Rayon Vert - Green Flash Brewing Co.

WesWes

New York

4.2/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a dark golden/amber color with a towering white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great! It has a light and refreshing pale and Carapils malt scent along with a mild hop nose and a wonderful yeast aroma. The yeast dominates the nose and provides a multitude of complexity. It has an earthy farmhouse feel with hints of black pepper and horse hair funk. The taste is good. It has a crisp, pale malt flavor with a touch of hop bitterness. It goes down smooth with no sign of an elevated alcohol content. It finishes dry and funky with tons of yeast character. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a low bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a solid beer with excellent yeast character. It's complex, yet incredibly easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 20:58:24 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle gifted by Thorpe, thanks buddy. Served in a Russian River goblet. Beer is yellow with a haze, big white head, nice carbonation, some retention but low lacing, looks good.

Aroma is strong Brett character, minor hop and malt contributions.

Beer is light and airy on the palate, heavily carbonated, strong beer overall, I like the finish, not too dry, yeast dominates the palate overall, a very strong funky beer. Decent I'd have it again. Much better than Treasure chest.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 18:43:10 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a golden-orange color with a white head. The aroma is very nice. I get a ton of brett, as well as some nice leather notes. Hidden in the background are some spice and orange citrus notes.

The flavor is more of the same. What stands out the most is the brett and orange notes, but there is also quite a bit of leather and white pepper mixed in. The beer is very dry.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Very, very nice.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 03:37:16 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

4.54/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured out a hazy, bronze color with a three finger, tan head of long-lasting, bubbly foam. It left sticky patches of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled funky with phenolic notes. It had some yeasty notes with caramel sweetness.

T - Very phenolic flavor with funkiness and spicy hop bitterness. Good sweet caramel backbone.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry, clean finish.

O - This is fantastic. It's my favorite beer of the year so far.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 00:57:53 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is hazy yellowish orange in color and has a moderate to high amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a two finger high white head that reached all the way to the top of the snifter glass. The head slowly died down but consistently left a thin head covering the surface along with lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of Belgian yeast in the nose along with notes of sourness.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has flavors of Belgian yeast, pale malts and a light amount of bitterness. A light to moderate amount of sourness is also present and persists through the finish.
M: It feels a bit shy of medium-bodied and relatively dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is a really pleasant beer to sip and savor and the addition of brett really makes the taste very interesting. No traces of alcohol are noticeable in the taste. I would definitely have this beer again and would even consider getting a large bomber or two to age.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 02:22:47 | More by metter98

MasterSki

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to thetomG for the share. Served in a FFF/Intelligentsia snifter.

A - A big white foam that settles to a thin collar, leaving behind minimal lacework. Hazy peach juice body with a hint of transparency to it.

S - Big earthy and dirty brett, citrus and tropical fruit hops, somewhat musty with a bit of plastic and playdough, some yeasty bread.

T - Pretty similar, with tropical fruit hops, pale malt sweetness, and some musty, medicinal brett. A bit of dirty funk and plastic - don't care for the house brett strain much.

M - Medium-bodied, lower carbonation, chewy and sticky texture, and a slightly dry finish.

D - Reminded me a lot of Green Flash Treasure Chest. It's fairly easy to drink, but the house brett strain produces some flavors I don't enjoy - too medicinal, with more plastic and band-aid than I like.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 14:55:47 | More by MasterSki

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.38/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Incredibly well carbonated, a steady pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip produces a four-finger thick, pale tan colored head, that only slowly subsides and leaves a substantial, structural mesa as it does so. The beer is a darkish amber color that shows some haze and a bright orange-amber hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of citrus zest and phenolic, Brettanomyces signature funk, both of which are backed by a solid, supporting grain / malt character. More specifically notes of Curacoa orange zest, touches of tangelo, with an ample, slightly plastic like, musty, not quite sharp, funkiness and a grain character that reminds me of crackers with just a hint of caramel malt. The citrus laden, American hop character is quite nice here and definitely works quite well with the Brett character.

