Or, better said, he's amazing.
Brian Strumke is, to quote NPR, one of about three people in the world who can legitimately call himself a gypsy brewer. (Not 100% sure if that's accurate. Mikkeller, Pretty Things, and Idle Hands are all gypsy brewers and that's just three off the top of my head. But it's clearly a complement so we'll not nitpick.) Strumke "travels from brewery to brewery, from Belgium to Baltimore" and uses his own recipes to create limited edition beers, hence the term gypsy brewer. Meaning he's talented enough that brewers allow him into their house to brew.
His beers generally err towards that farmhouse style; rustic, depth of flavor, strong carbonation, lots of floral and vegetal notes, and so on. (Makes sense since as his house-yeast is saison.)
We carry three as of now:
Autumnal - a ruddy, amber ale that feels like a blend of dunkle and saison; wheat-y, earthy, and dry.
Cellar Door - delicate, peppery white ale with a hint of sage.
Our Side - their collaboration with Mikkeller. Probably one of the best saisons I've had this year. Beautiful hazy orange body with a pillowy head of foam. Light, drinkable, and easily paired with any food, especially poultry. (Cough THANKSGIVING cough.)
We don't have a ton in stock and it's priced well, especially if you consider that you'd pay the same amount for a cheap bottle of wine which would likely not have the depth of flavor. (Although we have some pretty awesome $10 and under wines ;)
You can find Stillwater's NPR interview, a great video on Brian, and more on his website, http://stillwaterales.blogspot.com/
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1 comment:
Hope there's still some of the collaboration this weekend!
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