Pictures of the Past Stateside
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

neat these guys have redone some of their original classics for their 15th anniversary, congrats to them! i remember the early days when these were in stamped generic cardboard four packs, seems like just yesterday. i am sure this has a new hop profile to it, like did motueka even exist back then? i dont think so, citra and nelson along with it in here, nice mix, even if maybe freshness might be a modest issue for hop peppiness, this is modern in that sense, but like, its not particularly hoppy either, as they go i guess, delicious dont get me wrong, but also not quite nostalgic to me, like its not quite what i remember from it, but its great, pretty much all stillwater beer is, and its been so long since i had the original its maybe unfair to try to compare the two. the ferment is wonderful and the hops add cool fruity and herbal nuance, the grain is pretty hearty overall too, wheaty and dense looking in the glass. this has a pale orange tone, some murk but no real sediment, muted looking but made lighter visually thanks to high carbonation and a lasting inch of white head, the can was tight and this seems can conditioned for certain. the aroma and flavor have nuances of white wine, fresh pineapple, and even like a tarragon thing where its herbal and spicy together, lemon, rustic hearty grain, some trave mid palate sweetness and toasted depth, hints of white pepper and chamomile from the yeast, some late bitterness adding snap with the dry finish, light funk but not pretty, no astringency at all, effervescent feeling, drinks quite a bit lighter than it looks, and i think the new zealand hops a give it a cool lift, mellow as they come through. overall as good as expected, you see less around from these guys than we used to, a shame, still one of my favorite operations. this was a fun can, love the packaging too!