Green Flash Saison Diego - Green Flash Brewing Co.

metter98

New York

3.58/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is slightly hazy dark pale yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger and a half high white head that died down but never completely faded away.
S: There are light aromas of yeast and spices in the nose.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has flavors of yeast along with notes of ginger and lemon citrus. There are peppery spices in the finish.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and rather dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink and has some refreshing properties. The ginger makes this a little interesting compared to other saisons.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 02:04:09 | More by metter98

dgilks

Australia

3.58/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Clear straw colour. Small white head. Okay.

Light pilsner malt. Some tartness. Touches of coriander and lemon. Almost a little soapy. Very nice.

A lightly malt base that just supports the citrus and spice on the palate. This is so light that the yeast and spices are everything. Nice.

Light body with moderate carbonation. Crisp and lovely.

A refreshing beer. Crisp, tart, spicy and easy drinking. I like my Saisons a little stronger and intense but this isn't bad.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 04:33:38 | More by dgilks

vfgccp

New York

3.58/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Nice, towering white head which is what I'm looking for from the style. Ok retention and lace. Hazy wheat colored body.

S - Sweat wheat, lemon pound cake, honey, ginger. Surprisingly wit like.

T - Orange, light tartness, wheat, honey, coriander. Again, more wit like than saison, but not bad.

M - Bright, medium-light frame. Nice carbonation.

O - On whole the beer isn't bad, but it's way too sweet and wheaty for the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 05:06:51 | More by vfgccp

Monkeyknife

Missouri

3.56/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle a lightly hazed lemon yellow with two fingers of rocky white head. Some wet lacing left behind.

The aroma was lemon zest, light Belgian yeast, and sweet grainy notes.

The taste was more subtle than the aroma. A bit of green apple, light coriander and a touch of yeast were present. Flavor faded quickly.

Medium bodied and dry with a decent carbonation.

A decent Saison from Green Flash but nothing memorable this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 21:59:34 | More by Monkeyknife

BoatsSinkBro

3.55/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bomber.
-A hazy pale amber.
-Not much in terms of head.
-Aroma has crisp citrus corners with a heavy funky barnyard yeast body that displays some hints of muted banana.
-Taste starts with a slight sour pucker, then the carbonation pretty much takes over with notes of spice hitting the tongue during. The finish is tinged with some bitterness with some tart and a dry finish. Aftertaste has some malt and a yeasty funk.
-Overall mouthfeel is crisp and on the lighter side. Kind of wished the carbonation was brought down a little bit.

Had a few saisons before (haven't reviewed them, yet), this one isn't exactly as funky as the others, but a good one to cut through some meals with.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 02:41:29 | More by BoatsSinkBro

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.55/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

a very very light saison. it pours a washed out yellow color with a decent white head about an inch tall. its got an interesting nose, fruity like oranges and lemons, and also sort of smells like a sam adams summer ale, because of the grains of paradise. very similar. the yeast is more apparent in the flavor, which is quite delicate. there isnt much funk or wildness to this, but the fruit complexion makes it very drinkable. mouthfeel is nice i think, a real change of pace from some of the bigger saisons. this is super light in body, and brightly carbonated. a definite session beer. its also the first green flash beer ive had that isnt just a hop bomb wearing different clothes. i liked it for that reason as well.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 17:39:41 | More by StonedTrippin

prototypic

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Saison Diego pours a very light straw color. It’s nice and clear. Unusual for the style. Backlighting brightens it a little and gives it a little more of a gold look. It’s topped with a modest head. It’s white and stands about a finger in height. The bubbles are quite active though, and it holds firm there for quite a while. Lacing was rather thick and sticky. Looks good.

The nose is okay. It’s a little weak in the aromatics department. It does have a prominent earthy, grainy scent that resonates throughout. There are some light fruity notes. Smells like lemon and perhaps a little orange. It is a tad spicy smelling. Belgian yeast might be the contributor. Light clove and pepper are noted. I was expecting some hops, but I’m not getting much. Maybe some grassy variety. Alcohol is very light. Not getting much at all there. Smells alright.

The flavor is about on par with the nose. It’s very earthy and grainy initially and throughout. Belgian yeast does add a spicy note or two. Pepper and light clove mostly. It is a little fruity with a twist from grassy hops. Lemon and light orange fruit flavors are noted. Grassy hops are a nice addition. They’re light, but add a bit of a bitter bite. I honestly expected more in the hops department, but what’s here isn’t bad. Alcohol is buried. Finishes grainy, a little spicy, and grainy.

