Double Stout - Green Flash Brewing Co.

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from Whole Foods in Omaha, NE
No bottled on date
Poured into a tulip glass

Green Flash's double stout is a hop-forward recipe, with exceptional qualities of roasted malt and hop bitterness. Those seeking an alternative to coffee or chocolate notes in their beer may seek this out to indulge in bitterness and burnt toast flavors instead. Personally, while I appreciate this as a well-brewed beer, I'm not sure that the hop bitterness of the stout is what I'm looking for and feel it overwhelms other flavors that could be in the beer.

Pour produces a thick, tall (>2cm) head of brown/dark tan bubbles, small in size, creating a pillow-like appearance. As head slowly descends, it leaves substantial lacing along the sides of the glass, which is renewed with each sip. Body is an impenetrable dark brown/black, opaque but with some visible carbonation along the upper sides of the glass.

Aroma of roasted malt and soy sauce, some molasses and vanilla tucked away shyly in the back. While I don't dislike any of those ingredients, together in a beer they are not appealing, especially when the soy sauce is perhaps the second most noticeable scent.

Opens with mild roasted barley flavors, a bit of sweetness, and noticeable hop bitterness, a bit like grapefruit rind. Roasted barley quickly emerges as dominant character, becoming very "large" by early-mid-palate and enveloping most other flavors. Despite this, roasted flavor is not aggressive, actually quite "soft." By mid-palate, hop bitterness is vying with roasted notes for dominance, and overtakes them by the back of the tongue. Fades out with roasted barley and some vanilla flavors alongside continuing, but milder bitterness. Leaves a lingering aftertaste of charred toast and a bit of acrid bitterness from hops.

Beer is medium-heavy with moderate carbonation. Bubbles "feel" small, so beer is not prickly on the palate. Carbonation leads beer to foam up at first on mouth, then when dissipated, it rolls smoothly along for a nice, creamy mouthfeel. Finish is dry and slightly sticky.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 14:19:33 | More by falloutsnow

Nick_Fodor

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

05-22-2013 19:51:51 | More by Nick_Fodor

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-22-2013 03:20:59 | More by SmellsofMahagony

DanGeo

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-22-2013 02:49:49 | More by DanGeo

WizzardOfHops

California

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

05-21-2013 23:45:19 | More by WizzardOfHops

joshbrink

Alabama

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-21-2013 15:44:30 | More by joshbrink

buzzy

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-19-2013 21:25:19 | More by buzzy

tbone1384

Wyoming

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-19-2013 01:14:36 | More by tbone1384

schopenhauerale

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-18-2013 20:21:12 | More by schopenhauerale

Toadhopper

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-18-2013 16:51:04 | More by Toadhopper

kojevergas

California

3.03/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

8.8% ABV confirmed. Bottled: 09/25/12. That makes this about 8 months shy by my count. Self-identifies as a Double Stout, but it also includes the confusing epithet "Black Ale." 12 fl oz brown glass bottle with uninteresting label art, good bottle design, and blue branded standard pressure cap acquired at a local SoCal beer store and served into a Mitchell's of Lancaster flared stem-tulip in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are high given its current ratings.

Served cold, straight from the fridge, and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a two finger dark milky tan colour head of good milky lightly creamy complexion, nice soft appearance, good thickness, and pretty good (~4 minute) retention for the high ABV. Body colour is a nontransparent opaque solid black. Not quite a jet black but close; quite dark. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Lacing is light and uneven. A spot-on appearance for the style, but little stands out. You have to bring a lot to the table rise to the top of this style, and there's just nothing unique or special here.

Sm: Dark malts, caramel, peat, cream, the lightest hint of weak coffee (lacking roast or anything of interest), vague light molasses, chocolate malt, and the lightest hint of roasted malt. Nowhere near enough roast. The chocolate and coffee aren't at all evocative; there's no depth here. Not very impressed with the malts either. No hop aromatics are detectable, nor is any yeast character or alcohol. An average strength aroma for the style, and rather muted. Not bold or confident; very timid - not a good trait for an imperial stout. It's not horribly inviting as a result. No overt flaws, though.