Aggressively carbonated and quite effervescent, my first sip has a biting bitterness and a sort of tartness that is accentuated by the citrusy hop character. The beer has a fairly light body, with almost no viscous heft, though it doesn’t come off as being watery. The citrus hop character provides flavors of tangelo zest, touches of ruby-red-grapefruit and even a citrus like pine needle character. The finish is quite dry with a pale cracker like grain character as well as a touch of nutty, toasted malt character; the dryness is also accentuated by a phenolic, sort of funky, slightly musty and even slightly musky Brettanomyces character that is also found in the finish. The bitterness from the hops combines with the phenolic, sort of plastic like character to provide even more sharpness to this beer.

One can’t help but compare this to Orval type beers, this is far, far better than the latest incarnations of Matilda (the last really good batch I had was 2005), and even gives Orval a run for its money (though I wouldn’t put this on that level quite yet). I can’t wait to see how these age, but I wonder that the Brettanomyces character is already so pronounced; this can’t be that old yet, and the Brett is extremely noticeable already, young Orval is barely kissed by the Brett, so I will be curious to see how these age. My one worry is that the plastic character from the Brett will get a bit out of control as the beer ages. Visually this beer is about perfect, from memory it seems a touch darker than Orval, but I could be wrong, and the extensive, long lasting head is quite impressive. This beer sets itself apart from Orval in its use of expressive, fruity and citrus laden American hops; as a sucker for many an American hop, I can’t help but love this beer more for that.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 02:47:42 | More by Gueuzedude

russpowell

Oklahoma

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a super effervescent amber with 4+ fingers of cream colored head. Stays hazy, good head retention & lacing

S: Slight funk, that builds as it warms, some green apple

T: Follows the nose, a touch breadyness & caramel, some green apple skin up front. A bit of caramel sweetness mingles with pear & green apples as this warms, along with dryness & a touch of grapefruit hops. Finishes fruitty & funky with sme fairly assertive grapefruit, almost pulled a 4.5

MF: Medium bodied, fairly firm carbonation

Very true to the style, nice bit of funk in this. This got better as this warmed, may have to revisit this

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 02:28:04 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

4.48/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle, I finally found this on the shelves in the Southland,

A: Pours a gorgeous burnt orange into an Orval chalice, with a pillowy full white head, leaving very good lacing, great head retention.

S: Great yeasty nose, tangerine and lemon peel with white pepper.

T: White pepper and citrus peel, lots of yeast character, some bitter melon hop flavour as well. On the hoppy end for its style, but very well balanced.

M: Medium-bodied, frothy carbonation, nice long aftertaste, soft feel.

O: This is fantastic beer as I've certainly come to expect from Green Flash. Really like America meets a Dupont/Orval collab, very well done. I liked this a lot. At $9/4-pack it's a true steal this day and age. I've seen a ton worse for $10+/750 mL that's for sure. This is just really good beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 05:55:48 | More by Halcyondays

emerge077

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bright and deeply saturated orange color, compact and creamy head of foam. Some rising carb trails visible, flecks of spotty lace inside the tulip glass. Bright clarity without pouring the yeast dregs.

Brett aroma right off the bat, fruity dried pineapple, fresh herbs, and the appropriate mustiness of old books.

Tangy, dry, and effervescent. Lingering bitter root earthiness and dry herbal bitterness. Smooth with some wet hay and dried wildflower notes. Brett complexity is big, but the wildness is reigned in. Orval-esque. Everything is pretty nicely balanced here. Cellaring this would likely bring out the funkier side of the wild yeast. A nice introductory Brett beer that i'll definitely drink more of.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 01:58:40 | More by emerge077

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz quasi-stubbie single bottle. Pretty stoked about this brewer's wares finally being available in Alberta.

This beer pours a slightly hazy medium golden amber hue, with a tower of fluffy, tight foamy white head, which leaves some crooked chain-link fence lace around the glass as it agreeably sinks away.

