Stillwater A Saison Darkly
Brewed with dark malts and burnt sugars then lightly spiced with Rose Hips, Hibiscus, & Schisandra berries.
3.5
351 reviews
Rochester, United States
Community reviews
Treated as a saison, this was poured into a tulip.
The appearance was a dark brown close to black color with a thin white to off white foamy head quickly dissipating and leaving some messy lacing.
The smell started off with floral sweet notes rolling over some white bread. Delicate sweet rye, and some sweet berries.
The flavor leans to the sweet floral side with a crisp breadiness about it. Wet dark-like bready aftertaste leading into a quick sweet finish.
On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a nice sessionability about it. Carbonation rides fairly low and easy on my tongue.
Overall, nice saison, I believe it to be one. And I’d have this again.
Bottle from local store...dark ass pour with huge head...reminds me of black butte porter...really solid brew
Pours two finger of head on a dark brown body.
Aroma is brown sugar, cinnamon and cookies.
Taste starts with burnt malt, then brown sugar, and a little burnt wood.
Texture is crisp.
Bottle from beers of Europe. Dark rich almost black colour with a nice compact tan head. Aroma yeasty fruit, and light toasted malt, lots of berry fruit. Taste slight saison sour, combined with a subtle roasted malty bitterness. Really nice beer a real star.
In Philip K. Dick’s A Scanner Darkly a narc goes so far undercover he loses his own identity. Thanks to the highly addictive psychoactive drug called Substance D, Agent Fred develops an alter ego in the form of delinquent lowlife Bob Arctor. While Subtsance D has the power to divide the mind into competing personalities, Stillwater’s beer brings two competing personalities together. A Saison Darkly brings golden Saison and black Stout together. The result is complex and appropriately trippy. It’s floral, fruity, funky, spicy, and even a bit smoky. Belgian-style fruits and spices meet darkened malt richness. The feel falls somewhere between full-bodied (Stout-like) and smooth (Saison-like), almost creamy. It’s a sci-fi pairing worthy of PKD.
Aromas of malted barley, balsamic vinegar, and berries. Taste is malted barley, subtle balsamic vinegar, berries; then rose water, honey, and bready malts in the finish.
Bottle, february 20th 2015. Dark brown body with a small beige head. Aroma of tart berries, roasted malt and spices. Taste is herbal with licorice, sweet, with a tart ending. Perfumes aftertaste. A strange one, not bad but doesn’t quite secure a place amongst the best Stillwaters.
Draft - Toffee and dark candy sugar. Deep maroon with a cream beige head. Tastes much like it smells with some spicy notes as well. OK, but nothing great.
@IPA Bar Berlin; beautiful very dark red colour; aromas of cherry liqueur with dark chocolate, hints of blackcurrants. More chocolate, in a dry and light body, nicely balanced by those cherry notes and also some aspects of wood, sweet spices. Dryish aftertaste of canned sweet cherries. Great experimental brew.
Bottle thanks to Rob. Pours a dark amber with small beige head that lasts. The aroma is strong floral and yeast. Medium mouth, fruity, yeast, light finish, good.
Keg @The Craft Beer Co, Clerkenwell. Pours dark brown with a tan head. Nose is wonderful, chocolate, apple, liquorice, toffee and a slight floral note. taste was sweet, un-naturally sweet, some spices and very thin. Loved the nose hated the taste.
pours dark brown with thin light brown head. Pleasant floral scent with a hint of smoke. Medium carbonation and good mouth feel. Taste has hint of malt, hop, smoke caramel and oatmeal. with a bit of an alcohol finish.
Pours dark mahogany brown, almost black. Not much head. Aroma is feather like an oatmeal stout - sweetish burnt malts, a bit of dark chocolate. Taste is also full of roasted malts, relatively full body with velvety texture. Feels more like a stout for me, if it wasn’t written on the bottle would never associate this with saison (or dark saison, whatever it is). Anyhow, what I have in my glass is truly enjoyable and tastes great. Aftertaste is lingering, bit of liquorice and dark fruits adding a touch of acidity.
From tap. Dark brown color with off white head. Yeasty and fruity aroma, spicy. Sweet and light bitter taste. Medium oily body with soft carbonation.
Bottled. Pours deep brown with a small tan head, Aroma of slightly roasted malt, brown sugar, dried fruit, caramel and herbal notes. Sweet flavor that ends up more dry with bitter notes. Medium bodied, oily texture and soft carbonation. A very nice Ale. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
This beer is a dark mahogany color with a medium beige head that recedes steadily to a film. Small patches of lacing on the glass. Aroma of berries, roast malt and yeast. Medium-bodied with flavors of floral yeast, semi-tart berries and malt. The finish is roasty malt and herbal yeast. Above average overall.
Dark cola like appearance. Off white head not much retention some lacing. Slight sweet dried fruit cocoa aroma. Taste is roast malts slight sweetness a touch watery. Okay.
June 12, 2015 - on tap at Bricks. Medium brown pour with limited head. Aroma was grainy, fruity and floral. Taste was malty, floral and spicy.
Dark appearance with a thick, light tan head. Aromas dominated by the Belgian spicy yeast, and the flavor is apricot, plum, and sugar with a biting aftertaste.
Bottle. Interesting. Aroma is roasty, almost stout like, caramel, light spice and a little fruity. Burnt sugar sweetness is at the front of the taste and dominates. Finish is dark fruit. Middle is a bit tricky, I’m saying floral, but clearly being swayed by the beer description. Full bodied for a saison. Pretty nice.
Bottle at home. Clear deep amber beer with a beige head. Roasted, spicy floral aroma. Spicy herbal floral flavour with some licorice hints. A bit strange saison.
Draft. Pours a dark brownish color. Aroma and taste are roasted malts, some caramel, and berries.
Pitch black with light brown foam. Light yeasty roasted chocolate smell. The smell is a little roasted yeasty fruity without being sweet. A little weird.
Dark brown, nearly black color with amber highlight, huge beige head. Aroma of dark malts, hints of caramel, a bit berries. Taste is again dark malts, spices, caraway (where from?), a bit of berries. Dry finish. A nice dark spicy saison.
33cl bottle. Pours dark cola brown, almost black with a minimal beige head that disappears almost immediately. Aroma is roasted and sweet malts, caramel, burnt sugar, some rustic and yeasty notes. Taste is similar with roastiness, coffee, burnt sugar again, some saison spiciness. Medium body, lively carbonation.
Bottle, 355 ml from New Beer Distributors, New York. Shared with Miro and JFK10000. Pours dark brown with small tan head. Roasted malts, spices, bit yeasty, dried fruit. Unusual one.
On tap @Ma che siete venuti a fà (Rome). Pours dark brown-mahogany with a rich beige foam. Aroma is roasted malt, molasses, spices, some belgian notes, chocolate and berries. Confused. Flavour is sweet at first with an acidic end, a bit rough. Medium to high body, medium carbonation. So so...
12oz bottle shared by Anndiesel. Deep brown body. Foamy off-white head. Smooth brown chocolate tones. Not so unruly with the saison yeast, which is really nice...gives it more of a classic Belgian dark ale feel than an overboard US saison. The schisandra and hibiscus round it out well. The hibiscus drying it a little and the rose hips fleshing it right back out. Pretty solid, unique offering.
Tap.Dark ruby colour with medium head.Aroma of berries and brown sugar and hops even mild spicey flavor and smooth medium body with hint of caramel and yeast.
Pours black. Aroma is fruity, some roastiness. Taste is fruity with roasted malts. Its dry but not as light body as i expected.