T: A pretty run-of-the-mill dark malt build with some light smoked malt and chocolate malt. Coffee presence is minimal. Overly bitter. Lacks roast, a key flaw. Light peaty bitterness on the climax isn't at all satisfying. No yeast character, hop character, or alcohol comes through. Oats seem strangely out of place here. Caramel. It's quite a malt bomb all around, with none of the good aspects of a solid imperial stout. Very underwhelming. Timid. Badly balanced - in particular that naked grainy bitternes. Touches of molasses don't do this any favors. Badly built and constructed. Not a fan of this one.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Too slick for the style, which requires more body, coarseness, and dryness. Oats lend it a strange smoothness and almost acrid astringency. Too thick for its lack of flavour depth and/or diversity. Decent carbonation. Below average execution for the style. Doesn't suit the flavour profile well. Chewy and grainy.

Dr: A very subpar effort from Green Flash. One of the more underwhelming imperial stouts I've had in awhile. Almost everything good that I look for in beers of this style is not present here. I wouldn't get this again and I wouldn't recommend it. Really disappointed in this one. Somewhat drinkable but very underwhelming. Hides its ABV decently.

Low C+

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 05:50:53 | More by kojevergas

da_beers

Vermont

3.95/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured a beautiful black, with a tan head of almost two fingers. Decent lacing.

S - Chocolates, espresso, sweet malts all hit right away. Some roasted scents from the malts as well. Has a bite to it on the nose, but also a sweetness from the malts - I dig the smell.

T - Has a nice bite at the front from the hops, then evens with a smooth warmness, followed at the end with the espresso. Roasted/smokey chocolate notes dance around the palate as well.

M - Not as full bodied as some stouts I've had, but has a nice smoothness and warming qualities.

O - Overall decent stout, definitely not Green Flashes best brew, but not bad at all. Worth a try and I overall enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 01:27:10 | More by da_beers

MtOrion

Nebraska

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-15-2013 19:38:49 | More by MtOrion

OregonGrown7

Nebraska

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-15-2013 19:36:41 | More by OregonGrown7

Zbeetleman

California

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-15-2013 03:22:41 | More by Zbeetleman

jkball01

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -27.5%

05-13-2013 16:36:45 | More by jkball01

snaotheus

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle poured into a big snifter. Bottle says "02/05/13" on it, but it's not clear to me if that's a best by, sell by, or bottled on date. Tasting it at home on 12 May 2013.

Pours black with a light tan head, fair amount of carbonation. Basically opaque. Smell is rich and roasty, a little bit of coffee. I get something slightly nutty out of it.

Taste is coffee, sweetness, more of that roastiness. Not sure I can describe what I like about it, but I do like it.

Mouthfeel is rich and creamy. Overall, this is a very nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 20:28:11 | More by snaotheus

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Pours an oily black with a beautifully creamy, chocolate-coloured head. The head doesn't have the retention I expected from its density, but results in decent lacing and still a very good looking beer.

Aroma of roasted chocolate and dark malts has smoky barrel undertones. Although it's got great depth, slightly more subtle than I expected. Phenomenal flavour at all levels, from an initial milky sweetness to a coffee bitterness in the finish, this truly offers all the best of roasted dark malts. Well balanced but complex - a perfect sipping beer. Mouthfeel is like velvet, with the expected creamy residue and aftertaste. This finish lingers for an impressive length of time.

Another brilliant beer from San Diego.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 20:23:01 | More by hopsolutely

Kubrickx

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

05-12-2013 18:10:28 | More by Kubrickx

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-12-2013 16:54:27 | More by mikeburd1128

havoc1

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

05-12-2013 06:41:18 | More by havoc1

ToddHolder

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-11-2013 01:24:56 | More by ToddHolder

TheBadger0289

New Zealand (Aotearoa)

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-11-2013 01:18:19 | More by TheBadger0289

tbryan5

Louisiana

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-10-2013 23:53:45 | More by tbryan5

SoCalBeerIdiot

California

4/5  rDev -3.4%

05-10-2013 18:29:07 | More by SoCalBeerIdiot