Man behind the curtain at Stillwater Artisanal

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Brian Strumke of Stillwater Artisanal. I was really excited to talk with him and found him to be knowledgable, enthusiastic, and real. Brian is the type of entrepreneur that conveys a genuine positive energy.  He is truly passionate about what he is doing.  Some of you may be asking, “what is he doing?”

A few months ago, Brian made the giant leap from being a very talented homebrewer to being a very talented commercial brewer.   In taking this giant leap he created what will be the flagship of Stillwater Artisanal, the Stateside Saison.  At 30 bbl, this may have been a small undertaking by commercial standards, but it was certainly a challenging undertaking for even a very talented homebrewer.  After the release of Stateside Saison, it was evident that the homebrewer moniker was shed.  Brian has crossed quite successfully into commercial brewing. In fact, one of the biggest problems he has faced was that there was just not enough of the first release to go around. Many brewers would love that problem on their first batch. Thankfully more is on the way.

This summer Stillwater Artisanal will be releasing their second beer, a seasonal Saison called “of Love and Regret”.  This second release will be the first in their Import Series. This is an interesting experiment in its own right. This batch was brewed at ‘t Hofbrouwerijke in Beerzel, Belgium, and will be imported into the United States by 12 Percent Imports.  Brian labeled this “nomadic brewing.”  This concept really highlights what Brian is all about.  He uses artistic inspiration, such as places and people, much in the same way that an artist of more traditional mediums would.  I was told that “of Love and Regret” is truly an expression of emotion pulled from his own life experiences.  I was impressed.  Brewing, while a creative endeavor, still does not usually grow from the true artisan angst that you usually relate to painting or music.  This was very impressive to me – in fact I couldn’t quite wrap my head around how one would accomplish such a feat. But Brain has done just this. His brewing process is so much more than finding just the right blend of ingredients just as a masterful painting is so much more than just a combination of colors.

Of course Brian does have a history with artistic endeavors. Before being a successful artisan brewer in Baltimore, he was a successful musician in Europe.  You probably would not immediately draw a parallel between these two worlds. However, it seems these experiences helped him develop creatively as well as manage the business side of Stillwater- dealing with press, the constant travel, the trials of distribution, and being a local celebrity. It may seem logical to assume that this time in Europe shaped what kind of a brewer Brian is – with a Saison being his first release.  But his roots in brewing come from right here in Baltimore.  Frequenting local brewing hangouts such as The Wharf Rat(Oliver Ales) and The Brewers Art, he was able to gain an appreciation for good uncompromised brewing.  The Brewer’s Art saw what we are all seeing now – Brian’s talent and passion – and offered him the opportunity to brew some batches with them.  And just recently it was announced that Brian has also teamed up with Oliver Ales for a collaboration. On May 20th, “Channel Crossing Series Vol 1″ will be released. The word on the street is that this will be an English-Belgian fusion with Baltimore flair.

Is this the type of thing you can expect from Stillwater in the future? Yes. No. Maybe. I don’t think you can set any expectations for what his next move will be.  The creativity and originality that Brian brings make it very hard to label him as any specific type of brewer or artisan.

Upon meeting Brian, you note his confidence. Although any praise is met with a bashful demeanor. It may be hard to label exactly what he does…but you see that he is very confident in what he does. The

Brian "Stillwater" Strumke

way that he speaks about what he does was as interesting to me as what he is actually doing. He presents with such genuine feeling.  You know that he has thrown everything he has into this endeavor. And while he demonstrates a strong confidence, it is done not with arrogance, but from his sincere love for what he is doing.  It is also evident that while he is coolly managing his sudden success, he is not relaxing there. He has a lot of ideas bouncing around in his head and is already off and running on a number of them. I have a feeling that Brian really likes knowing that he can point this venture to follow whatever path he chooses. His nomadic style of brewing, and the ideas behind them, let you know that anything really is possible for the future of Stillwater Artisanal.

Expect to see a very eventful summer for Stillwater, with more Stateside Saison on the way, plus his two new releases – “of Love and Regret” and “Crossing Channels Vol 1”  In addition to those previously announced beers, you will also see a third called “Cellar Door”, which is a wheat based saison.  Stayed tuned for more info on “Cellar Door.”

Where can you find Stateside Artisanal? Best bets are Max’s Taphouse, Churchkey DC, and Frisco Grille. Select beer stores will also carry it. Perfect Pour in Columbia, The Wine Source in Baltimore, and Total Discount Liquors in Eldersburg are the best bets for bottles.

Tags: Ale, Brewing, Oliver Ales, Saison, Stillwater Artisanal