Stillwater

Client Brewer in Grand Mound, Washington, United States 🇺🇸
Associated Venue: Of Love & Regret - Pub and Provisions

Established in 2010

Contact
19770 Sargent Rd SW, Grand Mound, WA, 98579, United States
001
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.

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8.3
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Bottle courtesy of Brian the Brewer at pre-ZBF 2010 - thank you once again, Brian! Hazy golden color, edge head, nice lacing. Aroma of orange peel and vanilla. Taste has plenty of malts, subtle hops, excellent balance. Slight bitterness in the finish. Nice brew, as good as the oaked version.

Tried from Bottle on 20 Mar 2010 at 17:27


7
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

RBWG’10 pours cloudy golden, light white head. aroma and flavors, light tart apples, fruity esters, always liked the mix of NZ hops, adding a more floral touch to the beer. Mouthfeel keeps a Belgian-like ale yeast with a mild malty finish.

Tried on 18 Mar 2010 at 15:12


8.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5

Cask at the release party. Thick, practically opaque orange tan. Lots of lace. Creamy and smooth malt tones along a super solid, yet subdued, hop presence. Perfect balance. Delicately intense mouthfeel. Nails the style, perhaps one of the Best US examples out there. Right on.

Tried from Cask on 18 Mar 2010 at 00:52


5.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

On cask at Churchkey DC. Pours a translucent orange with a ringing white head. Aroma is light orange, light coriander. Flavor is light citrus, lightly sweet, light spice, light yeast. Very soft finish.

Tried from Cask on 16 Mar 2010 at 06:16


7
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

On cask at Churchkey DC. Served in a nice looking, Stillwater wine glass. Pours a translucent, nearly opaque orange with a frothy white head. Aroma is spicy, orange peel, yeast, flowers. Flavor is very well rounded, sweet, floral, oranges, earthy from the oak, very light citrus, light vanilla. Finish is clean and smooth. Had this side by side with the non-oaked version and this was far superior.

Tried from Cask on 16 Mar 2010 at 06:15


8.8
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9

Rating #1000. Cask at Max’s, courtesy of Brian the brewer. Transported deftly by Tarheels86. Cloudy orange/yellow with a fluffy white head that settles quickly to a thin layer. Aroma of citrus, coriander, white pepper. Taste has orange peel and sourdough bread. Good body. Tasty.

Tried from Cask on 14 Feb 2010 at 10:39