Stillwater As Follows Beer Review

For tonight's beer review, I'll be checking out As Follows from Stillwater Artisanal Ales based out of Baltimore, MD. Big thanks must go to the beer department at The Party Source in Bellevue, KY and especially their beer buyer Danny Gold for having recently begun carrying Stillwater beers. I've had a number of their offerings and I think they're all phenomenal. To have them in my backyard is a real treat, so thanks again guys. There were a couple of beers among the Stillwater offerings at Party Source that I hadn't had and As Follows was one of them so it seemed like a perfect time to review a beer that sounded like it would be right up my alley.

As I mentioned in my review of Stillwater/Hof ten Dormaal's Bronze Age, Stillwater specializes in Belgian styles and As Follows is no exception. For more on Stillwater, check out my aforementioned review of Bronze Age. As Follows is a Belgian Strong Golden Ale, aka Belgian Strong Pale Ale. I reviewed another beer in this style when I reviewed Sierra Nevada's Ovila Belgian Golden so if you'd like to learn a bit more about the style, please check there. As Follows caught my eye not only because it's from one of my favorite up-and-coming breweries doing a style I really dig, but because I think they added a twist to the tried and true Belgian Strong Golden Ale formula. They tout the beer as being "big, bold, hoppy, and gold." It's that magical word 'hoppy' that makes my ears perk up. A hoppy Belgian Strong Golden Ale, you say? Well, I guess I'll have to drink that one, I say! This potential addition of some big juicy hops is just the sort of thing that might send this beer over the edge. I've had hoppy Belgian goldens in the past (though it's been a while) and a couple have been transcendent. I'm hoping for that same experience here, but I won't know for sure til my nose is in the glass. Oh, I'm bubbling with excitement already! Stillwater additionally bills the beer as being, "an eschatological ale. . . built sturdy enough to withstand the apocalypse." This is all the more description I need to be eagerly anticipating this beer before I even cradle it gently in my trunk for the trip home. Let's get down to business.

The bottle is simply exquisite. I adore Stillwater's bottle presentation and As Follows stands tall among its peers. A very fine foil, like what one might expect on a good bottle of wine, conceals the bottle cap underneath on this 750ml bottle. The label art is, as with the rest of their beers, really intriguing. Being an eschatological ale, the label features the sort of retro doom-and-gloom, fire and brimstone artwork that immediately calls to mind Dante or John Milton. This evocative art really complements the whole experience. More brewers would do well to take a page out of Stillwater's book here. As I pour into my Libbey Poco Grande glass, I have to rein in my usual hearty pour because this beer is a frothy monster. A gigantic, three or more fingers of dense, creamy, mousse-like head fills my glass to the brim. After a couple minutes, the head that just won't quit has settled down into a quarter inch of iron-willed persistence. The head itself is a vibrant white. As the head settles, I'm able to appreciate the beer itself. It is a cloudy deep straw to hay in color. Lacing on the glass from the huge head is outrageous. Appearance: 15/15

Sticking my nose in the glass confirms the abundant presence of what I'd been hoping for - hops! I love hops almost as much as I love Belgian ales so this is perfect for me. Big, citrusy American hops dominate. Orange, tangerine, pineapple. I can also smell plenty of bready yeast notes and some spice in there as well. The spice smells almost peppery, but I'm unsure right now. All in all, this beer smells great. I get a few band-aid type phenols in there, but nothing too apparent. Nose: 24/25


Mmm, this beer tastes really good! On the palate, the hops are very apparent. While they're not as fresh as I'd like them to be (like, a hop addition yesterday), I know the freshness of the hops isn't the brewer's fault by the time it makes it to retail shelves so I won't hold it against them. The hops are only ever so slightly faded, revealing some traces of bitter astringency. But again, nothing too off-putting. The hops still complement the other flavors here quite well: Fruity yeast esters like banana and a touch of peach, distinctive spiciness that almost defines the beer. The more I drink it, the more I'm thinking the spice is a cross between black pepper and cloves. I also detect traces of bubblegum hiding in there. Palate: 48/50


The mouthfeel is superb. It is at once creamy and bubbly. The bodacious CO2 is ever present here. A body that sits comfortably on the higher end of medium coupled with ample carbonation make this 9% abv beer dangerously drinkable. As I sit here, I realize just how little is left in my glass or the bottle. They did a really great job with the body and texture here. Mouthfeel: 10/10


OVERALL: 97/100


I was fairly certain I would like this beer from the moment I found it waiting for me on the shelf. It is a beer that pays attention to details and rewards those able to see them. Is it the best Belgian Strong Golden Ale I've ever had? I don't think so, but that doesn't mean it isn't one heck of a beer that is fruity and drinkable enough for hot summer nights but complex and rich enough for wintertime nightcaps. This versatility will also translate well into an assortment of foods. Please, pair this beer with salads, breads, cheeses, chicken, fish, wild game, and fatty entrees that need a little hefty carbonation to cut the richness. I also wouldn't mind putting this beer with some desserts that include bread pudding and angel food cake. Cheers!

