Cellar Door | Stillwater Artisanal Ales
Brewed by:
Stillwater Artisanal Ales
Maryland, United States
stillwater-artisanal.com
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 6.60%
Availability: Summer
Notes / Commercial Description:
Over the ages the term ’cellar door’ has numerously been referred to as the most beautiful term in the English language. Upon setting out to create the first summer addition to the Stateside line up of ales; the feeling that almost instantly came to me was that of beauty & cleansing. Many summer offerings tend to lack the complexity of their bigger, colder season counterparts; so my goal was to craft an ale of extreme balance with a delicate complexity that allows for contemplation while also providing quaffable refreshment. Starting with a base of German wheat & pale malts this crisp slightly hazy foundation was then accented with a blend of Sterling & Citra hops providing a intricate blend of herbal grass & tangerine citrus flavors and aroma. To pull this all together and to complete the ’cleansing’ aspect of my vision I gently finished the ale off with a touch of white sage, lending a mild earthy spice character to the blend. Of course let’s not forget our house saison yeast that brought all the elements together leaving a dry yet intricate finish.
Added by John_M on 05-22-2010
Ratings: 1,206 | Reviews: 346
3.96/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
From the Stillwater web site: “over the ages the term 'cellar door' has numerously been referred to as the most beautiful term in the English language.”
In this case, I’m thinking “numerous” is somewhere around two times– not sure where that’s coming from. In the contest for most beautiful term, I’ll nominate “evolutionary bean-feast.”
You can’t tell from online images of the label, but on the actual bottle the beer name is damn near inscrutable. The concept for the art is pretty cool, but the words get lost in the design.
Appearance: Poured from a 750ml bottle into a tulip glass, with 2 inches of robust foam. Large bubbles dissipate over several minutes, leaving a quarter-inch of lather-like head. The beer itself is pale gold, with a steady stream of bubbles rising steadily from the bottle of the glass, even 10 minutes after pour.
Smell: From the bottle, white grapes, peach. From glass: more of the white grapes, followed by pepper and an herbal note, almost lavendar.
Taste: The sage works really well, appearing at the beginning and end of each sip. A bit of pear and sweet tangerine shows up in the middle. The sage tag teams with the saison yeast to cut through that sweetness pleasantly.
Mouthfeel: Lots of effervescence on the tongue, quickly followed by warming alcohol notes, finishing nice and dry. The sweetness suggests an ABV higher than the listed 6.6%, but it never feels heavy.
Notes:
This beer had so much carbonation that, upon being uncapped, it audibly fizzled. Great option to pair with a meal, particularly categories like Italian that tend to favor wine.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
From the Stillwater web site: “over the ages the term 'cellar door' has numerously been referred to as the most beautiful term in the English language.”
In this case, I’m thinking “numerous” is somewhere around two times– not sure where that’s coming from. In the contest for most beautiful term, I’ll nominate “evolutionary bean-feast.”
You can’t tell from online images of the label, but on the actual bottle the beer name is damn near inscrutable. The concept for the art is pretty cool, but the words get lost in the design.
Appearance: Poured from a 750ml bottle into a tulip glass, with 2 inches of robust foam. Large bubbles dissipate over several minutes, leaving a quarter-inch of lather-like head. The beer itself is pale gold, with a steady stream of bubbles rising steadily from the bottle of the glass, even 10 minutes after pour.
Smell: From the bottle, white grapes, peach. From glass: more of the white grapes, followed by pepper and an herbal note, almost lavendar.
Taste: The sage works really well, appearing at the beginning and end of each sip. A bit of pear and sweet tangerine shows up in the middle. The sage tag teams with the saison yeast to cut through that sweetness pleasantly.
Mouthfeel: Lots of effervescence on the tongue, quickly followed by warming alcohol notes, finishing nice and dry. The sweetness suggests an ABV higher than the listed 6.6%, but it never feels heavy.
Notes:
This beer had so much carbonation that, upon being uncapped, it audibly fizzled. Great option to pair with a meal, particularly categories like Italian that tend to favor wine.
1,623 characters
4.04/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Superb golden body, clear, with a lovely white head, thin but persistent, and lots of lacing. Nose is heavy on apple and limestone, mild bread and toast, and wheat core. Tasty and very pleasant, a very well crafted saison.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Superb golden body, clear, with a lovely white head, thin but persistent, and lots of lacing. Nose is heavy on apple and limestone, mild bread and toast, and wheat core. Tasty and very pleasant, a very well crafted saison.
224 characters
3.09/5 rDev -23.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
4.61/5 rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
3.54/5 rDev -12.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.82/5 rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.37/5 rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
looks and tastes like a farmhouse ale. light in color and body, with a beautiful, white head to it.
this might be the first time i've enjoyed citra in anything. pepper and lemon zest come to mind, along with a general spiciness and a bit of funk. sage is noticeable in the aftertaste.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
looks and tastes like a farmhouse ale. light in color and body, with a beautiful, white head to it.
this might be the first time i've enjoyed citra in anything. pepper and lemon zest come to mind, along with a general spiciness and a bit of funk. sage is noticeable in the aftertaste.
285 characters
4.19/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12oz pour served in a table glass. Pours a faintly hazy straw yellow. Prominent wheat on the nose. The palate opens with cloves and faint banana, cracked pepper, and a slight lactic acid/sour funk. The mouthfeel is medium, and balances creamy and carbonation well. Overall, a solid saison, with more of a bent towards the pepper and sour than I would have expected. Similarly, the predilection for cloves is a strong plus.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12oz pour served in a table glass. Pours a faintly hazy straw yellow. Prominent wheat on the nose. The palate opens with cloves and faint banana, cracked pepper, and a slight lactic acid/sour funk. The mouthfeel is medium, and balances creamy and carbonation well. Overall, a solid saison, with more of a bent towards the pepper and sour than I would have expected. Similarly, the predilection for cloves is a strong plus.
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3.73/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
4/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a hazy yellow golden color with fizzy white head. Citrus, bread, yeast, funk, and some hay on the nose; follows onto the palate. Light bodied. Finishes with wheat and some citrus.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a hazy yellow golden color with fizzy white head. Citrus, bread, yeast, funk, and some hay on the nose; follows onto the palate. Light bodied. Finishes with wheat and some citrus.
185 characters
4.53/5 rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.66/5 rDev -9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.68/5 rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
4.25/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.07/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.19/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Light straw colored with almost no head.
I smell mostly peaches/apricot and of course yeast. A bit of lemon??
Taste is delicate, as is the feel. Again, im getting lemon, a tiny bit of hop bite, light carbonation, peppery.
Out of the 4 saisons i bought, i like this one the most.
I would definitely buy again.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Light straw colored with almost no head.
I smell mostly peaches/apricot and of course yeast. A bit of lemon??
Taste is delicate, as is the feel. Again, im getting lemon, a tiny bit of hop bite, light carbonation, peppery.
Out of the 4 saisons i bought, i like this one the most.
I would definitely buy again.
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Cellar Door from Stillwater Artisanal Ales
4.06
out of 5
based on 1,206 ratings.
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
UPDATE - The new version is quite unique. I can't believe there is no lime or lemon in this beer. The smell is bright fresh lime, saison yeast, and subtle sage/general spice. The taste follows with more sage coming through and less lime. Refreshing and lovely beer.
This is an interesting and tasty beer. The smell is sage spice over a light fruity background. The taste is more traditional saison leaning toward spicy rather than fruity yeast. The sage comes through mostly as a peppery finish. yb
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