The body is definitely light. It’s not bad, but feels a bit too thin. Carbonation is active. It’s crisp and refreshing. Certainly easy drinking.

Saison Diego a little surprising. I expected a hopped-up Saison. It’s not that at all. It’s a light, mild mannered Saison that’s not bad. It’s nowhere near competing with the world’s best Saisons, but if you’re looking for a sessionable, pretty tasty Saison – this is a good option.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 02:49:51 | More by prototypic

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Green Flash Saison Diego

LOOK: Clear straw yellow, bone white crackling head, some lace.

SMELL: Aroma of horseblanket, white pepper, citrus hops, mild fruit notes.

TASTE: Bitter, with a light funk. Citrus hops, peppery Belgian yeast, did I say bitter? Small earthy dirty funk, pale malt backing, grapefruit rind. A light peppery spice can be attributed to the use of Grains of Paradise in the brewing process.

FEEL: Light to medium bodied, well carbonated. Semi dry with a hop bite.

OVERALL: A very nice earthy saison from Green Flash. I really like how the brewers are branching out into Belgian styles. A beer brewed with Brettynomces is in the lineup (Rayon Vert) and there is also a Belgian IPA Tripel (Le Freak).

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2012 16:46:19 | More by Stinkypuss

bigflatsbeerman

New York

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance - This is what a Saison should look like, golden and unfiltered. Poured into my Duvel glass a four finger billowy head which quickly dissipated.
Smell - I get a soewhat sweet smell. I do not pick up a funky yeast smell typical with Saisons.

Taste - Not sassertive enough taste for me. The first Saison I ever tasted was Ommegang's Hennepin which for me is still the benchmark Saison.

Mouthfeel - Light to medium.
Overall - I can't recommed this one, I kept wishing for a more assertive taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 01:27:45 | More by bigflatsbeerman

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tulip glass from a 22oz bottle.

Pours slightly hazy pale golden yellow. There is a huge 2 inch head that forms that is pretty dense and has some bigger chunkier bubbles mixed in. There is some nice sticky lacing felt behind after the head slowly recedes.

Grainy notes start things off with some nice lemony zest and slight citrus fruit notes. Some spice and some clove notes are perceived as well. The aroma is fresh and slightly fruity with a bit of dry funk.

Taste starts off with same grain notes as the nose. Refreshing spice and lemony notes. Light and refreshing with some slight sweet fruit notes. A bit of pear juice and apple juice with some nice grain and slightly dry funk notes. Mouthfeel is crisp and light.

Ok saison. Light and refreshing with solid flavors.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 17:50:21 | More by JoEBoBpr

jeffjeff1

California

3.48/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up at BevMo a while ago.

Appearance- pale yellow color, huge foamy head

Smell- bread, yeast, spices

Taste- lemon zest, spices, yeast, very refreshing

Mouthfeel- medium bodied

Drinkability- Pretty good, I would probably have it again.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 23:50:25 | More by jeffjeff1

Vec2267

Florida

3.48/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - pale yellow, murky, big frothy head at pour, falls quickly and then disappears completely

S - lemon, ginger, fruity

T - tart, lemons, grapes, ginger, pepper - a nice mix of flavors, yeasty spice dominates

M - the tartness makes it refreshing

O - easy drinking nice beer but nothing special

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 22:13:30 | More by Vec2267

robby23

Iowa

3.46/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Overall I thought that this had great texture goes down really smooth. The one thing i didn't like was the smell. Even though i like stouts and a bit more hopper beers. It would be a great beer to relax to on a nice summer or spring night. For being a Farmhouse Ale i thought it was a bit on the weaker end of the scale.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 00:36:08 | More by robby23

Murrhey

Montana

3.43/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured in a taster at Green Flash in San Diego, Calif. Reviewed from notes.

A- Half a finger, white head. Low retention. Sticky lacing, pale golden color. High clarity.

S- Sour and spicy, some sweet malts.

T- Sour and some brewing spices.

M- Chewy yet light. Weird feel.

O- Spicy little Belgian style.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2012 03:04:46 | More by Murrhey

mactrail

California

3.43/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Big foam-up in pouring, but leaves a nice whipped cream head in the narrow Crooked Line tulip. Cloudy amber golden color in the glass and spritzy on the tongue. Just a little lemony with a slight Belgian dryness.