It smells of sharply bitter grapefruit and lime rind, equally pungent earthy, musty farmhouse yeast, an evolving pear/apple fruitiness, some understated pale grainy malt, and a further spicy, leafy hoppiness. The taste is more of the same hefty Belgian yeast and pale malt, married shot-gun style to a west coast hop full frontal - bitter fruits from across the grocery store display, skulking funky yeast, a twinge of green pepper, some tame indeterminate spiciness, and underappreciated, but still plucky, earthy, leafy hops. No real sign of the elevated ABV, another cribbed Belgian specialty.

The bubbles are understandably more than a bit frothy and sassy - there must be some bottle refermentation going on here - the body a not too shabby medium weight, and smooth enough for all the carbonated play. It finishes a bit off-dry, mostly beholden to the semi-sweet pale malt, softly neutered citrus notes, and lingering earthy yeast.

San Diego swagger meets Senne Valley heritage, with predictable results - both hold up quite well, and I would proffer that the Belgian influence wins out in the end, keeping this offering from edging too close to IPA territory, Belgian or otherwise. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 03:42:59 | More by biboergosum

tempest

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Oh I should have bought more. This tastes like not fresh, but somewhat young Orval for the creeping Brett character. Right now it provides a gentle tang and is beginning to roll over the mild caramel malt taste and Belgian spice. I mean it's clearly a Brett beer. There's the trademark horsey farmhouse funk, but it hasn't overun the ale yet. Very cool beer. Admirably balanced for an American craft brewer, I've had too many failed attempts at sours by domestic breweries. I don't think this beer is at it's most complex yet, but still check it out, this is a very cool beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 03:06:22 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Slghtly hazed copper orange body with a bright white head forming thick and billowing above the rim of my chalice. Fine speckled lacing left behind in the glass. Aroma has a bright lemon/citrus nose with some wild barnyard floral notes as well, amplified compared to some other Belgian pale ales. The brett is really kicking in this beer, especially in the flavor with a bitter layer of earthiness, perfume, lemon zest, horse blanket, barnyard funk. Really unrlenting with the brett, either you dig this or you don't but this is heavy on it. Usually brett flavors tend to develop with age this one seems to have had some time in the bottle already to develop those wild yeast flavors. Mouthfeel is a bit rough with some moderate bitterness, noticeable alcohol, and unrelenting brettanomyces guided phenolics. Carbonation is effervescent much like an Orval with a medium body they really nailed the texture of the mother of all BPAs. Overall this beer lacks the finesse and diversity that Orval has but makes up for in true American style, with aggressive citric hops and noticeable alcohol flavors. Decent but I'm not sold on all of this brett.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 02:38:13 | More by WVbeergeek

Billolick

New York

4.3/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle, w/o freshness indication.

Pours clouded medium apricot tinged amber, nice puffy off white head, dissolves to a fine film and leaves espectable spotty lace.

Nose is full of basil, pepper and Belgian yeasty fumes.

Flavorful and full of intrigue. More fresh basil, some barnyard, more pepper, light leather, layers of Brett charged phenolics and musty/funkyness, add a hint of smoke, a slight bite of ginned up alcohol, and some near dank hoppyness...yeah complex and tasty.

Nice Belgian inspired, San Diegoacized brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 01:48:17 | More by Billolick

mdfb79

New York

3.95/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Received 2 bottles of this as extras from Nugganooch; thanks Dane! 12 oz. bottle poured into my Gulden Draak Belga Café tulip.

a - Pours a murky yellow orange color with three fingers of fluffy white head and moderate carbonation evident. Head lasts for several minutes and leaves a lot of spotty lacing on the glass.

s - Smells of pepper, spices, Belgian yeast, apples, fruity malts, brett, and some earthy notes. Pretty nice Belgian characteristics, not a lot of hops.

t - Tastes of brett, spices, Belgian yeast, fruity malts, citrus hops, pepper, floral hops and earthy notes. Again, some nice Belgian qualities going on, but more citrus and fruity in the taste, and a ton more brett. Really nice, and a step up from the nose.

