Silva Stout - Green Flash Brewing Co.

HopHead84

California

4.6/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

11/19/10

After enjoying nearly half a case of this since the release on 10/01/10, I figured it was high time to review this lovely drink.

A: The pour into the snifter was neither hard nor soft, but two fingers of frothy umber beauty rose up from the black depths to meet my eyes. I'd say the color is black, or near enough as makes no mattter. Retention is good.

S: Aroma is of a bourbon infused chocolate chip sugar cookie, if such a thing existed. An exquisite blend of brown sugar, dark chocolate, oak, bourbon, vanilla, and light alcohol notes. Roasted malt is restrained.

F: The taste displays a lower moderate sweetness with strong chocolate and bourbon notes. Roasted malt is mellow, and I get a whisper of coffee, it's barely noticeable. The alcohol presence is ideal for me, mellow, yet possessing a pleasant level of booze heat for such a barrel aged beverage. The interplay between bourbon and chocolate is very nice. The finish is drying, with a light alcohol heat, and lingering chocolate bourbon.

M: The mouthfeel is creamy with a nice upper moderate level of carbonation and some alcohol warming. There's a subtle tannic quality that's coupled with a drying oak character. I also detect a mild astringency in the finish. Great mouthfeel.

Overall: I don't know how this beer will age, and I don't see any reason to keep it around long enough to find out. The beer is mellow and has a great blend of all flavors and aromas, and I wouldn't want any one to fade or become more pronounced. I'll go out on a limb and say this can't get better. I didn't consider it capable of improving upon the release, and no taste since then has swayed me. Drink up! A 12oz bottle of a high quality and quite delicious bourbon barrel aged stout for $80 a 24 bottle case? That's unheard of in the beer world, and near fantasy in Southern California where you don't find these in a vessel smaller than a bomber, and most often they're resting in a 750ml bottle. This is a great thing, Green Flash, at a great price, please make this a yearly release. A beer of this quality at this price being available at the brewery for weeks seems too good to be true around here.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2010 03:17:23 | More by HopHead84

waltonc

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to OtakuAle for throwing in this extra. Pours like coca cola with creamy lacing. Nice bourbon barrel aroma with lots of milk chocolate, vanilla and brown sugar. Somewhat sweet but not cloying. Not a great deal of molasses or soy in comparison to some stouts. Nor is there a big hop profile (thankfully). Body is medium with a creamy, medium/high carbonation level. Overall, quite a tasty barrel aged stout. Reminds me of Odell bourbon barrel stout with the slightly thinner body than many big stouts. I'd take a Goose Island BCS over silva stout, but still quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2010 03:07:34 | More by waltonc

vacax

California

4.58/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Fancy new Green Flash twelve ounce bottle poured into a tulip glass. Pours black with dark brown edges, less than a finger of tan head that dissipates fairly quickly, resulting in a thin ring which actually does leave some lacing as I partake in this beverage. Aroma of Cabernet grapes, bourbon, candylike malts buttery oak, maple, and paper mill. Tastes of bourbon, rich chocolatey malts, caramel, and port-like vinous qualities on the midpalate. Moderate bitterness and rich cookie malts on the finish with some dry port and herbaceous reminders. Rich body and light combination make this silky on the palate resulting in a very easy to drink beer, perhaps outrageously so for something ripe with bourbon and over ten percent. Good base beer here made exponentially better through barrel aging and an excellent hand in blending.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2010 02:59:02 | More by vacax

WeisGuy

New York

4.03/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle shared by sarro - thanks, Kyle!

Pours jet black with a two-finger, dark mocha head. Head retention is really good, as is lacing. The smell is a nice mix of toasty oak, dark chocolate, charred malt and bourbon heat. The taste is much the same with a nice balance of charred malt and dark chocolate mixing with the oak barrel and bourbon components. I think GFB made a good choice by blending -bal aged Double Stout with freshly brewed, as it results in a more balanced flavor that isn't dominated by bourbon -bal flavors, and the base beer is still distinguishable. The mouthfeel is full-bodied with moderate carbonation and a substantial alcohol warming effect. A bit more drinkable than many -bal aged stouts, but splitting the 12 oz bottle two ways was a good serving size. Kudos to GFB for bottling this in 12 oz bottles rather than bombers. It may be heresy, but I actually like the regular Double Stout a bit better. That said this is a very good -bal stout well worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2010 14:26:17 | More by WeisGuy

ShadesOfGray

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle sent as extra via trade from codewarrior...thanks bro! Really looking forward to this one! Poured from a short necked 12oz bottle into my Portsmouth tulip/snifter glass. Pours a wonderful pitch black, semi-thick...and presents a great looking brown creamy head, about a finger in height. Lacing is light and speratic. A great looking stout!

Aroma is also great! Smells just like you'd expect. Coffee, chocolate, booze(bourbon), and malts. Slightly charred and smokey.

