Stillwell’s latest creation is not only a celebration of four years in the biz, but also the first bottle release to come out of its own brewing location.
Earlier this year, Stillwell co-owner Chris Reynolds decided to rent some space in Propeller Brewing’s Gottingen location. In the past, Stillwell had teamed up with Boxing Rock and North Brewing to make booze—but the time had come for a brewery to call its own. After several months, the fruits of the team’s labour are ripe for the picking.
“I think there’s been a lot anticipation and people have been asking about these beers for a long time,” says Reynolds. “We’ve had some success with this style of brewing in these other breweries, so having our own to dictate everything and give the beers the time that they need to be at their best is exciting.”
This “farmhouse brewing” process includes a blend of different yeasts requiring long, slow fermenting. Bottle conditioning (re-fermenting in a bottle under pressure) comes next, adding even more time to the brew.
The soon-to-be released saison, simply titled “Four,” continues Stillwell’s tradition of releasing a beer each anniversary. The beer’s been aged in a barrel once used for Sauvignon Blanc, giving it some additional character.
“One thing that drinkers will notice first is that it’s tart—sort of a sour beer,” says Reynolds.
Four will be on tap at Stillwell’s anniversary party on Saturday and bottles will be for sale out of the brewery on Sunday starting at noon. It’s a small batch, so if you wanna try it, Reynolds says you better hustle. He anticipates there will be three more Stillwell bottle releases before Christmas.