Stillwater
Client Brewer
in Grand Mound,
Washington,
United States 🇺🇸
Associated Venue: Of Love & Regret - Pub and Provisions
Established in 2010
Contact
Description
Founded in 2010, Stillwater is an original nomadic beer project that utilizes the traditional brewery as if it were a studio - a place where beer becomes a canvas for creation, collaboration, and experimentation. For it’s founder Brian Strumke, nomadic brewing isn’t simply a job title. It’s a way to tell stories, engage with the world at large, and move through it on his terms.
In 2011, Strumke woke one morning to find himself anointed as one of the top new brewers in the world by Ratebeer.com - a proclamation that would change the trajectory of his life forever. Over the last 10 years, he built and scaled Stillwater® into an international business, capturing broad attention with it’s multidisciplinary approach and award-winning products crafted worldwide.
Formerly known as Stillwater Artisanal. Brian is from Baltimore, MD but has relocated to Seattle. Stillwater was tied to the Brooklyn, NY scene and importer / brewery Twelve Percent. Beers have been brewed at various breweries, but with many coming out of Twelve Percent's North Haven, CT brewery. Now Brian has brought Stillwater to the state of Washington and set down roots. Stillwater beers are brewed at Talking Cedar as of late 2023/early 2024.
A dozen years after pioneering the “nomadic brewing” model, Stillwater® has planted roots in the Pacific Northwest. For the first time, all production of its inventive and style-bending beers is concentrated at one location under founder Brian Strumke’s oversight and control: Grand Mound, Washington’s Talking Cedar. Opened by the Chehalis Tribal Enterprises in 2020, Talking Cedar is a 35,000-square-foot complex that houses a state-of-the-art brewery with a 60-barrel brew house, rows of 120-barrel fermenters, and multiple oak foedres.
In 2011, Strumke woke one morning to find himself anointed as one of the top new brewers in the world by Ratebeer.com - a proclamation that would change the trajectory of his life forever. Over the last 10 years, he built and scaled Stillwater® into an international business, capturing broad attention with it’s multidisciplinary approach and award-winning products crafted worldwide.
Formerly known as Stillwater Artisanal. Brian is from Baltimore, MD but has relocated to Seattle. Stillwater was tied to the Brooklyn, NY scene and importer / brewery Twelve Percent. Beers have been brewed at various breweries, but with many coming out of Twelve Percent's North Haven, CT brewery. Now Brian has brought Stillwater to the state of Washington and set down roots. Stillwater beers are brewed at Talking Cedar as of late 2023/early 2024.
A dozen years after pioneering the “nomadic brewing” model, Stillwater® has planted roots in the Pacific Northwest. For the first time, all production of its inventive and style-bending beers is concentrated at one location under founder Brian Strumke’s oversight and control: Grand Mound, Washington’s Talking Cedar. Opened by the Chehalis Tribal Enterprises in 2020, Talking Cedar is a 35,000-square-foot complex that houses a state-of-the-art brewery with a 60-barrel brew house, rows of 120-barrel fermenters, and multiple oak foedres.
7/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Reviewed from notes.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: dark murky orange color with a two finger off white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: tangerines, oranges, subtle citrusy zesty hop tones, mild piney hop tones; clean malts - somewhat like wet grains
Flavor: takes the prior noted aromas to a semi-bittersweet to subtle zesty and a lighter note of tart character; finishes orangey/tangerine-like with a touch of zesty citrus and piney
Texture: medium bodied, good as a sipper; somewhat syrupy on the tongue but not cloying (if that makes sense to anyone); the carb seems alright, I think
Overall: there's something good here, cause the aromas and flavors seem good but something about the texture, hmmmm, maybe the carb was off after all, not exactly sure.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: dark murky orange color with a two finger off white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: tangerines, oranges, subtle citrusy zesty hop tones, mild piney hop tones; clean malts - somewhat like wet grains
Flavor: takes the prior noted aromas to a semi-bittersweet to subtle zesty and a lighter note of tart character; finishes orangey/tangerine-like with a touch of zesty citrus and piney
Texture: medium bodied, good as a sipper; somewhat syrupy on the tongue but not cloying (if that makes sense to anyone); the carb seems alright, I think
Overall: there's something good here, cause the aromas and flavors seem good but something about the texture, hmmmm, maybe the carb was off after all, not exactly sure.
Tried
from Can
on 12 Feb 2026
at 19:58
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Reviewed from notes.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: golden amber in color with a two and a half fingers of white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: pink guava, orange peel and lemon tartness, subtle funky vibe, subtle grassy hops; some sugar
Flavor: combines the prior noted aromas to a fine sour to tart to sweet quality; finishes somewhat liked candied oranges and lemons
Texture: light to medium bodied, between sessionable and being a sipper; some smoothness but also some tart to sour sting to the tongue
Overall: pretty nicely done sour ale for the most part, might not be a bad sour ale for newbies to the style to give a chance
Can to tulip.