Very nice! Smooth, creamy, low carbonation, medium booze, semi-thick body, bitter-sweet...closer to sweet. Chocolate, roasted coffee beans, bourbon, vanilla, malts. Flavor has a mild burnt taste, but only adds a nice characteristic! Very, very tasty. And drinkability doesn't even lack based on the style and everything going on. Very glad I got the chance to try this!

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2010 02:39:08 | More by ShadesOfGray

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.47/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter.

Pours a dark chocolate brown, opaque and viscous. Light carbonation produces a thin mocha head with some legs and fades to a thin crown. Aroma is my favorite part of this beer; rich bourbon, vanilla, oak, cookie dough, etc. Balance and subtlety of the aroma is remarkable. Flavor is complex balance of chocolate, vanilla, oak, bourbon, and mild dark fruit. Blending of the fresh stout with the barrel aged component takes most of the sharpness off the finish. Only drawback is the slightly thin body with light carbonation. Otherwise this is an incredible stout from Green Flash.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 22:31:32 | More by yourefragile

vince4953529

California

4.18/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Impulsively I drove down to Green Flash brewery on a Friday afternoon to procure the Silva Stout. This resulted in a four-pack in my fridge that night.

Color was black when poured into my Stone IRS glass, and smelled of bourbon and vanilla ensued. Tasted like the smell, plus a bit of burnt tasted. Not as thick as I thought it would be, perhaps I've served it a bit too cold.

Very drinkable for its heavy abv. Plus it's relatively affordable compared to the outrageous price we've seen lately and its limited release.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 20:04:30 | More by vince4953529

kingcrowing

Vermont

4.58/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into a Duvel tulip.

This thing is badass, it's black, it's oily, its evil. The head is as dark as milk chocolate, it's fine and thick and creamy. It starts to fade down a bit but the lacing stays - just reminding you of how dark and huge it was. Nose is bourbon, it's chocolate, it's coffe grounds and booze - it's all business here.

This is devilishly good, it's rich and delicious, the bourbon is there and it's not hiding. There's this really rich chocolaty creaminess about it that's soothing and perfect for a cool night. I almost bought a bottle of bourbon tonight, but I'm having this instead and it was a spectacular decision.

Mouthfeel is the only minor detractor, it's a bit light on the tongue, and the carbonation is a bit sharp and light, but mellows as it warms. This is a delicious brew worthy of any beer lover.

Huge thanks to stawn for hooking me up!

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 21:56:18 | More by kingcrowing

johndoe8

California

4.9/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is one of my all-time favorites.

Appearance is a jet black, light brown head, with decent lacing.
Smells of light bourbon with hints of vanilla and oak.
The taste is just a very very great blend of all the flavors. No particular note is overwhelming, which overall creates such a great experience.

Mouthfeel, Drinkability are amazing. The heat is masked very well, and the stout has a just-right finish that isn't too light nor too syrupy.

I drink this at least once a week :) So nice to live in driving distance of Green Flash.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 11:12:23 | More by johndoe8

rye726

Colorado

4.22/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Huge thanks to my friend Bill for the hook on this!

Pours near black with a nice tan head. Nose has oak, whiskey, vanilla, cocoa, roasty malts and hops. Taste is well balanced. Barrel aging is well done, not out of control. Medium to full body is nicely carbonated. Ready to drink now, but should age well.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2010 22:12:06 | More by rye726

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle courtesy of Freddie at Beverages4Less. Poured into a tulip and shared with bmanning, Amyliz4, and Heather.

Pours black with a light mocha head. There is quite a bit of legs going on here. Sticky legs and a bit of spotty lacing on the side of the glass. As Ben pointed out initially, the nose was quite a bit of chocolate chip cookie dough. It tasted like the batter had been mixed with some vanilla and bourbon. The bourbon character is really quite smooth. My guess is that they must have used a really high-quality bourbon and/or put this in the barrels for a long period of time.

Again, the taste brings some really high end bourbon notes with some vanilla, cookie dough, and light cream. There is just a tough of booze there as well. Really delicious. Tastes like it has definitely spent some time with the bourbon and reminds me of some of the 50/50 Imperial Eclipse. Absolutely fantastic beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2010 03:17:49 | More by Thorpe429

Reveille1984

California

4.55/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Green Flash this past weekend during SDBW.

a - Pours a very dark, dark brown with around an inch and a half of tan head.

s - Bourbon hits you first but not overpoweringly so, with hints of vanilla, oak, chocolate and roasted malt. Very complex smell with lots of different stuff going on as it warms.

t - The chocolate, bourbon and oak mix awesomely. The bourbon isn't overpowering for such a young beer and doesn't mute out the other flavors. Vanilla comes out more as it warms.

m - Medium to full body. Average amount of carbonation.

d - Good for a stout. Goes down smooth and is a touch hot as it warms up a bit, but is overall very drinkable and smooth for such a big beer. For a 10% I could drink this all day.

