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.
7.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Prairie Moon (?), Evantston, IL tap ($7): Pours a pale, slightly cloudy color with a white head. Aroma is, to the surprise of no one, full of spices, citrus, and yeast. I didn’t notice the sage right off the bat, but with enough effort you can find it. I noticed something akin to lemongrass in there, but reading the description that might be from the combination of hops. The taste is very smooth (and unfortunately, I got mine in a really small glass, so there wasn’t that much to relish), with sufficient hops to give this beer and American character, but still maintain the lightness of the saison style. Tons of different spices and flowers become evident from every given sip. And of course, my favorite part of a beer, the yeast.
Tried
from Draft
on 21 Feb 2011
at 05:07
9/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 8
Cask at Churchkey. Very dark murky brown, massive brown head, solid lacing. Aroma of cocoa and light spice. taste smooth milk chocolate and cocoa powder. Incredible stuff, nice balance and complexity. Could not believe that this is a 10% beer.
Tried
from Cask
on 20 Feb 2011
at 18:21
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Cask at Churchkey, with roasted, caramelized cocoa nibs and vanilla beans. Clear dark brown, edge head. Aroma of vanilla. Taste is Hershey’s syrup with whiskey. Low carbonation. Nice.
Tried
from Cask
on 20 Feb 2011
at 18:15
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Pours with a black body and a thin layer of foamy bubbles. Aromas are herbal and bread. Molasses, buckwheat, pepper, cedar/humidor, weed, chocolate and dry coffee. Flavors of dry coffee, sage, raw grain and grass, tons of spicy coffee. Earthy, chocolate, peppery, herbal, green. Surprisingly tasty and coffee packed! Very light carbonation. Dry finish. Lasting coffee aftertaste.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Feb 2011
at 00:34
7.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 7
At Max’s Belgian beer fest. Clear flat dark brown. Aroma of caramel, vanilla. Decent vanilla, dates, light spice. Nice.
Tried
on 19 Feb 2011
at 10:30
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle pour at the Trappist in Oakland. Pours dark brown with a creamy beige head. Aroma is mildly brown sugar. Med body. Flavor is lightly farmhuse w/some darkish fruit. Refreshing. Damn tasty.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Feb 2011
at 08:41
7.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
It’s earthy and yeasty with some darker notes, and the beer comes together nicely, despite not quite fitting a style. It pours medium dark brown with a dissipating tan head. It has a lot of caramel and a touch of coffee/chocolate, but it also has that yeasty saison flavor. There are also lemon and good dark fruit flavors. It stays a bit sweet for a saison, but the bitter earthiness pulls it in a bit. The mouthfeel is smooth with a bit of stickiness in the finish. It’s a good beer and drinks easily.
Tried
on 13 Feb 2011
at 00:23
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Pour is a black with a small tan head. Aroma is roasted malts with some fresh hops and a little barnyard. Flavor adds some chocolate malts with more fresh hops and again the finish has some barn yard funk. Very tasty and smooth to drink.
Tried
on 12 Feb 2011
at 14:40
7.3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Tap at Churchkey. Murky light brown color, off white large bubble edge head. Aroma of peach, apricot and pine. Taste is full bodied, mildly bitter, with fruit and light spice. Interesting hybrid.
Tried
from Draft
on 09 Feb 2011
at 16:30
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
I’ll preface this with the fact I’ve never had a Dark Saison. Nearly black pour with minimal head. Aroma has very light roasted malts, robust spicing, dark fruits, and the jus the faintest soy sauce. Flavor comes in fairly delicate. Has a nice sweet chocolate, malt, roasted malt backbone that supports light fruits, spice. Finish is quite dry. Thin mouth. A really interesting beer and quite enjoyable.
Tried
on 04 Feb 2011
at 19:00