Appearance: golden amber in color with a two and a half fingers of white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: pink guava, orange peel and lemon tartness, subtle funky vibe, subtle grassy hops; some sugar
Flavor: combines the prior noted aromas to a fine sour to tart to sweet quality; finishes somewhat liked candied oranges and lemons
Texture: light to medium bodied, between sessionable and being a sipper; some smoothness but also some tart to sour sting to the tongue
Overall: pretty nicely done sour ale for the most part, might not be a bad sour ale for newbies to the style to give a chance
Tried
from Can
on 12 Feb 2026
at 19:49
7.3/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Reviewed from notes.
Can to snifter.
Appearance: dark brown close to black color with a thin film of an eggshell white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: rich espresso up front with big caramel to toffee notes, light ashy notes, some dark chocolate
Flavor: leaning towards the sweet side but an ample tone of that dark chocolate makes a decent effort to balance; finishes with the espresso, the ashy tones and a light dark chocolate vibe
Texture: medium bodied, leaning towards being a sipper; some dryness on the tongue but a light smoothness
Overall: for the most part, this was a pretty nicely done impy stout, just needs some of that "ashiness" cleaned up a bit.
Can to snifter.
Appearance: dark brown close to black color with a thin film of an eggshell white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: rich espresso up front with big caramel to toffee notes, light ashy notes, some dark chocolate
Flavor: leaning towards the sweet side but an ample tone of that dark chocolate makes a decent effort to balance; finishes with the espresso, the ashy tones and a light dark chocolate vibe
Texture: medium bodied, leaning towards being a sipper; some dryness on the tongue but a light smoothness
Overall: for the most part, this was a pretty nicely done impy stout, just needs some of that "ashiness" cleaned up a bit.
Tried
from Can
on 12 Feb 2026
at 19:38
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
On tap at Vermont Tap House, Williston, VT.
Appearance: dark brown close to black in color with a thin off white foamy head which slid off fairly quick to leave some light lace
Aroma: big milk chocolate tones, sweet cream, vanilla extract, big caramel tones
Flavor: combines the prior noted aromas together to a super sweet and decadent quality; finishes extremely sweet through all of those aromas
Texture: medium bodied, leaning towards being a sipper; pretty smooth all along the tongue but a touch of a sly cloying-ish note
Overall: I think if anything else extremely sweet was added this would have been a cloying mess of a beer, but somehow Stillwater decided to stop where they were and this ended up turning out pretty good.
On tap at Vermont Tap House, Williston, VT.
Appearance: dark brown close to black in color with a thin off white foamy head which slid off fairly quick to leave some light lace
Aroma: big milk chocolate tones, sweet cream, vanilla extract, big caramel tones
Flavor: combines the prior noted aromas together to a super sweet and decadent quality; finishes extremely sweet through all of those aromas
Texture: medium bodied, leaning towards being a sipper; pretty smooth all along the tongue but a touch of a sly cloying-ish note
Overall: I think if anything else extremely sweet was added this would have been a cloying mess of a beer, but somehow Stillwater decided to stop where they were and this ended up turning out pretty good.
Tried
from Draft
on 12 Feb 2026
at 19:27
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: semi-transparent amber color with a three finger white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: citrusy to floral to grassy with some light hop notes of passion fruit and mango; light clean malts
Flavor: blends the prior noted aromas together in a firm bittersweet and juicy manner; finishes somewhat floral to grassy with the passion fruity hop tones
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable; some smoothness along the tongue with adequate dry hopping notes which do not really pummel the tongue but adds that nice dry feel as I wanted it to
Overall: finally! a good ddh pale ale that isn't too far off Stillwater's rocker. I'd bang this one again.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: semi-transparent amber color with a three finger white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: citrusy to floral to grassy with some light hop notes of passion fruit and mango; light clean malts
Flavor: blends the prior noted aromas together in a firm bittersweet and juicy manner; finishes somewhat floral to grassy with the passion fruity hop tones
Texture: light to medium bodied, sessionable; some smoothness along the tongue with adequate dry hopping notes which do not really pummel the tongue but adds that nice dry feel as I wanted it to
Overall: finally! a good ddh pale ale that isn't too far off Stillwater's rocker. I'd bang this one again.
Tried
from Can
on 12 Feb 2026
at 19:17
6.8/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 6.5
Texture 7
Overall 7
Reviewed from notes. Consumed 04/16/2020
Can to tulip.
Appearance: semi-glistening orange tone with a thin cap of a little white foamy head which dissipated at a nice pace and barely left any lace.
