wood, peppercorn, pine, vanilla, cream, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, light lacto funk, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of strawberry, banana, citrus/fruity/tropical hops, fruity/acidic yeast, lactose, vanilla, and pale/wheat malt flavors; with a fantastic malt/bitter/tartness and tangy fruit balance; with no puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitter/tang/tartness and carbonation. Medium-plus carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, fairly crisp/sticky/acidic/tangy/tannic, and lightly resinous mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol for 6%. Overall this is an excellent sour milkshake IPA. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of strawberry, banana, citrus/fruity/tropical hops, fruity/acidic yeast, lactose, vanilla, and pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth and fairly crisp/refreshing to drink with the mellowly bitter/acidic/tangy/drying finish. Fantastic soft feel for the style, and mellowly lactic. Awesome Citra, Mosaic profile. Extremely juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy hops/fruit and Lacto complexity; with a great balanced lactose, and pale/wheat malt backbone. Minimal residual sweetness with crisp acidic/tangy dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive style example as expected. Not overwhelming on any aspect.

 

 

16oz can. Poured out a slightly cloudy, golden yellow color with a small, white head of foam. It smelled of strawberry, subtle banana and vanilla. Sweet and tart strawberry with caramel and vanilla.