Light bodied but with some marshmallowy foamy sensation that is quite a treat. The aroma is musty and yeasty. Maybe the lightest Saison I've had byt also one of the most drinkable. Another flavorful lower-alcohol brew and with 0.2 less ABV would be in the winner's circle in my Utah Supermarket Beer Sweepstakes. From the 22 oz bottle bought at Liticker's in Ocean Beach.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 06:54:09 | More by mactrail

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.4/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

12oz bottle served in a Tripel Karmeliet
Bottles: 3/04/13

A - Pours a hazy yellow with a fluffy white head.

S - Earthy wet hay, lemons, white pepper, wheat, coriander, clove

T - Follows the nose with dense and creamy wheat malts, white peppercorns, coriander, clove, hints of lemon, earthy hay, grassy hops, tart pear fruit, finishes semi-dry with coriander and clove on the aftertaste.

M - Moderate foamy carbonation but has a soft texture to it.

Kinda of a catch all style-wise. The malt is dense but the carbonation helps lighten it up. Peppery phenols and light hints of fruit. I would drink this again but wouldn't seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 01:01:54 | More by StaveHooks

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22oz bottle poured into a Duvel tulip.

A: Pours golden yellow with great clarity. Large rocky white head settles to a quarter of an inch eventually. sparse, spotty lacing.

S: Light musty scents, pilsner malts, a slightly bready scent (wheat?), distinct orange peel, yeasty aromas with pepper and spices, lemongrass, and ginger way in the background. Restrained hop scents are herbal and grassy. Good nose, it all melds together quite nicely.

T: Hit of clove on the attack. Grainy malt base follows. Yeasty tastes have a very slight funk. Ginger and orange peel butt in quickly and then vanish. Spicy Belgian yeast flavors are rather run of the mill. Hop bitterness balances delicately with slight green and oily tastes. Light peppery burn throughout. Musty yeast and pepper in the finish.

M: Light in body. Very creamy. Moderate carbonation. Very smooth and soft.

O: My initial fear going into this beer was that it would be too busy. The list of ingredients seemed a bit ambitious. To my surprise, I found it to be rather average and uninspiring despite the impressive queue of adjuncts. I expected this beer to be a success, or else fail fantastically in a blaze of glory. Instead Evil Knievel just fell over sideways on the ramp.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 03:09:01 | More by ryan1788a5

HopToIt420

3.33/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Saison Diego was a solid beer. It has a slightly cloudy light amber look and the nose has some banana and lemon curd notes. The beer tastes very good just not your prototyical Green Flash. Starts slightly sweet and that continues through the finish and lacks a strong hoppy balance. Overall worth giving a shot. Just not my cup of Saison.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 14:30:53 | More by HopToIt420

cvm4

Mississippi

3.33/5  rDev -9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a pretty clear hay yellow. Lively, huge white head.

S - A little bland in this dept. Some sweet honey & a bit of funk along with mild hops.

T - Just an average saison flavor. Nothing really mind blowing.

M - Medium body & high carbonation. Slightly syrupy.

O - just am average saison here. Be a. good introduction to the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 18:03:13 | More by cvm4

itlnstallion11

California

3.28/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.25

S- smells of Bavarian hops, citrus, lemon, orange and maybe some coriander

A- pours a hef colored unfiltered golden color. Super carbonated with a 2 finger foamy white head that disappears in minutes. It turns into a non-carbonated apple juice like drink in the matter of minutes/ pseudo cider if u will.

T- tastes reminiscent of a Bavarian hef with a light bodied finish. Orange is definitely there. Bavarian hops, some lime, ginger, with some mango notes.

O- I'm not the biggest fan of this beer. The carbonation and body is just not for me which I imagine is appropriate for the style. It reminds me a a mediocre hef, with good flavor but flat finish. A decent summer light beer for around the pool.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 22:26:38 | More by itlnstallion11

popery

California

3.25/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light golden color. Bright and fairly clear, though I can see sediment at the bottom of the bottle. The head is white, a mass of fine bubbles shot through with larger ones.

The nose is mostly fresh pale malt and mildly funky saison yeast. I was expecting more contribution from the spice (as the beer has warmed up, more of the grains of paradise and citrus rind are starting to come through). I was actually told that it was similar to Saison du BUFF, which isn't a great comparison, really. This spicing of this beer shows a subtler hand, and it's closer to any number of good but not spectacular unspiced American saisons. The orange peel, grains of paradise and ginger are all there, but they show up as bright highlights, spicy and citric, to the earthy yeast and simple sweetness of the malt. The whole package is pretty good, and I certainly appreciate that the spice doesn't steal the show, but at the same time, the beer fails to stand out.

