Name: Stillwater Cellar Door
Style: Belgian saison farmhouse ale
Twist: Brewed
with white sage
Strength: 6.6%
Pours a bright, cloudy gold topped by a massive three
fingers of white foam that settles very slowly.
The lacing is pretty decent for the style. It looks quite nice in my Duvel tulip, what
with all the bubbles floating up from the laser etchings.
This smells great! I have no idea what white sage is or what it
smells like, but my guess is spicy. In
any case, there is a mild spicy aroma here which couples nicely with a lemon
fruitiness. White pepper, bit of must
(fitting for the name), and pears round out an outstanding aroma.
It does not taste quite as complex as it smells, but it
tastes pretty damn good nonetheless. The
sage, white pepper, and lemongrass aromas blend together into a more generally indistinguishable
spicy flavor. I was surprised to find
such a distinct pear flavor here; some farmhouse beers have a bare whisper of
pear aroma that gets lost in the usual farmhouse quirks of white pepper,
lemongrass, and lemon peel. I can taste
it here though, barely but pleasantly.
That bitter lemon peel sensation common to all saisons is more muted here, and Cellar
Door is much better for it.
The mouthfeel is absolutely pitch-perfect for the saison
style. It is light without being airy,
dry without being arid, and with just enough acidity to be thirst-quenching without any tartness.
An excellent summertime sipper. The switch to four-packs was a smart move too. I can't decide whether I like this one or Stateside Saison, but either way Stillwater has the farmhouse style down pat.