An exceptional brew overall, lives up to the hype quite well. On par with other top bourbon barrel-aged stouts for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2010 03:31:51 | More by Reveille1984

mdfb79

New York

4.5/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From 11/05/10 notes. Shared by ygtbsm94 at a small tasting; thanks Brad!

a - Pours a dark brown color with one inch of tan head and light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of bourbon, oak, vanilla, and roasted malts.

t - Tastes of vanilla, roasted malts, toffee, coffee, chocolate, bourbon, and oak. Wonderful taste.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation, and a touch hot.

d - I thought this was a great stout. I was really impressed with the smell and taste and thought they were both pretty complex. Would love to get more of.

Edit: Had 2 more glasses of this on tap on 12/21/10 at Hattle N Hum in NYC and it is an outstanding beer. I liked it from the bottle and it was even better than I remembered. Would love to have this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2010 00:14:31 | More by mdfb79

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.33/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Special thanks to Brad (aka. ygtbsm94) for bringing this brew to a monster tasting!

A: Pours pitch black, with a slight foamy off-white head, and carbonation not easily accessible to the naked eye due to the inkiness of the beer's color.

S: This is a bourbon bomb, with slight chocolate, and toasted pecan brittle aftertones.

T: Hmmmm... If I didn't know any better, I would say that this is a mini version of "Black Tuesday." I mean ... man .... it could be it's younger brother! Sweet, with bourbon aplently, and extremely dry on the finish.

M: The dryness eats away at the overall sweetness, keeping this from being too rich of a dessert.

T: I had a 2-3 oz. pour and that's all I needed. Great stuff!

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2010 16:47:41 | More by Chaney

injuredreserve

Louisiana

5/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Jet black with a thick chocolate head

S: Coffee, chocolate cherries and bourbon.

T: A lot going on here, and it lingers for some time which is nice. Get the bourbon, chocolate cherries, brown sugar, and it keeps going....

M: Medium bodied, could be a little thicker.

D: Perfect 12oz serving, and easy to drink..

My new favorite beer. All I could say after the first sip was "WOW", and that sums it up.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2010 10:45:51 | More by injuredreserve

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.68/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Infinite thanks to Shane (injuredreserve) for sharing this with me!

Pour is vicious black, with a finger and a half of chocolate head.

Aroma reeks of bourbon, alcohol, sweet cherries, sherry wine, and cocoa.

Jesus. I'll try and describe this, but I will likely fail: Sweet cherries, bourbon and sherry, booze, chocolate, bittersweet. This thing attacks and lingers, changing and evolving. Amazing.

Feel is good, full and velvety.

The flavors that this thing has is phenomenal. Drinkability is naturally great.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2010 01:42:46 | More by EgadBananas

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Extra, thanks Shane! Pours from a cute little root beer looking bottle with a thick, creamy mocha head. Nose is chocolate, vanilla, some light barrel, maybe a bit of fruity bourbon. Some lightly ashy elements as it opens up. Fairly sharp carbonation, thick body. Medium-bitter chocolate a nice vanilla backdrop, some hot bourbon on the finish. A bit of prune, anise come out. Pretty dang nice actually. Nicely balanced and pretty complex, though the bourbon finish can come across as being overly bitter. Fairly expressive yeast in here, reminds me of Sloth in that way, though not as glorious. This is really good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 23:51:38 | More by JAXSON

codewarrior

New York

4.5/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz From a 4-pack.

Picked this up in a trade with Smokepot23, and apologies again for the Bourbon Barrel Stout.

L: My cup overfloweth! Pitch black with copper tint, generous and eager 5 - 6 fingers of head. Rich and deep brown.

S: Malted hop sweetness up front, with a wall of bourbon behind. Well balanced, no depth charge here.

T: Starts with a huge sweet stoutitude, just as the bitter starts kicking in, the booze rises over it with bourbony sweetness. Both fade next to one-another into a long-finishing awesomeness.

F: Thick. Wonderful.

D: Well balanced and wonderfully drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 07:13:26 | More by codewarrior

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared by ygtbsm94. Thanks Brad!

A: Black body with a thick, beige head that generates a healthy dosage of lacing. Very nice appearance.

S: Roasted malt, followed by bourbon and chocolate.

T: I enjoyed this brew very much. I appreciated the fact that the beer retained a great deal of the roasted malt character, and was not overwhelmed by the bourbon barrel. Notes of chocolates add a nice touch of complexity to the beer that really round out the taste quite well.

M: The beer has a nice thick feel, and definitely feels like a 10% imperial stout. Well done. The beer finishes with a warming sensation, reminding me that this is one to sip and savor.