m - Medium body and low to moderate carbonation. Super smooth and creamy, and very easy to drink.

o - Overall I've never seen or heard of this beer, but liked it quite a bit. I thought the body was great and the taste was really nice, with a good mix of brett, citrus, and fruit. Glad to have another bottle of it.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 00:41:57 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Crazy carbonation yields a huge 4 finger head that leaves about 1/3 of the beer in the bottle still even with careful pour, and the etch at the bottom keeps refueling it and the head billows up with a big fluffy top that grows to at least 1 finger over the top of the glass but never collapses, and the beer itself is crystal clear golden tan orange-ish color.

Nose erupts from the bottle as soon as I pop it, nice Belgian yeast strains, both a light Belgian pale like yeast and plenty of farmhouse saison or almost tripel like yeast aroma, a dry rustic estery like yeast, that almost gets wild funky. Nice light citrus fruit, lemon grass, light floral citrus and grassy hops. Then light belgian fluffy golden malts. The more I nose this the more I think there is Brett or wild yeast in it. It's quite effervescent.

Taste starts with more Belgian flavors, a nice Belgian golden malt, with a hint of sweetness, and almost creamy fluffy feel. Then hops, a nice floral hint citrusy like hop flavor, with a touch of bitterness, and nice lemongrass, orange zest, hint of tropical fruit. Then the yeast kicks in again, not quite the funk the nose had, but plenty of Belgian alright. A nice Belgian golden like yeast blended with some more saison farmhouse rustic flavors, light spices, a light estery saison like rustic funk, bits of seed like coriander spice and a slight bitter rind and earthy seed spice. Fluffy feel and tons of carb help to refresh the palate constantly and keep it drinkable as just a hint of booze and decent bitter bite want to kick in but never come. Finish gets a bit more bitter as it dries quite a bit, clean finish with all the bubbles, some more spicy and bit floral hops, citrus and orange peel, and a bit of a Belgian saison like yeast funk.

Mouth is med bodied, tooons of carb.

Overall pretty good, I'm def impressed with the special belgian funky beers I've tried from Green Flash so far. Nice combination of great hops, light golden malts, and Belgian funky yeast combinations that blend really well and don't overpower in any category. Still very drinkable despite the big heavy yeast, hops that want to get heavy and never do, and the 7% abv. I could drink plenty of this.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 23:33:44 | More by jlindros

Zorro

California

3.3/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Chill hazed amber with a tall fluffy white head.

Smells spicy and soapy with a mainly herbal scent and a fair dose of coriander. A little malt sweetness of the honeysuckle type.

Starts out sweet and spicy in the mouth. Low level of bitterness and a grassy hop flavor. This is a basic mild BPA but there is nothing really outstanding in the taste.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall this is mild and pleasing beer but not an outstanding one.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 01:35:07 | More by Zorro

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Pours a clear copper, with a couple fingers of billowy bright-white head. This retains with a ¾ finger cap of rich froth that leaves back heavy swathes of sticky lacing down the sides of the glass. The aroma smells fresh with grass, pine, and citrus, which is undercut by bold Belgian yeast spiciness. Sweet grains and more of a tropical fruit character (orange is really sticking out to me) add a bit of a firm stickiness along the back of the nose.

The taste is sweet up front with doughy grains and more orange citrus flavor, while bitter grapefruit, pine, herbal notes, and peppery spice move out across the back of the profile. I like the spice here, as it’s more integrated than what it was in the nose plus it nicely compliments the more assertive aspects of those hops. The finish is quite dry with a moderately assertive mix of resins, spice, and pith. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a slick and creamy feel on the edges while that bitterness firms up on the tongue with some light sharpness. Overall though, this mostly has a smooth and bubbly feel to it in the mouth with some minimal warmth on the finish.