The taste is similar, though a bit weaker than the aroma. There's just a bit too much pale malt sweetness, and the spice shows up a bit stronger. It starts with a bitter, earthy note, which fades to sugar cane and ginger/pepper. There's also some citrus, whether from the rind or hops. And the finish is grassy hops and some earthy yeast. It's all well and good, but the ginger and sweetness don't quite work for me. A tangy, tart kick or brett-induced dryness would help a lot.

Mouthfeel is sudsy with fine carbonation. I think it could actually use a bit more prickly bubbles, but maybe, that's just me. There's also a bit of slickness that seems at odds with the style.

Overall, it's a decent enough beer, but a miss compared to Green Flash's two other new bottles, Rayon Vert and Palate Wrecker. RV and PW stand out as great and unique, while Saison Diego is pretty good and replaceable. To be fair, the price point makes it competitive with the rest of the pack of American saisons, and the spicing comes through more as it warms, bringing an almost perfumey, musky quality to the aroma. Again, it's good, but the spicing just isn't my cup of tea and the rest of the beer isn't good enough to make me want more.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 04:28:21 | More by popery

RaulMondesi

California

3.06/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

While chilling out over a vegan dog, Rauldky decided that a saison was in order to wash down his cruelty-free protein.

Now, it's not as if Raul had much of an expectation, but Raul has drank gutter water that had more flavor and mouthfeel than this Fresno rain water. Thin, flavorless and more boring than a Ann Hathaway nudie scene. Next!

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2013 02:04:49 | More by RaulMondesi

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.05/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear, golden, effervescent color with a bright white head. The aroma was yeasty, peppery, with a bit of hay and mild funk. The taste was much sweeter than the aroma implied. Big breadiness, yeast, some pepper and bright fruitiness. The feel was creamy, and kinda lacking in carbonation for the style.

Overall, I'm not really impressed at all with this. It's not bad, but there's a lot more, better examples out there.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 22:23:50 | More by EgadBananas

falloutsnow

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

From: Beertopia in Omaha, NE
Date: No obvious date, but "15/22/299/11/1816/8" stamped on bottom
Glass: Tulip

Saison Diego has a fairly singleminded approach to the style with yeast, malt, and some grains of paradise being the most obvious flavors and scents. In general, the recipe was fairly one-dimensional and for the price, many other saisons of more complexity are available. I enjoy many of Green Flash's beers, but this was just not as spectacular a saison as I was expecting from the brewery. Relative to something from Fantome, Ommegang, or Dupont, this is rather lacking.

Pours a voluminous white head of very dense bubbles, with retention well above average. Foam eventually settles to a thick ring around the glass with a thinner film atop the rest of the body. Lacing is fairly minimal along the sides of the glass. Body is an opaque, hazy golden yellow color, with some carbonation visible along the sides of the glass and primarily streaming from the center.

Aroma is very mild, picking up subtle maltiness and saison yeast, with little else. For a bottle that mentions orange peel, ginger, and grains of paradise, there's surprisingly little going on here.

Opening flavor is somewhat tomato-like, which fades into a fairly generic saison yeast flavor, along with its secondary byproducts and a bit of the peppery grains of paradise. Mid-palate picks up some light malt sweetness with continued grains of paradise and saison yeast. Closes out with a pleasant grainy and biscuit-like malt influence. Not really picking up anything distinctly orange peel or ginger-like in the beer, though the label states that such ingredients were used. In general, this tastes like a fairly generic saison.

Beer is medium to medium-light in body with strongly effervescent carbonation that manages not to produce sharp prickles upon the tongue, but instead foams up with large bubbles and creates a pillowy, soft effect. Closes dryly, as expected.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 03:19:00 | More by falloutsnow

PorterLambic

Florida

2.78/5  rDev -24%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Arrives a medium yellow color with a pretty white head atop.
Smell is malt, banana, clove and hand lotion. Yes, hand lotion. Took a while to nail that one down.
Taste is malt, banana, light citrus, some hops and clove.
A medium to full body, medium effervescence leaves behind a stickyness that I found a bit off. Can honestly say I won't be having this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

05-31-2012 19:33:19 | More by PorterLambic