Stillwater/Hof ten Dormaal Bronze Age Beer Review

Tonight I'll be reviewing an interesting beer, Bronze Age, a collaboration between Baltimore, MD based Stillwater Artisanal and the brewery Hof ten Dormaal in Tildonk, Belgium. This beer came to me by way of my wonderful girlfriend who stopped by famed beer store Bruisin' Ales in Asheville, NC when she was there back in April. Big props to her. Also, as I have also been to Bruisin' Ales in the past, I want to give a big shout-out and an even bigger thanks to everyone at Bruisin' Ales. While you have a selection that can't be beat, I think what makes you guys a world class beer store is your attitude and clear investment in and love for the beer community. Keep on keeping on!

Stillwater is a curious brewery as they're one of a handful of breweries I can think of that are nomads; that is, they don't have a brewery to call their own. Rather, they travel the country and world and brew their beers in other established breweries. This spirit of collaboration in the craft beer world is great. The most well known nomadic brewer is Mikkeller, which is a Danish brewery run by a guy named Mikkel, simply enough. Being a nomadic brewery means that your production might be a little inconsistent but it also gives you the opportunity to sow your beer seeds all over the place and brew a far greater variety of beers than would be possible under a single roof. For proof of this, one need look no further than Mikkeller's astonishingly long lineup of beers (ratebeer.com lists over 300 beers made by Mikkeller). Stillwater is very well regarded for their much smaller collection of beers including some of the best saisons on either side of the Atlantic. Since they focus mostly on Belgian styles, travelling to Belgium and working in tandem with Hof ten Dormaal to make a beer seemed a natural fit. Bronze Age would be called a saison or farmhouse ale. In fact, the label identifies the beer as a "Traditional Belgian Farmhouse Ale." For an in-depth explanation of saisons, please see my style overview. Remember when I said in my overview of saisons that they varied wildly from brewer to brewer and often contained unique ingredients? Well, Bronze Age is a prime example. They brewed it with a portion of the grain bill being spelt, an ancient and wild variety of wheat that was a staple of many European diets during the Bronze Age. The idea with this beer, insofar as I can deduce, was to reasonably recreate the type of beer that would've been produced in Belgium during the Bronze Age, which occurred there from about 1600 to 700 B.C.E. Let's step back in time, shall we?

The beer is beautifully presented in a 375ml (12.7oz) green bottle with a cork and cage finish. The label exhibits Stillwater's usual intriguing and eye-catching artwork that features two hands, one wrapping the other in guaze with a background that features wild wheat and what appears to be a brain. How very curious. The beer itself pours with a massive ivory head. I have to cut my usual strong pour short so as not to spill over the glass. I half expect this type of carbonation in beers like this, so I am unfazed. This 8% abv beauty is a light straw yellow that is semi-hazy. Everything looks great so far. Appearance: 14/15

After the head recedes over the course of a few minutes, leaving some lacing, I have space to really get my nose in the glass. I'm met with a very saison-ish nose. Classic hints of spice, pepper, some fruity esters. I smell some barnyard and cellar funkiness. Giving the glass a hard swirl clarifies some of those esters, there is pear and red apple very apparent. The pepper definitely smells like standard black table pepper. There is also a pleasing lemony zest to the nose. I think what I previously called barnyard could more accurately be called grassy. Solid nose and this beer so far has my taste buds jumping in anticipation. Nose: 23/25


Ah, tasting, my favorite part of beer. Doing this elaborate reviews with the beer right in front of me while I write about other aspects of the beer really drives up the anticipation and makes the payoff that much better. I taste a little more funkiness and mustiness than was in the nose. I still get that grassy note and I'm beginning to think that is due to the hops. I've never read anything about the exact hop bill on this beer, but I'm guessing Styrian. The pepper kind of bounces around throughout the beer, even as the beer transitions and travels from the front of my mouth to the back of my throat. The peppery spice makes a grand final gesture, giving me a quick blast of spice right as I swallow. Kind of lovely, actually. The esters of apple and pear are there too and help balance out the spice and the funk (Sidenote: The Spice and The Funk is now the name for my next homebrew when I make a saison. Don't steal my idea.). Very nice flavors overall and, while not groundbreaking, they are as unique as any saison and they're on-point for what I expect from the style. Palate: 45/50


The mouthfeel is nothing spectacular but very good nonetheless. Ample carbonation and a lean, dry body make this 8% complex ale immensely drinkable. It is very bubbly, almost champagne like. In case you're wondering, there is a beer style that very nearly approximates champagne. Its called biere de champagne. Its a new style still gaining traction in the beer world. Anyway, great mouthfeel. Mouthfeel: 9/10

OVERALL: 91/100

Well, its safe to say I liked this beer a lot. I'm a sucker for saisons and since my second area of geeky interest is history, throwing in a special ingredient like spelt and naming your beer 'Bronze Age' is sure to win me over. That being said, I think this beer is very solid and definitely worth a try if you find it. Cheers!