Stillwater Existent

Existent represents the philosophy behind Stillwater Artisanal. We strive to define ourselves through our passion and sincerity while accepting that not all aspects of life are readily explainable. To manifest this ideology we present an ale of intrigue. Deep & dark though deceptively dry, braced by a firm yet smooth bitterness and accented with an earthy hop and mild roast aroma. This is an ale for you to define..

’and if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.’ –Nietzsche

Note: Formerly brewed at Dog, now at Two Roads.

3.6

557 reviews

Rochester, United States

Community reviews

3.6 Tap @ OIBF ’16 with Zlotta & Markoijelena. Clear dark brown color. Brown head. Aroma’s: fruity, sourish, sweetish, candies, light smoke. Retronasal it’s sweetish, fruit, light sour. Flavor is moderate sweet, fruity. Medium bodied. Finishes moderate bitter.

3.6 Sampled from tap at the Oedipus International Beer Festival 2016. Clear, dark reddish brown with a beige head. Sweetish, malty and a little fruity aroma of caramel, brown sugar, some chocolate and some dark ripe fruits. Sweetish, malty and slightly fruity taste of caramel, chocolate, some coffee and hints of dark ripe fruits, followed by a short, slightly bitter, very dry finish. Medium body, slightly effervescent mouthfeel, soft carbonation. Nice!

3.7 Aromas of plum, cherry, grapefruit, chocolate, malt and coffee. Taste of coffee, raisin, chocolate, and some funky farmhouse flavours, with a slightly watery aftertaste. It’s a bit of a stretch to call this a farmhouse ale methinks, but who cares if it tastes good?

3.7 330ml bottle bought at HK Brewcraft in Central. Looks: Clear deep Cola blackish brown colour; Less than one-quarter finger head with residual soapy light beige foam which fades in 30 seconds; Fair sticky lacing with notable very slight carbonation. Aroma: Fragrant dark malt, with moderate funk, barnyards, strong caramel, toffee, chocolate, coffee, cream, light sugar, strong yeast, thin lemon and light grass. Taste: Mid to strong sweet dark malt, with strong roastyness, burnt caramel, burnt toast, strong molasses, alcohol, strong dark chocolate, black coffee, floral, strong earth, spices, strong Bel yeast, lemon, strong bitter hops and grass. Body: Mid to full body. Very slick and smooth palate. Mouth Feel: Strong dark maltyness in pretty creamy background. Strong roastyness with lots of burnt caramel and toast. Very sweet and quite boozy but well match by strong dark chocolates and light black coffee. Earthy, spicy yeasty with sharp lemon to round. Very nice! Hoppiness: Thin lemon and light grass in nose. Strong earth, spices, sharp lemon and strong grass in taste. Bitterness is very strong for a lasting, very high astringent sweet bitter finish. After Taste: Fairly dry. Sweet, burnt and strong bitter to mouth. Comments: This one is very interesting - a Dark Belgian fused with some funk in araoma, lots of burnt toasty sweet maltyness with strong Bel yeast and earthy citrusy sharp hoppiness. Has a snobbish feel but taste-wise it’s quite balanced and bursting with strong flavors. Will buy again!

3.6 Pours deep dark brown. Aroma is full of sweet roasted malt, coffee and milk chocolate. Taste is very smooth, and has a coffee/chocolate flavor kind of hoppy.

3.7 Drank w Matt after Orange Peel drumming gig. Opaque black with creamy beige-tan head and big streaky legs. Smells of funky dark malt, pear, lightly sour in a fermented way, chocolate. Interesting combination of flavours in the nose. Tastes of burnt dark malt, moderate sourness, quite a bit of Belgian yeast, gentle clove and spice, very faint coffee/chocolate. Body is smooth, frothy, pepper/clove, bitter. Unusual to have funky sour yeast paired with burnt coffee malt, quite good.

3.8 Bottle from Craftissimo at home after drum performance. Dark black pour with puffy tan head. Aroma is a bit farmy, a bit roasty, some earthy hops - subtle but nice. Taste is very round - a bit of everything. Some roasted dark chocolate-ish malt, some bitter hops, some farmy yeasty flavors, some spice and clove, some booze. Smooth but not rich palate with nice carbonation. Very interesting.

3.8 Bottle to tumbler. January 2014 bottling. Didn’t catch it until I was pouring, but it held up. Dark ruby brown in the glass. Nose was vacant. Palate was intriguing. Little sweet blackberry somewhere up front. All barnyard and malts thrift through the middle. Complex, sticky. Little fine fizz to the syrupy mouth. Yum.

3.8 Bottle from Chevy Chase Wine and Liquors. Dark brown body with slight head. Nose is oaky, plums, berries, caramel, malts. Really nice. Taste very malty, roasty and plummy too. Nice smooth texture. A really clean beer. Want to drink slow and enjoy.

