Black Tie Ale
Staples Mill Brewing Co.

Well, pretty cool, mine is the first review of Stillwater Brewing. Stopped by the tasting room this afternoon & enjoyed the samples enough to grab a growler of Black Tie to share with an evening gathering of friends.

The growler opens with a satisfying whoosh. Short pour into a tulip, this is an unfiltered, corn-tassel yellow-orange. Shaken, not stirred, the aroma that rises has a strong wheat component, with lemon, citrus. Nice.

Black Tie Ale is a fruity take on an amber: a yellow amber with fruit? Heck yeah! Big on the lemon & citrus, with a healthy helping of green apple, or a condiment that's closely related. Wheaty, grainy, grittiness also prominent. As the curtain drops it's lemony zest again. Definitely meant to be enjoyed in quantity, we picked up the growler because a couple ounces of sample was clearly not enough.

This is a pleasant, light, summery beer that, intentionally or not, smears spent yeast all over the style lines. I always feel, rightly or wrongly, that anyone who can brew a good low-ABV beer probably has something going for them, & that's how I feel about this brew. The pale was awfully good too. A brewery to watch, & a very good beer.