Stillwater Autumnal
This deep amber hued ale takes it’s inspiration from Germany while still nodding to the Belgian farmhouse tradition. The base is comprised of German two-row, wheat, Cara-Munich, and roasted barley. Generously hopped with a blend of Perle, Spalt, and Hallertau Mittelfrüh and fermented with a rustic Belgian farmhouse ale yeast. These elements together provide a melange of earth and fruit aromas backed with hints of caramel with a dry clean finish.
3.5
372 reviews
Rochester, United States
Community reviews
Bottle from web SB cons 2015-12-14 Göteborg. #801 - 2015
AR: sharp yeasty, dried apricots, citrus
AP: ruby amber, high frothy lively cream beige fluffy foam
F: caramel, banana foam, belgian yeasty, dry but sweet, white grape skin,
Klar, brun, lätt orange skum. Doft: Örter, kryddor, belgo, alkohol, gräs, billig skumbanan. Smak: Som doft + tuggummi. Inte i min smak.
@ Havregatan 151220. Bottel (355 ml) from Systembolaget. Fruity, yeasty and spicy with dried fruits and caramely notes, medium body with an oily texture. The finish is dry, yeasty and light spicy.
Bottle from systembolaget. Pours a hazy brown colour beer with a medium head. Yeasty with notes of dried fruit and tart. Dry finish
@ Kristoffers väg 19/12-15. Yeasty, fruity and spicy with notes of malt. Body is medium, the finish is dry and spicy.
With Z , pours a dark mahogany brown with a beige head . Nose is sweet dark fruit. Taste is sweet caramel, toffee with a confluence of malt and dark fruit . Thick and viscous. Ends on the same tasting notes with a sweet caramel ending . Quaff Score 7 / 10
Bomber. Pours a copper brown with a tan head and aroma of fruits and light spices. Taste is of fruits, spices, yeast, malt, caramel, and bready notes leading to a fruity malt finish.
Pour out of 12 oz bottle, thanks to TheEpeeist! Hazy dark red pour with khaki colored head, aroma brought notes of big spice, clove, some slight earth into dark fruit, some slight cherry, hints of toast, and berry, some yeasty notes. Taste was a mix of dark fruit, lots of spice, earth, some slight yeast, bread, toast, hints of red berry, finishing very spicy. Pretty tasty.
355ml bottle from Systembolaget. Nice deep mahogany with a large egg-white head that drops quickly and leave good lacing. Nutty aroma with dark dried fruit, figs and gingerbread. Mild carbonated, dry and woody mouthfeel. Spicy taste, ginger, nutmeg, coriander, floral hops, bubblegum and mocha. Good balanced seasoning that does not let the spices take over too much.
Pours dark hazy brown with a medium nougat colored head. Aroma; Dried fruits, plumes, resin, yeast, malt, some toffee, herbal and earth notes with some alcohol coming through in the end. Flavours; Dried fruits, resin, foam banana flavour from the wheat, malt, bread, herbs, orange and a little watery in the finish.. Not the best belgien ale that I’ve tasted by far..
Earthy, perfume, jam, dried fruits, yeasty, esters, herbal hops.
Ruby colour, medium beige head.
Medium sweetness, lightly bitter, earthy, straw, dried fruits, ABV well integrated.
Medium body, lively carbonation, sweet finish
Bottle. Farmhouse ale? Nah. A good and interesting beer? Yes. Notes of belgian yeast, dark malts, chocolate and orange. Hoppy.
Slightly cloudy amber pour, steady finger of light tan head. Nose is yeast and spice. Bittersweet. Middle is leather,earth, anise, caramelized grain, unripe stone fruit. Finish is dry with a hint of toffee. Good beer.
Bottle, 2015, drunk 11/20/15.
Chestnut-tinted mahogany liquid shows moderate to moderately-high clarity. Dark beige head atop is initially full but steadily recedes to cover.
Nose is heavily beany. Like canned pinto or black beans. Not terribly inviting, though some dark fruits and buttercream-like malts do break through. Certainly not the first time I’ve smelled that and it won’t be the last. Some interplay on the yeast and dark malts? I really dont know. It does burn off somewhat, with breathing, but it leaves behind light bubble gum esters, more dates and raisins and a hint of chocolate, that’s not too compelling, though certainly has some similarities with Belgian amber/Belgian holiday ales (that softly sweet bubble gum and plum nose). No alcohol, anyways.
Much better in the mouth, as the carbonation is fairly tight and the malts supple but still fairly well-attenuated, leading to a flavorful, malty but fairly crisp finish. Raisins, plums, light milk chocolate and nuts abound. Only a bit of bubble gum and banana with little clove. Not my favorite from Brian, but it’s certainly respectable.
750ml bottle from Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, New York. Hazy amber in colour with a large long lasting off-white head, excellent lacing. The aroma is of spice, light alcohol, toffee, malty, yeast. The flavour is lightly sweet, some caramel, bready, malty, light spice. Sweet mouthfeel, medium/light body, moderate carbonation. Finishes long, spicy, yeasty. A very nice belgian. Good balance with just a hint of alcohol.