D: Another awesome imperial stout. I'm so glad to have tried it, as this beer is not in my market. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 01:12:15 | More by Huhzubendah

nickd717

California

4.3/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle thanks to largadeer.

Pours black with a two-finger tan head and good lacing. Perfect stout appearance more or less.

Great aroma, rich high-end chocolate bar, dark chocolate mostly, with molasses, roast, and hops.

The flavor is not amazing but very good and complex. Average sweetness. Chocolate is huge, and there's a slight coffee presence along with roastiness and alcohol. Some substantial hop bitterness in there, craploads of IBUs.

Smooth mouthfeel though despite the drying hop and roast attack. Medium body for the style.

Good RIS overall, and very drinkable for the style, -bal aging, and ABV.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 17:01:41 | More by nickd717

drabmuh

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a pretty good barrel aged stout. Picked this up at a beer store in California and promptly drank it. Beer is black with a thin brown head that leaves some lacing on the glass, carbonation is low. Looks good.

Beer smells like roast with hints of liquor, mostly roast and some sweetness.

Beer is medium bodied and leads off with some light sweetness and is followed up by some bourbon flavors. The bitterness in the back is managed well with some nice coffee notes and perhaps some chocolate bitterness. Overall its a good beer but could have been more bourbon forward.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2010 18:12:48 | More by drabmuh

thedindaniel

California

3.95/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Grabbed a four pack from the brewery with some friends and even got to try some on tap. This tastes much better from the bottle though, which is where this review comes in...

A - Pitch black, like motor oil or even paint. The head looks like chocolate milk and there is a great amount of lacing, head.

S - This is where the beers lacks the most. I got very little scent from this. It smells mostly like sweet malts and only a bit of the barrel comes through here.

T - Initial taste is of sweet malts and molasses, that start tasting almost like an earthy dark chocolate and the bourbon barrel is the lingering after taste that I really get here.

M - Might be the strong suit of the beer... great carbonation, present but not overly carbonated. Thick and creamy, while not syrupy thick. Drinks warm, perhaps hot to some, but I actually like that in my RIS's and bal-aged stouts.

D - This is a real sipper. Took me about an hour to drink the twelve ounces. Great beer, but not sure you can drink a lot of it in one sitting.

Highly recommend this beer. Didn't get much publicity but seek it out if you like the style, as it's a strong representation. Good job Green Flash! Hopefully this will be made again, as I would really look forward to getting more in the future.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2010 04:37:55 | More by thedindaniel

womencantsail

California

4.5/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Bobby for splitting a bottle of this with me.

A: The pour is thick and black with a dense brown head that sticks to the glass.

S: A rich chocolate aroma (almost like a chocolate milkshake) fills the nose along with some subtle cherry notes. Quite a bit of barrel, but the bourbon itself is more restrained. Some nice hints of vanilla as well.

T: More intense chocolatey goodness as you take the first sip. Really rich milk chocolate flavor along with some sweet vanilla. The oak is again present and the bourbon provides just a bit of warmth.

M: The body is medium to full and very smooth. The carbonation is subtle and provides for an excellent mouthfeel.

D: I was leery of this beer with all the initially high reviews, so I drank this beer with my skeptics hat on (and judgmental glass in hand). However, the more of it I drank, the more I realized that Green Flash has done another very solid job.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2010 22:59:36 | More by womencantsail

d0ggnate

California

4.83/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a rich brown/black to my glad with frothy mocha two finger head. There's plenty of lacing left down the glass after a few minutes.

Nose is of smooth bourbon and caramel. Hints of brown sugar and roasted coffee notes are noticeable. Taste continues with the smooth bourbon and caramel flavors, but very distinct vanilla bean flavors are unmistakable.

The mouthfeel is silky, creamy. Extremely drinkable, without even thinking about the ABV. I can't imagine this one getting better with age, but I have a few to open over time. Overall, this is another great beer from Green Flash and is drinking incredible from the release date.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2010 05:13:00 | More by d0ggnate

largadeer

California

4.72/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got a four pack of this from HopHead84. Thank you, Shane.

A well-carbonated imperial stout, Silva pours with a lasting finger of tan froth. The body is an impenetrable dark brown.

This smells outstanding, surprisingly so. It's largely comprised of cocoa powder, caramelized malt and light oxidation. Bourbon is noticeable but nicely integrated, neither subtle nor overwhelming.

Flavors of chocolate chip cookies and black licorice are accented by notes of bourbon, oak and mellow oxidation. This is barrel aging done to near perfection, it's remarkable how balanced this beer is. Full in body and fairly rich, but largely dry in the finish with a mild bite of licorice and burnt malt.

I'm not the biggest fan of Green Flash, but they did a great job with this beer, and I love that it comes in four packs. In fact, I can't think of another imperial stout from the West Coast that comes in 12 oz bottles that I like more.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2010 03:37:22 | More by largadeer