Aroma: some tropical fruits, peaches, plums and some odd earthy spice (I can't really distinguish what it is and gave up trying to figure it out), light clean malts
Flavor: does a decent job of combining the aromas together in a semi-sweet to spicy way then underscored with a light bitterness; finishes with the unknown odd spice, plums and somewhat tropical fruity
Texture: medium bodied, leaning towards being a sipper; fairly smooth along the tongue with that earthy spice trying to be somewhat assertive but seems to back off a little bit too
Overall: what an odd beer and after I consumed this - I was told by one of my buddies the earthy spice was ginger. I said "I know what ginger is but that wasn't ginger." He said according to this brewer it was. Alright, next beer, please, whatever.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: semi-glistening orange tone with a thin cap of a little white foamy head which dissipated at a nice pace and barely left any lace.
Aroma: some tropical fruits, peaches, plums and some odd earthy spice (I can't really distinguish what it is and gave up trying to figure it out), light clean malts
Flavor: does a decent job of combining the aromas together in a semi-sweet to spicy way then underscored with a light bitterness; finishes with the unknown odd spice, plums and somewhat tropical fruity
Texture: medium bodied, leaning towards being a sipper; fairly smooth along the tongue with that earthy spice trying to be somewhat assertive but seems to back off a little bit too
Overall: what an odd beer and after I consumed this - I was told by one of my buddies the earthy spice was ginger. I said "I know what ginger is but that wasn't ginger." He said according to this brewer it was. Alright, next beer, please, whatever.
Tried
from Can
on 12 Feb 2026
at 19:10
6.4/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Reviewed from notes.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: murky dark orange/amber cardboard look to it with a one finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace.
Aroma: citrusy to tropical fruity hops up front with some sugary/candy-like oddities, subtle grassy hops in the middle; clean malts further down in there
Flavor: leans towards the sweet side of this one with some clean bittering hoppiness trying to balance but also allows some of the noted sugary/candy qualities from the aroma to embrace this and then lead into an odd finish of candied tropical fruits
Texture: medium bodied, I think maybe a touch under; somewhat sessionable; pretty smooth along the tongue and gets creamy as well
Overall: I believe this was one of the first "milkshake IPA's" I may have ever had or closer to the beginning of this style at least and well, needless to say I wasn't exactly impressed back then and am still trying to understand this style in the year of 2026.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: murky dark orange/amber cardboard look to it with a one finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace.
Aroma: citrusy to tropical fruity hops up front with some sugary/candy-like oddities, subtle grassy hops in the middle; clean malts further down in there
Flavor: leans towards the sweet side of this one with some clean bittering hoppiness trying to balance but also allows some of the noted sugary/candy qualities from the aroma to embrace this and then lead into an odd finish of candied tropical fruits
Texture: medium bodied, I think maybe a touch under; somewhat sessionable; pretty smooth along the tongue and gets creamy as well
Overall: I believe this was one of the first "milkshake IPA's" I may have ever had or closer to the beginning of this style at least and well, needless to say I wasn't exactly impressed back then and am still trying to understand this style in the year of 2026.
Tried
from Can
on 12 Feb 2026
at 18:56
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: a stuffy light looking color with a two finger white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: plums and some semi-sweet yeasty tones, subtle lemon to grassy hops underneath
Flavor: combines the prior noted aromas to a fair sour to sweet blend flanked by the tart qualities; mild finish of the plums and sour character
Texture: light to medium bodied, between sessionable and being a sipper, some smoothness but not too much as the sour seems to be hitting a bit more than expected but I'm not appalled
Overall: for the most part, it was a nice plum sour/wild ale I would return to.
Can to tulip.
Appearance: a stuffy light looking color with a two finger white foamy head which slid off nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: plums and some semi-sweet yeasty tones, subtle lemon to grassy hops underneath
Flavor: combines the prior noted aromas to a fair sour to sweet blend flanked by the tart qualities; mild finish of the plums and sour character
Texture: light to medium bodied, between sessionable and being a sipper, some smoothness but not too much as the sour seems to be hitting a bit more than expected but I'm not appalled
Overall: for the most part, it was a nice plum sour/wild ale I would return to.
Tried
from Can
on 10 Feb 2026
at 20:07
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Pint can - Brian is back, baby! - man, this beer was my jam back in the day and this iteration still is - bright, dry, bitter, herbal, lightly funky - touches of lemon and a light minerality, touch of dry white wine - long, light spicy, flinty, and funky finish - real good.
Tried
on 03 Feb 2026
at 05:35
7.9/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8
Light stone fruit, lemon, and barnyard on the aroma. Flavor is bright with bitter hop presence and a subtle farmhouse funkiness that works really well with the beer.
From Total Wine DC
From Total Wine DC
Tried
from Can
from
Total Wine & More - Fairfax, VA
on 29 Dec 2025
at 01:48