Stillwater Artisanal Extra Dry – Saison at 4.2% ABV (C$4.95 at Collective, 473 ml, best before 3-Jun-2021, acquired 27-Feb-2020, reviewed 28-Feb-2020)
Appearance: slightly hazy straw with two fingers of loose white head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: lemongrass, cereal grains, light farmhouse funk, hint of cucumber. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, moderate-low bitter, light funk. (8/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, dry crisp finish. (4/5)
This pretty much exactly conforms to all the characteristics I look for in a Saison: low ABV, dry finish, refreshing, with just a light funky farmhouse note. Ticks all the boxes, as they say, and I could definitely drink a couple litres of this during a day’s work. As an aside, I can’t say I got much “sake” character here – yes, there are the same kind of grassy and cereal notes here that I’d associated with e.g. Asahi, but it’s far too mild for me to think of rice wine. Though, that said, the green cucumber makes me think of a gin & tonic with cucumber, which is also quite refreshing (and a completely different beast than a standard G&T with lime, highly recommended for a change of pace if your interests tend in that direction). (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
