Oct 26, 2012

Green Flash Brewing Friendship Brew

Green Flash Brewing makes some pretty decent beers. I have thoroughly enjoyed their Double Stout on many occasions and they are no strangers to collaborative efforts (Linch Pin and Highway 78 Scotch Ale come to mind). They’re also a brewing that’s not afraid to toss a little Belgian influence into their releases, much like this collaboration with St. Feuillen.

Now, I’ve had a couple of St. Feuillen beers in the past, as well. I’m a much bigger fan of their Tripel than anything else that I’ve had from them, and that includes their Saison. It’s a good beer, but not the best example of the style so it’s undertandable when I had mixed feelings about picking up this “Black Saison” from the two breweries. And while this beer was okay, it wasn’t great and left behind a rather unpleasant aftertaste.

Appearance

Well, the breweries certainly got the “black” aspect of this beer down as it pours pretty damn dark with a light brown head.

Aroma

While the beer may have the look of a stout, the aroma is all saison, but with a little bit of a roast in the mix. There’s a good deal of spices up front along with grain, hay, hops and a touch of funk in the background.

Taste

A ton of herbal/spice notes arrive initially. As the saison washes over the tongue, lightly roasted malt, a solid hop bitterness and a light sour tartness arrive. I’m not sure about this tartness. I’ve had saison’s in the past that have had a moderate level of tartness, but this one is different. It’s not 100% off-putting, but it also doesn’t feel right. The finish is drying.

Overall

Perhaps I’m overreacting to the tartness due to the increased number of infected products I’ve this year — far more than any other time in my drinking history, but that’s a post for another time. The roast and the spice combe create an interesting dynamic, but I’m not sure that they really go all that well together. In the end, I’m glad I tried this beer out, but not sure that I will be purchasing it again.

Rating: 2.75/5

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