Dark mahogany amber with a thick poofyish, off-white top. The nose exudes amber malts as well as gently phenols, chocolate clove, and more to deliver a bouquet more typical of a weizenbock.The flavor is a mix of Belgian yeast, sourdough, and some wheat. A touch soapy on the finish. Overall, not really saison-like, but rather a mishmash of several German and Belgian styles.
12 oz bottle purchased at 7-11 Kittery. Slightly hazy brown color with a lively carbonation level. Aroma has mild spice, malted wheat and light notes of fruit.
The flavor has more of a German wheat feel rather then a "saison" Belgian yeast character. The flavor also has a large amount of caramel/ Munich malt. Yes it shows light earthy notes. Hops are here but mild and really not enough to balance the caramel/ toffee like malts. Medium in body with an average texture. It’s alright.
sample from tasting that poured a deep amber color with off white head. the aroma was like a farmhouse ale but with some caramel and roasted malts. the flavor was more of the same quite smooth, caramel and lightly roasted malts. quite tasty. enjoyable and easy to drink.
Draft:
Cloudy, dark brown with a tall, whipped beige head.
Caramel, slightly roasty aroma.
Flavour is caramel malt, herbal and roasty.
Pretty tasty....very smooth.
Draft. Grass and caramel malt aroma. Dark amber with large head. Sweet grassy caramel malt flavor. Light herbal finish. No frills, just a solid, easy drinking beer.
Deep brownish amber with a thin Rocky light beige head. Smooth and earthy sweet nose with some nutty brown malts and dried autumn leaves. Big flavor that’s high on saison esters, nice earthy tree fruit tones, Belgian hay and grains, a little dark earthy sweet malt and a little roast, smooth earthy semisweet and estery nutty finish.
Bottle into tall gob6.let glass. Foamed over on opening -- bottle’s been kicking around for a while, so not sure if it’s secondary fermentation or if it got shook somewhere along the way. Dark mahogany color, thick off white head which lingers. Warm, malty nose with a touch of yeast. Full, round flavor, again malty. Back end note of... prunes? Some unexpected dark stone fruit. Finish lingers, with yeast and stone fruit playing with one another.
Not as good as the overall rating. Dark like a double bock, dryer like a rye style. A little malty tasting too. It's also capped and not corked like a true 750mL craft beer bottle should be. I'm glad experienced it, but I'll probably pass on this one again.
12 oz bottle. Pours a weak mahogany color with very little head. Light aromas of grass, caramel, and raisins. Watery flavors of same with additional metallic notes. A miss.
bottle @ Party Town / Florence KY --- btld 8/26/13 Clear dark mahogany color, thin beige head cover, light lace smudges. Taste is dark malt infused with earth and prunes and candied fruit. Light carbonation and bittering on the swallow, then a fairly short watery finish. Maybe 16 months is too long for this bottle. It doesn’t match with other reviewer’s descriptions. Not a keeper.
Deep walnut brown, small offwhite head. Aroma of nuts and chocolate, flavor of chocolate, cherry, dark fruit, yeast, nuts
Stillwater is a gypsy brewery that never brews anything to style, and I respect and appreciate that. Though it does make their beers a little difficult to judge since I don’t know what to compare it to. This purports to be an amber/saison hybrid, though I might describe it as an altbier/saison hybrid. Either way, it’s got a lot of dark maltiness and a distinct saison character on the finish. Definitely apropos for the fall season.
I poured a 12oz bottle into a tulip glass. It was bottled on 8/8/14 and cost $4.75 ($0.40 per ounce).
Appearance: Murky brownish/chestnut hut, though translucent. Pours to a two-finger, ivory, foamy head which laces and retains fairly well.
Smell: Light nose of dark malts and a hint of saison yeast esters.
Taste: Brews in the amber/brown/altbier ballpark tend to have a malt-forward palette and that’s definitely true here. Lightly sweet flavors of caramel, combined with slight rustic notes of peanut, hazelnut and dry hops give it a well-balanced body. There’s a subtle spiciness throughout due to the saison yeast used for fermentation, which really comes through right as it finishes. There’s a quick burst of peppercorn, which is interesting, as well as a subtle coffee-like aftertaste. This isn’t a typical palette, and for that I’m grateful.
Drinkability: Though technically a bigger beer at 7.2% ABV, Stillwater Autumnal drinks and feels like something more sessionable. There’s not alcohol presence whatsoever, and the actual presence in the mouth is remarkably comfortable. The carbonation is light and the texture is smooth, which makes it easy to gulp down. Probably a good beer to pair with your Thanksgiving meal.
A little along the lines of most reds. Pours amber with food head and lacing. Light coppery aroma and light hippy citrus. Light bitter finish. Tap at Love and regret.
Easily one of the best ambers I’ve had, although that may not be a fair comparison, due to the ABV of this one. Strong and solid malty notes. For a purported farmhouse, not getting any Belgian yeast notes, but that is OK. This one is super, super flavorful.
Dark red brown with light tan head that sticks around. Aroma acetate/green apples, some heavy wheat, hosin sauce. Tastes leather, boozy, sweet. Some rustic yeast cuts the big munich malts, but this one is a bit of a malt bomb.