Autumnal - Red Wine Barrel-Aged
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

 

 

 

A- a shade somewhere between burnt orange and amber.

S- some hints of vinegar and sour but more malty and sweet

taste/mouthfeel- a bit like the amber maltiness of a marzen with a mild hoppiness but then dark berrys and red wine flavors from the barrel come in along with some acidic bite.

O- A very interesting take on the style, the barrel adds quite an interesting spin on it.

 

Kind of a nice find here. On-tap at Poor Phil's on December 16th, 2011. Served in a tulip.

A - Murky dark mahogany, with a slight touch of ruby. Small ring of light pink/brown head on the edges of the glass. Good lacing.

S - Some interesting blends here. Earthy floor and slight must combine with red grape and soft cherry skins.

T - Again, pretty unique mix. Light hop and citrus followed by astringent grapes, herbs, peppercorn. Possibly a touch of oak barrel and barnyard character. Subtle and complex.

M - Good carbonation, a tad smooth, light-medium body.

D - I'd like to know what yeast went into this one. I like it quite a bit, and it's definitely one of my best saison experiences so far. Wanna revisit but unlikely to happen.

Draft at Khyber Pass Pub.

Pours a very dark golden amber/copper color with dark golden orange edges and a frothy two finger off white head. Very good retention slowly fading into a lasting cap/ring that leaves spotty lacing behind.

Vinous aroma with a strong barrel presence and subtle fall spices. Lots of toasted oak with vanilla and dark fruit notes. Earthy with zesty spices notably cinnamon and brown sugar.

Medium bodied with sharp carbonation up front countered by strong vinous barrel notes and autumnal spice. Lots of toasted oak but the prominent flavor is vinous dark fruit. Lots of red wine character with grape, currant and dark berries. This vinous presence kind of overpowers the faint spices and funky yeast. Boozy heat in the finish. Decent and although the wine flavor is good, this beer could use more balance.  

On draft at the Farmhouse tap and grill. (Bordeaux barrels.)

Pours a murky ruddy brown with reddish hues. Thin off white head. Nose shows lots of vinuous characteristics. A little touch of funk and a pleasant wood note. Maybe cherries too.

Palate is slick but gripping with some crisp acidity. The brown malt mingles with lush red wine, berries and oak. A medium body and a long, lovely finish.

Notes: a huge improvement to the base to be sure! Nicely executed.

on tap at jose pistolas in philly

Pours a chestnut brown color with some slightly brighter hues. A thin beige head fades out, leaving little lacing on the glass.

Complex nose with red grapes, red wine, and oak notes. Slight acidity and faint tartness, coupled with some Belgian yeast notes. Brett with dark fruit and cherry skin as well.

Slight hints of sweetness with cherry and red grape skin up front. Hints of acid and tartness with red wine qualities. Oak and soft vanilla, very faint sweetness with more dark fruit and plum. Belgian yeast funk runs through with brett tartness. Finishes a little sour and sweet.

Lighter medium body, higher carbonation, a bit dry and sticky on the tongue. There's a ton of flavors going on with this beer, but I really enjoyed it. The red wine and brett characteristics mesh well with the funky saison notes.

I had this on-tap at Max's during Baltimore Beer Week. Served in a sample glass.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy dark amber color with a layer of off white head. The head goes away pretty quickly.

Smell: A bit tart with some dark fruit, caramel notes, and sweet malt.

Taste: Sweet and a bit tart from the wine. There are some herbal notes from the yeast. The finish is quite bitter.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with smooth carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: The wine wasn't great with this beer. I thoght it was a bit weird. I don't think I would search it out again.

I have had 6 of the barrel aged offerings from Stillwater and for the most part, they are worth the cost and trouble for getting them.

Beer is brown and mostly clear with a thin head with low retention, some lacing but not much, moderate to low carbonation.

Aroma is vinous and sweet with a mild acetic bite and some oak based bitterness, smells good.

Beer is mildly sweet, almost flanders on the front end, with a tartness and tannic bitterness at the back, more than the others I taste the oak in this beer a lot. The strength of the flavors come through with some subtle spice in there. I really enjoyed this beer, totally different from the base beer.

On tap at Max's today during their Stillwater event. Served in a cervoise.

Pours a moderate brown color with a medium off-white head and moderate lacing on the way down. Thin collar throughout. The nose brings a good dosing of red wine and it is fairly barrel-heavy throughout. Behind that is a bit of light spice and some earthiness. A bit of bready malt. Oak is heavy through the nose and flavor but is masked by red wine. While the wine is dominant, it is a pleasant addition to the beer. Earthy background and a bit of yeast. Medium body with a dry and slightly too tannic finish. Quite good, but not as good as some of the other barrel-aged offerings.

On tap at Churchkey.

Dark cherry, ruby color with a rich, dense off-white head. Nice retention and little lacing. Aroma is mildly funky, light spice from the saison and dominated by barrel. Vinous, dark cherry, light oak, cinnamon, etc. The balance in the flavor leans even more heavily toward the barrel, obliterating much of the spice and presence of the saison. Dark malt and doughy body is well blended with the barrel, and the bordeaux adds a pleasant unique flavor compared to the more common use of chardonnay barrels. Extremely soft, full body, with minimal carbonation. A very nice, delicate, well integrated beer that is very boring and lacking any depth. The Stillwater barrel aged beers I've tried so far have all been very good, but too barrel heavy (sort of like a lot of McKenzie beers). Looking forward to future releases...