==Introduction==

Stillwater Artisanal ales by gypsy brewer, Brian Stillwater, have been some of my favorite beers as they have been so cryptic yet very artfully crafty with their awesome design of labels that go beyond your basic generic label. I have brought many of the Stillwater beers to the site and today I bring one that is supposed to be what I would assume similar to Folkore yet more on the Farmhouse Ale style. They collaborated with Hof ten Dormaal of Belgium which technically this would be my first beer from them. Let’s check this one out and see how this one compares to some of the other Belgian stouts I have tried in the past.

Aromas:
Banana, clove spice, peppercorns, farmhouse hay hints, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, anise, licorice, Belgian candi sugar, light smoke notes, rye bread, tobacco, dark chocolate, Dark fruit raisins, plums, figs, dates, dark cherries, cherry yogurt, wine grapes, port wine hints, brown sugar and flowers.

Flavors:
Dark fruit raisins, plums, figs, dates, dark cherries, cherry yogurt, wine grapes, peppercorns, port wine, dulce de leche caramel, dark chocolate, Belgian chocolate, roasted coffee notes, coffee bread, molasses, anise, oatmeal cookies, bakers chocolate, banana notes, clove spice, phenolic notes, Belgian candi sugar, light smoke notes, rye bread, tobacco, Stone fruit apricot and peach notes, rock candy, brown sugar, vanilla and licorice.

Aftertaste:
Chocolate, wine grapes, Belgian candy sugar, dark fruit cherries, earthy notes, anise and caramel.No alcohol in the taste, true pitch black body, creamy and smooth mouthfeel and moderate drinkability

Overall:
This is a damn good beer reminding me of the awesome Folklore but with more of a peppery and earthy type of flavors. So while the spectrum of Folklore goes into the more dark fruit and candi sugar side this one, while still complex, also has more of an emphasis on being a spicy and floral farmhouse ale. While I think this is super awesome, I prefer the Folklore still over this one. However, this one has many merits to its name that can be enjoyed by Farmhouse and Stout lovers a like.

Anime Corner:
Alipheese “Alice” Fateburn XVI (Sixteenth) fro Monster Girl Quest was used in this pairing was I wanted to find something that would pair with the including the woman and the snake. Along with the mystical artwork, Alice was the one that best seems to work with this pairing as she is both the woman and the snake at the same time. Her colors shine of flowers representing the floral nature of the farmhouse style and the dark essence of dark fruits and stout flavors.