Battle for Beer of the Week, No. 1

With time short, and life complicated, Fountainhead's delicious taps will have to compete a different week. Instead, a stop to nearby The Twisted Spoke occured. Three beers. Great Divide's Colette is no slouch, but it didn't quite make the cut when compared to the other two brews of the night. It's a creamy and complex beer, a bit lacking in the crispness factor that you expect from a farmhouse/saison.

Jewbelation 11 - I think? I mean, did they really hold onto a beer from 4 celebrations ago and tap it now? Is it actually 14 or 15? Who the f knows? The fact of the matter is, 11 hops and 11 malts, or 15 hops and 15 malts, if you can make that taste good and not be too gimmicky, you're doing something special. This beer is as bold in flavor as the name/process suggests. This is a relatively dark beer, and the nose hints at that. The hops accentuate the chocolate and roasted flavors with a bevy of spices. They also keep it balanced; you won't come away feeling like you just sipped your dessert in terms of sweetness. LOTS going on in terms of flavor. Spices floating over cocoa, molasses, burnt sugars.

Stillwater Folklore - let Mr. Stillwater himself explain: "A bracingly deep ale, built dark and rich with an elegantly lean body, accompanied by heady aromas of Belgian yeast, earthy hops and gently kissed by a wisp of smoke." That defines it perfectly. You can really get swept away in the subtle flavors of this beer, while marvelling at the light yet textured body that makes it so easy to plow through a glass.

Beer of the Week (last week's) AND Spring Beervana #2

Ok, not going to totally backtrack through all the BotW I missed, but I have to put this one where it belongs. AND, it is a Spring Beervana for sure. It's in fact, the best beer I've probably had since Day of the Living Ales. And better than most of those, though not necessarily comparable.

Stillwater Artisan Ales - Rule of Thirds

Pretty label right? The beer is a gorgeous golden-orange, cloudy, with a big fluffy head. Looks like you'd expect a great tripel or belgian strong pale to look. Aroma is a little fruity, grassy, and yeasty. Spicy and herbal notes in the aroma come out even more in the flavor. Complex hop profile not entirely belgian in origin. Smooth and silky body, almost creamy for such a light beer. Really plays well with the complexity of flavor, which is bold enough you are impressed, but subtle enough that you want to just sit and relish each sip.

This was brewed in Belgium by Stillwater (nomad brewer based in Baltimore), at Huisbrouwerij Sint Canarus in Deinze-Gottem, Belgium.
8% ABV.