 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
MidwestMicroBrews -- contact@midwestmicrobrews.com |
| MidwestMicroBrews' Midwest Beer Reviews! |
Stone Cellar Brewpub - Appleton, Wisconsin
Marquette Pilsner
Appearance: Light and hazy golden yellow with a thin, lacy white head.
Smell: Grassy and earthy. Aromas of sweet malt and light spices. The Saaz hops let themselves be known.
Taste: Pears and apples. Grain. Mildly sweet. Tastes of buttered (but not syruped) pancakes. Again, the Saaz hops are prominent.
Feel: Light to medium body.
Finish: Clean and crisp with light hop bite.
Overall: This is the classic European pilsner that made Wisconsin beer famous. No one smell or taste overwhelms. Marquette Pilsner is
a local favorite that has gained some national exposure after picking
up a gold at NABA a few years back. We found this to be a great session beer for a Packers, Brewers, or Bucks game.
Pie Eyed Pale Ale
Appearance: Pale, golden amber with a thin, white head.
Smell: Floral hops. Fresh biscuits, mildly citrusy.
Taste: Well-balanced. While the hops are definitely there, they don't overwhelm. Light grapefruit, dandelion, and sweet malt.
Feel: Medium to full bodied.
Finish: Clean and slightly astringent.
Overall: While not as bold as most craft-brewed Pale Ales, Pie Eyed is very drinkable. Another fine
choice for a session beer. For those uninitiated into the school of the Hop-Head, this is a good starter Pale.
English Six Grain Ale
Appearance: Cloudy, light gold, with a thin, slightly clingy, white head.
Smell: The rye hits first, then the other grains come through. Aromas of sweet bread and mild citrus.
Taste: The rye is ever-present, but there is also sourdough, cloves, grass, and dry hops throughout.
Feel: Full-bodied, with chewy and firm mouthfeel.
Finish: Crisp with a sweetness that lingers on the lips.
Overall: Silver medal winner at the '06 NABAs. The grains rule with this one. You can taste them all: barley, wheat, corn, oats, rice,
and above all, rye. This English-style "common" beer is quite drinkable, if not remarkable.
Vanishing Vanilla Stout
Appearance: Thick and black like liquid mahogany, with a medium, golden-brown head.
Smell: Vanilla. Vanilla. Vanilla... with just faint wisps of chocolate and coffee hiding underneath.
Taste: The vanilla dominates the taste, but there are touches of oatmeal, roasted malts, and hot cocoa
with marsmallows.
Feel: Thick, rich and heavy.
Finish: Medium bittersweetness. Drier than expected.
Overall: This unfiltered stout may be too vanilla-y for some, but we found it to be a great dessert beer. Pair it with a dish of ice cream.
Stone Cellar Stout
Appearance: Deep dark brown, almost black with a full brown-beige head that lingered.
Smell: Oatmeal cookies, sweet malts, brown sugar, coffee, roasted nuts, and sweet peat smoke.
Taste: Chocolate, coffee, oats, and vanilla.
Feel: Rich and velvety.
Finish: There is a lingering bittersweet chocolate taste, with hints of toasted marshmallows.
Overall: Another winner at NABA, this robust, unfiltered English Oatmeal Stout picked up a Gold and a Bronze in '05 and '06. Steve has
created a great stout here. This is a perfect choice for a cool Wisconsin Autumn night.
Blindsided Barley Wine
Appearance: Hazy, deep amber. Almost ruby, like a Pinot Noir, in the right light. A thin, white head
quickly faded.
Smell: Sweet fruits, caramel, mildly hoppy and citrusy. You can smell the alcohol in this beast.
Taste: Malt, bananas, raisins and figs. A slight zest hits the sides of the tongue. A good burn hits the back of the throat, letting you know
it's working.
Feel: Thick mouthfeel, with little to no carbonation.
Finish: A mild bitterness lingers, along with tastes of dried fruit, sweet malt and blackberries.
Overall: While not one of our favorite styles, Blindsided is a very good Barley Wine. It definitely makes us want to expand our horizons
and get to know this style a bit better.
Marquette Pilsner
Appearance: Light and hazy golden yellow with a thin, lacy white head.
Smell: Grassy and earthy. Aromas of sweet malt and light spices. The Saaz hops let themselves be known.
Taste: Pears and apples. Grain. Mildly sweet. Tastes of buttered (but not syruped) pancakes. Again, the Saaz hops are prominent.
Feel: Light to medium body.
Finish: Clean and crisp with light hop bite.