3.9 Tap. Mother Kelly’s, Bethnal Green. Dark, cola brown. Film of beige head. Nose has blackberry. Blackcurrant. Hint of liquorice. Some notes of chocolate. Taste is light sweet. Hint of dryness. Hint of roast bitterness. Good body. Smooth. Light, fruity bitter finish. Nice one.

3.9 Well balanced and complex. Sweet and yeasty with fruity aftertaste. Goes down alomost too easy, but a memorable beer.

3.2 Belgian yeast, malty, jam, earth, lightly roasty, alcohol. Ruby red, dark Brown, no head. Mid-sweet, lightly bitter, salty, ABV well integrated. Bit simplistic. Medium body, soft carbonation, sweetish finish.

3.6 Marrone scuro, poca schiuma. Aroma di malto con note tostate molto. Lievi. Bene al palato dove si conferma una nota tostata e un finale un pelo amaro.

3.6 On tap. Dark brown with thick beige head. Roasted malt, Yeast, bread aroma. Sweet flavour of bread and yeast with cocoa hints

2.9 Bottle as shown. Pours a dark brown with very large creamy beige head that lasts. The aroma is smoke and roast. Thin mouth, raisin, oak, roast, earthy finish, decent.

3.6 Pours dark brown with a finger of off-white head. Aroma of spices, nuts, raisins and malt. Taste is sweet, raisins and nuts, with a roasty and herbal finish. Light, smooth body with soft carbonation.

3.6 750ml bottle from Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, New York. Deep brown in colour with a very large and long lasting beige head, good lacing. The aroma is malty, some caramel, bready, some chocolate, yeast. The flavour is fairly sweet, malty, fair amount of chocolate, some coffee, light spice. Roasted mouthfeel, medium body, high carbonation. Finishes long, roasty, lightly sweet. Its nice, roasted belgian. Interesting.

3.0 Tap @ All In Beer Fest, Gothenburg 151107. Roasted malty with caramely and spicy notes, medium body with an oily texture. The finish is dry and roasted.

3.7 On tap at All In Beer Fest. Spicy, dark malty and yeasty smell. Sweet taste with dark malts. Light roasted.

3.8 Escura, com espuma abundante. Maltes persistente, primeiro cafe, depois baunilha e chocolate. Equilibrada e facil de beber. Recomendo.

3.3 Botella 33 cl tomada en el momento en el kraken el 13-09-2015. (r521). Embotellada en 21..01..2014. Color negro con espuma algo oscura. Sabores y aromas maltosos tostados algo dulces fácil de beber. No está mal como primera elección. Normal.

3.3 Chestnut brown body with airy browned cream head. Feint aroma, which does expand a bit after aeration. A hint of hazelnut and root beer. Body starts off thin on the lips, but at the back of the throat fills out. Hazelnut and moderately smooth roasty body that does dry out a bit to expose some rough edges, tannins, and nuttiness. Some barley syrup sweetness on the finish.

4.2 Nose is cocoa, belgian ale esters. Flavor is same plus cherry, earth, ash, hazelnut, very faint brownie. Very dry, silty mouthfeel.

3.4 Bottle, enjoyed 1,5 years after bottling. Pours dark mahogany, with a finger thick creamy head. Aroma is roasted malts with bread, chocolate and caramel, as well as yeasty wooden notes. Medium body, with soft carbonation. Flavour is dark roasted malts with coffee, kandi and caramel, and yeasty notes of wood, as well as some dark fruits and molasses.

3.4 Bottle. Pours a dark red with lots of head. Aroma and taste are some dark fruits and some roast.

3.5 From tap. Dark brown color with beige head. Malty and yeasty aroma, caramel, some licorice, spicy, dark fruits, raisins. Sweet and light bitter taste. Medium oily body with soft carbonation.

4.2 Dark brown/amber color, with a rich tan foam. Head settles slightly but never fully dissipates. Aroma has an interesting mix dark fruit and light spice. Hints of brown sugar malt are inviting. There is a superb mix of flavors in this beer. Touches of brown sugar and plum fruit are well integrated, but never too sweet. The beer is fairly dry, with some light earthy spice abound. Strong, tingly carbonation. Medium body, finishes clean. Overall I feel this beer exceeded my expectations. Complex and balanced, it is a nice sipper which keeps my interest throughout the glass. I think I will be more inclined to try other Stillwater offerings

3.2 In bottiglia. aroma speziato, torrefatto, caffè, terroso ed erbaceo. Al palato corpo rotondo, alcool ben nascosto. sentori di legno, caffè, speziato, erbaceo .

3.6 12 oz bottle pours brown with a thin tan head. Aroma of roasted malts, earthy and toffee. Taste is fruit, malts and some yeast.

3.3 Dark brown body, creamy off-white head, some lacing. Roasty malt and a touch of dried fruit in the aroma. Taste is sweet, roasty, malty, not much hops. Not bad.