First Crush
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

The pint can emptied cleanly into a clear glass liter mug. The unmistakably aroma of a wild sour hits the nose. It's a cloudy but relatively bright yellow-amber, with a modest and enduring white head. Paying closer attention, there seems to be some citrusy aspect to the aroma as well. It's there to taste, also, with a nice dose of the Gose style sourness. The body is supple enough to carry the complex flavors, yet light enough that it goes down quickly and refreshingly. There's almost no glass lacing, but that's not what this style does. With just enough Nelson Sauvin hops to dryly bitter the finish, this is nothing short of a well made Gose. Even without understanding what the phantasm adds, this is an enjoyable pint.

 

cool new one from stillwater, a gose base, somewhat understated compared to the juicy burst of flavor this has, in nose and taste i swear is has to have key lime juice and zest, or even like kaffir lime leaf, its so lime forward and fragrant, but i think its just phantasm and nelson hops! crazy! this might be the most phantasm i have seen in a beer yet, or maybe its just the best use of it, it really pops the nelson and adds a ton of new wave southern hemisphere flavors, bigtime sauvignon blanc and kiwi fruit, green gooseberry and lemongrass too, in the nose it approaches perfume level, but its cut a little by the sourness, some lemon there to it, and minerals from the salt. the flavor is awesome, jasmine flowers, all the lime essence, white wine spritzer, and just the right amount of pucker, it almost has a gin and tonic with lime vibe to me, but is so amazingly robust in flavor. i dont get a ton from the grain in terms of flavor but there is a fluffy wheaty supporting structure that keeps it beery enough, and i like the drying finish with the salt. foamy and flavorful and unique, a lovely offering here!

Served from the can in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Pours a partly cloudy sunrise gold-amber topped by a finger of dirty off-white foam. The nose comprises grapefruit juice, light cracked wheat, light lemongrass, a squeeze of lemon, a bit of cracker, and some mild touches of tart white wine. The taste brings in more of the same, the tartness fairly powerful, but melding with an almost briny character. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a dry, sticky finish. A nice gose, one that comes close to a traditional-ish example, but with more of a sour character.