Stillwater
Client Brewer
in Grand Mound,
Washington,
United States 🇺🇸
Associated Venue: Of Love & Regret - Pub and Provisions
Established in 2010
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.
fonefan (84534) reviewed Existent from Stillwater 14 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Bottle 750ml. @ Th. 4th. Alvinne Craft Beer Festival (ACBF) 2011, De Kasteelhoeve, Doorniksesteenweg 314, Outrijve (Avelgem), Belgium.Clear dark black brown color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, beige head. Aroma is light heavy malty, roasted, caramel, chocolate. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a average to long duration, roasted, chocolate, yeasty. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to lively. [20110304]
theisti (5540) reviewed Cellar Door from Stillwater 14 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
750 ml bottle sent to me by suttree. Pour a is hazed golden, with a well formed two inch white head. Falls loosely with lacing. Aroma is bright lemon peel, some floral sage and white peppercorn. Taste is soft wheat maltiness, the sage floral herbal of the nose, and a hint of citrus - really clean finish. Palate is medium bodied, crisp mineral dry finish. Nice one, thanks Phil!
fonefan (84534) reviewed Cellar Door from Stillwater 15 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle 750ml. @ Th. 4th. Alvinne Craft Beer Festival (ACBF) 2011, De Kasteelhoeve, Doorniksesteenweg 314, Outrijve (Avelgem), Belgium.Hazy - murky medium yellow orange color with a small to average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, toasted, spicy, herbs, sage - rosemary. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and light to moderate bitter with a average to long duration, spicy - herby. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20110304]
Sloefmans (15389) reviewed Folklore from Stillwater 15 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Little beige to greige head, gone in secs over black beer. Inky, coffee, chocolate, preserved prunes, chocolatecake and toffee - a rich nose, otherways said. Smoky, ashes, dry stale coffee. Faint cakey sweetness and lots of bitterish roast in the throat. Retronasal some shy esters.Warming up, more coffee and especially more alcohol. Medium to well-bodied, grist slickness but also something pulvery. Nice - if not very Belgian in my book. Thanks, MikeK!
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Draught Very good yellow head over orange, hazed beer. Rosemary, lavender, very soapy - herbal. The same in the taste, with some fainter citrus. Pharmaceutical finish - maybe some faint coriander or other spice? Medium bodied, quite slick. Overspiced, overperfumed - necessarily so?
yespr (55501) reviewed A Saison Darkly from Stillwater 15 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
33 cL bottle at ACBF2011. Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma is roasted malty and slight spiced peppery. Bitter, roasted malty, yeasty and slight spiced. Lasting phenolic to mild estery and yeasty peppery. Lingering dark roasted malty.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
From tap at ACBF2011. Pours hazy dark orange with a small white head. Aroma is ginger.like and lavender. Spiced and herbal flavoured. Dry and bitter, light toasted malty. Spiced and herbal dry finish.6-3-6-3-12=3.0
From tap at ZBF2011. Pours hazy dark orange with a small white head. Aroma is solid herbal and spiced. Mild citric and ginger-like. Bitter and dry, slight peppery and mild wheaty. Light estery finish.6-3-6-3-11=2.9
yespr (55501) reviewed Two Gypsies Our Side from Stillwater 15 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
75 cL bottle at ACBF2011. Pours hazy dark orange with a small off-white head. Aroma is dense grapefruity and citrusy hoppy. Solid bitter Peachy and grapefruity hoppy. Bitter and citrusy, dry finish.
yespr (55501) reviewed Existent from Stillwater 15 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
75 cL bottle at ACBF2011. Pours dark brown to black with a creamy and tan head. Aroma is spiced and slight spiced hoppy. Roasted caramelish and slight sweet malty. Slight yeasty and medium spiced dry into the finish.
yespr (55501) reviewed Folklore from Stillwater 15 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
75 cL bottle at ACBF2011. Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma is roasted dark malty, slight caramelish and light breadish. Sweet, roasted malty and slight breadish flavoured. Bitter and dark roasted malty. Ends dry and malty.