Beer Review: Stillwater Artisanal Sensory Series v.1 - Lower Dens
Stillwater Artisanal Sensory Series v. 1 – Lower Dens
Brooklyn, NY
“Hibiscus Ale”
6%
http://www.stillwater-artisanal.com/
Everyone knows the feeling when you are at a garage sale and find a great album on vinyl that you didn't have. Or walking into a flea market and finding the perfect chest of drawers for your bedroom. Then there are the times you buy something on a lark because it's cheap and it turns out to be so much more than you expected. It's great to know that you can get that experience even with a beer.
I was at the Warner Robins Just Tap'd and they had a selection of bottled beers on the counter marked down to $1. So, of course I bought several. Most were run of the mill IPA's. One was something else. It was from a brewery I had never heard of (Brooklyn's Stillwater Artisanal) and the label gave almost no information about it. After a little poking around, I was stunned by what I found. It turns out this wasn't made to be just a beer. It was created to be an “experience.” To quote from their website: “The Stillwater Sensory Series is a collaboration between Stillwater Artisanal and singular musical artists. In this first collaboration, Stillwater works with Lower Dens to make an ale based on an interpretation of their song, "In the End is the Beginning." On the bottle itself, a QR code will link to an exclusive Lower Dens performance of the song. Ultimately, this is a true artistic collaboration that aims to create a full sensory experience - sound, sight, smell, touch, and taste. “
It was a beer with it's own soundtrack and music video! I was blown away by the concept. I was also somewhat surprised to learn that the beer was released in the fall of 2012, and is no longer made. So my beer may be as much as 3 ½ years old.
The beer had a slightly sour, floral smell. The only words on the label used to describe the flavor were “hibiscus ale” and it does have a hint of hibiscus aroma. The taste is bitter and lemon-y. It's got a pleasant yeastiness to it. I would definitely classify it as a saison, even though it's not labeled as such. It's not one of my favorite styles of beer, but this isn't a bad one. The song is long, shoegaze-y, psychedelic and sounds pretty great played really loudly. How has age taken it's toll on the beer? I have no idea. What does the beer have to do with the song? I have no idea. Would I jump on the opportunity to try other versions (they are up to version 3 so far) in this series? Absolutely. I think the concept of creating beers to pair with songs to evoke something more than the sum of it's parts is a great experiment. And experimentation is one of the things that makes craft beer so much fun.
Ultimately, this beer isn't about the beer. It's about the experience. And the experience was amazing. The experience of finding something that completely turns your expectations upside down. The experience of getting more than you bargained for. The experience of having no idea what you were getting in to. It's an experience I hope everyone can have. You may not be able to experience it with this particular beer, but if you keep taking chances and trying new, strange things, you'll find it on your own.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise is a five piece rock band from Boone, NC. What started as two friends playing acoustic guitars in a dorm room soon became a band that sounds familiar, yet unique. They possess that strange quality of being able to write songs that feel like you've heard them a thousand times the first time you hear them. Songs that sound intimate and plaintive on record become crowd pleasing show stealers live. And, they open one of their videos with a desolate stranger pouring a glass of Old Crow, so I am pretty obligated to be a fan.
For fans of: Bon Iver (if he wasn't scared to rock), Kings of Leon (with less arena rock posing), Avett Brothers (with fewer banjo breakdowns)
Piedmont Brewery & Kitchen To Host Visitors For a Spescial Announcement Friday
Piedmont Brewery & Kitchen, which bills itself as a “Brew Pub and Urban Arcade” will be making a special announcement about their opening in conjunction with Downtown Macon’s First Friday event this Friday, May 6th.
It sounds like they are trying to bring something new to the Middle Georgia area and I’m looking forward to hearing what they have to say.
Keep reading below for the entire press release.
Piedmont Brewery & Kitchen, New Brew Pub and Urban Arcade, coming to Downtown Macon this Fall (Macon, GA) – Join the visionary team of Piedmont Brewery & Kitchen, this coming First Friday, May 6th, 4:00 PM, at 450 Third Street, for an exciting announcement about their brew pub and urban arcade coming to Macon this fall.
The 2014 dream of two local entrepreneurs will become a reality in 2016 as downtown Macon's emerging restaurant scene gets another shot in the arm when Piedmont Brewery & Kitchen opens its doors this fall. Successful restaurateur, Richie Jones and award-winning home brewer, Brian Whitley, have partnered to bring an entirely new dining and entertainment experience to Middle Georgia. Both men, along with Whitley’s wife, Trish, are joined by a group of private, local investors.
Located at 450 Third Street, in the heart of downtown Macon, Piedmont Brewery & Kitchen will build on a long history of Macon breweries including Victorian-era Acme Brewing, Texas Cattle Company in the 1990s, and current production brewery, Macon Beer Company. Piedmont Brewery & Kitchen will be the place where middle Georgians flock for handcrafted beer and honest food.
Please join us as we announce the opening of this unique brew pub concept, featuring a family-friendly atmosphere, urban arcade, delicious casual food, and a rotation of handcrafted beers. Guests will also have the opportunity to get a sneak peak of the Lofts at Silver.
About Piedmont Brewery & Kitchen First envisioned in 2014, Piedmont Brewery & Kitchen seeks to be Macon’s premier brew pub featuring handcrafted beer and honest food. Learn more at http://www.piedmontbrewery.com or follow us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/piedmontbreweryandkitchen … or on Instagram @piedmontbrewery.
Luther Williams Field in Macon is the second oldest minor league baseball stadium in the country. It was built in 1929 and has played home to the Macon Peaches, Macon Dodgers, Macon Redbirds, and most famously, the Macon Braves from 1991 to 2002. Movies including 42 and Trouble With The Curve have filmed scenes there. And, if you play it cool, you can go hang out on the bad ass, old school, manual scoreboard for a few minutes.
Frankie Cosmos is the stage name of Greta Kline, a singer songwriter from Brooklyn, NY. She deals primarily in short, lyrically dense, incredibly hooky pop songs, much like Guided By Voices. And, also like Robert Pollard of GBV, no subject is too slight for a song. Wanting a dog? Check. A birthday party? Check. Brownies? Check. But just because the subjects are slight and the run times are short, that doesn't mean Kline doesn't have much to say. She's able to string together simple observations and humble honesty into little indie pop masterpieces.
For fans of: Built to Spill (with less guitar solos), Guided By Voices (with better self editing) and Alvvays (with a little more DIY intimacy)
Bragg Jam’s 2016 Concert Crawl is set for Saturday, July 30th. More info at http://www.braggjam.org/.
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