Rockstar Farmer by Other Half & Stillwater Artisanal

Brewery: Other Half & Stillwater Artisanal
Beer Style:  Farmhouse IPA w/ Brett
ABV:  4.5%

Beer God’s Notes

The first thing that I noticed was the smell of this beer.  It had a really “sour” smell coming off of it.  Now, if you know anything about sour beers, having a sour smell isn’t a bad thing.  Especially when it’s on purpose.  This beer it definitely was.

What I was shocked about was that there wasn’t really a big sour bite like the smell would have me expect.  The first sip was really nice with some nice hops to it.  The mouthfeel was nice and light, reminiscent of a farmhouse ale or a lighter pale ale.

When this beer finishes, it finished with a nice funk to it.  That’s where they are hiding all of that sour Brett.  I don’t really know how they did it, but it was really enjoyable.  A nice and refreshing Brett IPA.

Those scared of IPAs, especially extra hoppy ones like Other Half is known for creating — don’t be scared of this beer.  And those who are scared of “sours” can also try this nice and forgiving sour.

Description

This “Farmhouse Session India Pale Ale” is a collaboration between small, Brooklyn-based Other Half Brewing, which has developed a cult following for its balanced-yet-hop-forward IPAs and imperial IPAs, and Stillwater Artisanal, a gypsy brewery that tends to throw style guidelines out the window. That partly explains the jumble of buzzwords on the label, including “farmhouse,” “session” and “IPA.”

Stillwater and Other Half’s joint project uses multiple strains of Brettanomyces yeast, a combination yielding aromas of peaches and pineapples, as well as a more general light funk. It obviously started as a dry saison; the grassiness and earthiness are noticeable. But there’s a pronounced hoppiness and citrus-peel bitterness at play, as well, with more stone fruit and tangy funk in the finish.

Crisp, flavorful and only 4.5 percent alcohol by volume, this is an ale that doesn’t taste like all the other farmhouse beers on the shelf.

— Fritz Hahn of Washington Post, original article here