Overall: This is the classic European pilsner that made Wisconsin beer famous. No one smell or taste overwhelms. Marquette Pilsner is
a local favorite that has gained some national exposure after picking
up a gold at NABA a few years back. We found this to be a great session beer for a Packers, Brewers, or Bucks game.
Pie Eyed Pale Ale
Appearance: Pale, golden amber with a thin, white head.
Smell: Floral hops. Fresh biscuits, mildly citrusy.
Taste: Well-balanced. While the hops are definitely there, they don't overwhelm. Light grapefruit, dandelion, and sweet malt.
Feel: Medium to full bodied.
Finish: Clean and slightly astringent.
Overall: While not as bold as most craft-brewed Pale Ales, Pie Eyed is very drinkable. Another fine
choice for a session beer. For those uninitiated into the school of the Hop-Head, this is a good starter Pale.
English Six Grain Ale
Appearance: Cloudy, light gold, with a thin, slightly clingy, white head.
Smell: The rye hits first, then the other grains come through. Aromas of sweet bread and mild citrus.
Taste: The rye is ever-present, but there is also sourdough, cloves, grass, and dry hops throughout.
Feel: Full-bodied, with chewy and firm mouthfeel.
Finish: Crisp with a sweetness that lingers on the lips.
Overall: Silver medal winner at the '06 NABAs. The grains rule with this one. You can taste them all: barley, wheat, corn, oats, rice,
and above all, rye. This English-style "common" beer is quite drinkable, if not remarkable.
Vanishing Vanilla Stout
Appearance: Thick and black like liquid mahogany, with a medium, golden-brown head.
Smell: Vanilla. Vanilla. Vanilla... with just faint wisps of chocolate and coffee hiding underneath.
Taste: The vanilla dominates the taste, but there are touches of oatmeal, roasted malts, and hot cocoa
with marsmallows.
Feel: Thick, rich and heavy.
Finish: Medium bittersweetness. Drier than expected.
Overall: This unfiltered stout may be too vanilla-y for some, but we found it to be a great dessert beer. Pair it with a dish of ice cream.
Stone Cellar Stout
Appearance: Deep dark brown, almost black with a full brown-beige head that lingered.
Smell: Oatmeal cookies, sweet malts, brown sugar, coffee, roasted nuts, and sweet peat smoke.
Taste: Chocolate, coffee, oats, and vanilla.
Feel: Rich and velvety.
Finish: There is a lingering bittersweet chocolate taste, with hints of toasted marshmallows.
Overall: Another winner at NABA, this robust, unfiltered English Oatmeal Stout picked up a Gold and a Bronze in '05 and '06. Steve has
created a great stout here. This is a perfect choice for a cool Wisconsin Autumn night.
Blindsided Barley Wine
Appearance: Hazy, deep amber. Almost ruby, like a Pinot Noir, in the right light. A thin, white head
quickly faded.
Smell: Sweet fruits, caramel, mildly hoppy and citrusy. You can smell the alcohol in this beast.
Taste: Malt, bananas, raisins and figs. A slight zest hits the sides of the tongue. A good burn hits the back of the throat, letting you know
it's working.
Feel: Thick mouthfeel, with little to no carbonation.
Finish: A mild bitterness lingers, along with tastes of dried fruit, sweet malt and blackberries.
Overall: While not one of our favorite styles, Blindsided is a very good Barley Wine. It definitely makes us want to expand our horizons
and get to know this style a bit better.
Read more MidwestMicroBrews Reviews... Arbor Brewing Company - Ann Arbor, Michigan Capital Brewery - Middleton, Wisconsin Central Waters Brewing Company - Amherst, Wisconsin Copper Canyon Brewery - Southfield, Michigan Detroit Beer Company - Detroit, Michigan Firestone Walker Brewing Company - Paso Robales, California Goose Island Brewing Company - Chicago, Illinois Grumpy Troll Brewpub - Mount Horeb, Wisconsin Herkimer Pub & Brewery - Minneapolis, Minnesota Onion Pub & Brewery - Lake Barrington, Illinois Round Barn Brewery - Baroda, Michigan Shmaltz Brewing Company - Brooklyn, New York Short's Brewing Company - Bellaire, Michigan Sprecher Brewing Company - Glendale, Wisconsin Stevens Point Brewery - Stevens Point, Wisconsin Stone Cellar Brewpub - Appleton, Wisconsin Summit Brewing Company - St. Paul, Minnesota Sun King Brewing Company - Indianapolis, Indiana Titletown Brewing Company - Green Bay, Wisconsin Upland Brewing Company - Bloomington, Indiana |