I’ve had quite a few American takes on the Belgian Pale Ale style but this was probably the juiciest version that I’ve had yet, as I don’t really think that I gave those citrusy hops enough credit here in this review. The spiciness here wasn’t overdone either and helped add an extra zippy layer of attitude to this. Well done Green Flash. This is one that I will be returning to.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 14:15:31 | More by Kegatron

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark golden orange color with a one finger off white head that quickly fades into a thin ring.  Streaks of soapy lacing left behind.

Musty, funky aroma with lots of earthy Brett and funky yeast along with some zesty spice and light fruit. Hints of pepper and clove along with some pear, alcohol and more Brett.

Medium bodied with a slight creamy texture, zesty spicy musty, dry Brett and light fruit.  Pretty complex with dry funk that lingers throughout over hints of pepper, clove, apple, pear, bread and alcohol sweetness. The musty brett is dominant but really well integrated into the flavor of the base.  Complex but well balanced and extremely drinakble.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 23:01:53 | More by corby112

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.3/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle served to @tobeerornottobe from Slowbeer in Melbourne.

Pours a hazed, but not particularly cloudy golden orange hue, with a monumental, almost ridiculous head of frothy white, that forms a solid 3/4 of the top of the glass. It collapses as it should, but it's just a little frustrating when it forms.

Nose is a really pleasant round Belgian note spliced with some crisp American hop fragrance. Lemon and a touch of crisp vegetative pine come through, but it's mostly based around that smooth, light and believable Belgian fragrance. It's a nice amalgam, nicely done.

Taste is very light, and really quite Belgian in inspiration. The palate is flat and empty, just allowing the spicy, peppery notes from the yeast to come through, and get accentuated by the yeast, which gives it a slightly green vegetative note. Really the malt lets it down a little—to be fair, it needs some basis, and this has none. As good as the Belgian spice is, it has so little to back it up that it lacks all the complexity that makes good Belgians, well... good.

It's clean and crisp, but really, it does a poor job of the style, and even on its own terms it feels empty and pointless. No, not a great brew, overall.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 10:45:06 | More by lacqueredmouse

DoubleJ

California

4.06/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Uhhh...ehhh....uhhhh....I have no intro, just on to the beer:

Even once the crown is cracked, the beer barely stays inside the bottle. Pour it into a chalice, and get a very heady brew, which is burnt orange. With a head which retains as well as this and being a Belgian Pale Ale, the color fits. The aroma has some surprising dry hopping and some Belgian joy. Super fresh grass clipping with barnyard accents...a bit tart? This is a very fun nose.

It's acidic, it's dry, and it's pleasing. Slight sweet at the beigining like a pear, it turns acidic and then comes a blanket of bitterness. A little horse blanket creep into the profile, as does dry grass. As this is happening, it's medium body and bubbly mouthfeel makes the profile more groovy; it feels Belgian.

The taste may not be 100% agreeable with me, but everything else is. Well done Green Flash.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 05:46:18 | More by DoubleJ

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Translucent tarnished orange shows a strong display of effervesce. The head builds nicely on this, evident of a Belgian yeast strain that dominates the vessel. Soft cream coloring with a porous foamy content is a good 3 fingers high with a good rate of stay and a very good coverage.

S: Barnyard funk, hay and some horse blanket are first to get noticed from the strong brettanomyces presence. Wet aging barn wood. The yeast is dominant, the hops not so much, musky greenery.

T: Barnyard funk again, strong and musky tones of hay and horse blanket from the yeast. Musky grains, sour citrus and lemon with an earthy musky greenery. Touches of malt sweetness interlude.

M: fairly crisp upfront, frothy on the hold with a slippery texture and mid-range body. Sour musky fade. The brettanomyces yeast truly stands out and may not be for the faint of heart but overshadows what little hoppiness it has. Lots of barnyard funk and love the strong Belgian yeast, an aspect many American breweries tend to shy away from, this embraces it and doesn’t hold back. Youll either love it because of the yeast or be turned off.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 23:35:12 | More by beerthulhu

HopHead84

California

4.18/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12/23/2011

On tap at Green Flash. Juxtaposed alongside Treasure Chest. Thanks, Dave!

