Stillwater Readymade : Vacuum

Readymade : Vacuum

 

Stillwater in Grand Mound, Washington, United States 🇺🇸

Brewed at/by: Two Roads Brewing Company
  Smoked / Rauchbier Rotating Out of Production
Score
7.21
ABV: 8.0% IBU: - Ticks: 65
Smoked India Black Ale.

What is with the paradoxical term 'Black IPA' anyway? Whatever it is, we do love black beers.. also smoked beers, and of course everyone loves hops these daze.. A complex blend various smoked, caramel and subdued roasted malts lay the base for a combination of piney, dank and (dark) fruity hops.. While there is a lot to contemplate with this beast, just be sure to enjoy it without getting too sucked into its enigmatic composition.

Label Design Notes: The layout of the label reinforces the absurdity by recalling both early promotional materials from Braun and Alfred Stieglitz's photo of Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain".
 

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7.9/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8.5
Imported from my RateBeer account as Stillwater Readymade - Vacuum (by Stillwater Artisanal):
Aroma: 8/10, Appearance: 4/5, Taste: 8/10, Palate: 3/5, Overall: 17/20, MyTotalScore: 4/5

24/V/15 - 12Fl. Oz. bottle @ LIBF (Leuven) - BB: n/a (2015-700) Thanks to the Belgian (and Dutch, and...) RB crew for sharing today's beers!

Clear purple beer, creamy beige head, bit stable, bit adhesive. Aroma: very malty, grains, fruity, pretty hoppy, some exotic fruits. MF: ok carbon, medium body. taste: nice hoppy bitter start, citrus, bit piny, more bitterness. Aftertaste: citrus, bit grassy, soft roasty touch, bit piny, nice stuff!
Tried from Bottle on 24 May 2015 at 14:05

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 3/20/2015. Pours cloudy very dark brown/black color with a 2 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon zest, orange peel, pine, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, floral, grass, light smoke/char, and floral/roasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/piney hops and dark/roasted malt notes; with good strength. Taste of big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon zest, orange peel, pine, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, floral, grass, light smoke/char, and floral/roasted earthiness. Good amount of pine/citrus rind/charred bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon/orange peel pine, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, light smoke char, and floral/roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/piney hops and dark/roasted malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately sticky, and lightly chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice black IPA. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/piney hops and dark/roasted malt flavors; and very smooth to drink for the ABV. Even though this was labeled as a smoked beer, I did not see any significant presence of smoked malts at all; but it was still very enjoyable offering as a Black IPA.
Tried from Bottle on 17 May 2015 at 21:27

7.9/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
4 oz pour on draft at ChurchKey. Black with tan head. Aromas of citrus, floral, roast. Tastes of citrus, roast, floral notes, light chocolate. Medium body with a dry finish. Didn’t pick up any of the smoke but still pretty tasty.
Tried from Draft on 15 May 2015 at 22:11

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Vacuum because the dry bitterness sucks the life from you. Black pour with God head and lacing. Bitter end. Citrus hop notes on nose. Light roast and a little smoke. Leans more towards the IPA end at first but the smoke gathers. Tap at Churchkey.
Tried from Draft on 11 May 2015 at 16:24

6.9/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
12oz bottle from Superstar Beverage Huntington pours a murky, deep brown with some frothy, tan head. Nose has bready notes, mildly gristy, some pine, some earthy notes, some pithy/soapy notes. Flavor follows, I don’t get much smoke which was a relief, malty, gristy, earthy, bread crust, heavy pine, heavy soap, some orange, mild herbs. Full bodied finish.
Tried from Bottle on 24 Apr 2015 at 17:29