Stateside Saison | Stillwater Artisanal Ales

I'll be the first to admit that I'm immediately drawn to buying a beer based on its label. There's not a magical formula or anything that catches my eye  It could vary between Old World-y and German-looking to crisp, modern, and cool. It could be a variety of things. And this one caught my eye because of the dragon. I'm on a bit of a Game of Thrones kick after re-watching the first season just to ease my withdrawals from the most recent season finale. (And to give myself some much needed quality time with the Starks.)

Note: I am open-minded and I do buy less-appealing labels. I'm just not instantly gravitated toward them.

I'll also say that very rarely have I picked out a beer because of the label and not actually liked the beer inside. That's the case here, too. The dragon caught my eye, tickled my Game of Thrones fancy, and ended up tasting quite delicious. (Note: Image above borrowed from BEERsimple since I forgot to take a photo myself before finishing the glass off.)

Stateside Saison

Brewed by: Stillwater Artisanal Ales | Maryland, US

Style / ABV: Saison / Farmhouse Ale | 6.80 % ABV

This saison poured a lovely, cloudy golden color into my large wine glass and bubbled with a light cream-hued, frothy head. Its scent was all at once citrusy, florally, earthy, and mouthwatheringly tart. Its taste was a dry, complex mix of fruit, spices, and floral notes... with a subtle peppery zest and subdued hoppiness. I liked how it was fizzy and refreshing yet medium bodied.  It was good, flavorful, and unique. Hoppy enough to call to mind the IPAs I'm falling head over heels for, but mysterious and different enough to leave me wondering about those floral, spice, and citrus flavors.
4.35/5 | look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25