A: Dark orange with a large pillowy white head. Retention is good and there are sheets of lacing all over the glass.

S: Lightly peppery with pear and apple. I get big earthy notes with some leathery Brett. Herbal and floral notes are evident.

T: Apple up front with an insistent Brett presence that imparts light leather and earth notes. There's a dash of band-aid and a light bitterness that accompanies pear. Peppery phenols are evident in the finish.

M: Lower medium body with high carbonation.

Overall: A very nice Brett Pale Ale. Certainly better than Treasure Chest. It lacks some of the harshness and astringency of the aforementioned beer (though those notes have mostly faded in Treasure Cheat). A great addition to the brewery's year round portfolio.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2011 17:22:17 | More by HopHead84

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Rayon Vert could be used as a fourth-grade science experiment; a volcanic-like gush of white froth spills up and over the glass while nimble bubbles oscillate like jelly fish. The froth, which looks something akin to an abominable snowman, pulsates up and down. I'll need a straw if I ever hope to get to the orange-gold liquid...

A lot of mean things are said about Brettanomyces. It's been called all kinds of mean names - "horse blanket", "sweaty saddle", "stinky cheese" - but that's mostly by winemakers; brewers appreciate the rogue yeast, which, indeed, does contribute a lot of "funky" flavours and aromas (which at times may bear some resemblance to a horse stable).

In this case, the wild yeast has added a galaxy of complexity to the beer, making it seem as though it had gained a distinct "aged" character, possibly by being aged in wood. Lo and behold, however, it's a fresh (and un-oaked) offering. The 'fresh' factor is appreciated by the glistening, budding, vividly leafy essence of its hoppiness.

All that vinous hoppiness is not without a sharp trace of citrus and a breezy pungency. The malts taste strongly honeyed and meld wonderfully with the tart orchard fruit flavours of the yeast. Considering the scene it caused earlier, the carbonation is surprisingly tamed, as the flavours are allowed to docilely sit on the tongue for some time.

There is a striking likeness to Orval that is impossible not to mention. By the look (and smell and taste) of things, one would guess the two brothers (or first cousins at least). Although I'm not ready to grant it the same holy status, Rayon Vert drinks with near equal delight and, perhaps, comes across even more so perfumed (probably owing to the hops).

Green Flash has spun gold with Rayon Vert. It is a simple yet shape shifting beer that offers a balance between delicacy and density. I wish to have been able to buy more bottles to track the changes this beer is sure to undergo with time, although I am mightily satisfied having tried it fresh. And I'd be mighty excited to try it again!

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 00:52:43 | More by biegaman

kojevergas

California

2.78/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a De Molen beer stemflute in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Expectations are above average; this brewery has impressed me in the past. Served refrigerator cold.

A: Pours a two finger head of decent cream, good thickness, and great retention - especially considering the above average ABV. Colour is a nontransparent murky copper. Not unique nor special, but generally appealing.

Sm: A moderately strong aroma of unexpected brett funkiness, sourness, wild yeast, and vague light hints of citrus esters. Very unexpected and interesting for a pale ale. I really didn't see that coming at all. I'm intrigued.

T: The funkiness is tonal and light, but unmistakably present, reaching its naked apex in the finish. It's yeasty without feeling sedimentary. In fact, yeast may be its main note alongside the vague malts and buried hints of citrus. Atypical and interesting for the style, but also simple and boring - even a bit bland. Bring out the funkiness or the malts. The flavours are muted rather than subtle - to its detriment (and my chagrin). No alcohol comes through.

Mf: Smooth and wet, with some cream on the finish. Not too thick or too thin per se, but it never feels quite right. It should be a bit lighter on the palate.

Dr: Drinkable but unremarkable. This boring pale ale from Green Flash intrigues with its funkiness, but quickly grows tired when it offers little else.

C

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 02:18:57 | More by kojevergas