Green Flash Saison Diego - Green Flash Brewing Co.

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.05/5  rDev -16.4%
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

litheum94

California

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle. No dates. Reviewed 7/6/12.

Hazed, golden-yellow body that shimmers in the light. Thick, rocky, bone white head. Settles to a compact covering.

Funky yeast, hay, pepper, lemon peel, ginger and some wheat aromas. very earthy smelling.

Dry flavors of hay and grass, with some citric tones. Earthy and musty, with a slightly creamy mouthfeel. Moderate spicing, with flavors of ginger and white pepper (from the Grains of Paradise). Moderate carbonation. Fairly full bodied for the style.

Good flavors with some nice spicing. A pretty good saison that I'd definitely come back to.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 21:36:57 | More by litheum94

Florida9

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Clear, light golden yellow. Forms a moderate sized fluffy white head that reduces down to a thin surface coating. Some light lacing.

S: Light lemon scent with some coriander and a bit of spice. There is a slight funkiness.

T: Flavor is bright and slightly acidic with notes of green apple, ginger, and some light malts. A bit of spice and just a hint of mustiness. Finishes with more apple and some citrus peel. Unfortunately, there is also a light metallic twang on the finish as well.

M: Light bodied. Appropriate carbonation. Dry, crisp, and slighty tart.

O: A nice, light, easy drinking summer Saison.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 22:09:29 | More by Florida9

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev -8.8%
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

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.88/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a large white head that fades slowly and leaves a spotty lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains wheat, spices, light caramelized malts, Belgian yeast, bananas, citrus and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out bready with flavors of wheat, Belgian yeast and a hearty but not too heavy malt character. Then some sweetness comes in from flavors of bananas, citrus and a complex but not over-powering spice combination. The hops presence is mild but creates a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly bready.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

O: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a solid beer to drink for a while if you’re in the mood for the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 02:18:36 | More by TheManiacalOne

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Hazy, golden-yellow with a fluffy, white head. No lace or retention.

S: One of the better smelling Saisons I've experienced from an American brewer. Very tart and bit barny and earthy.

T: Great Belgian yeast character. Barny. Grassy. Slightly fruity. Delicious!

M: Crisp and clean. Great flavor. Seriously way too easy to drink.

O: One of the best American versions of the style that I've had to date. Would love to drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 03:59:01 | More by Gatch

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Purchased from BevMo in Sunnyvale, CA.

Pours a really light yellow colour, with a very faint haze to it and really light weight. Head is an enormous frothy mound of pure white. It certainly looks lively and vibrant.

Nose is round, slightly funky and slightly sweet, with some plasticky notes, a hint of appleskin and a rubbed sweet citrus tone. It has some fragrant sweet herbs like asian mint or Thai basil as well. It's pretty fresh, lively and pleasant.

Taste is similarly light and pleasant, with a really pleasant cleanness, no phenolics and no excess of yeast on the back. Hints of funk, minimal acidity, but a pleasant roundness and more of that fragrant herbal crispness. Really, it's quite tasty, and stylistically pretty good.

Very drinkable, and almost excruciatingly refreshing. Really, you just want to drink this down. Moreover, it's a pretty well-made Saison—a style that I feel is rarely done well outside Belgium.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 23:48:55 | More by lacqueredmouse

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up in Kentucky

Pours a bright gold with 2 fingers of ivory head. Average head retention & lacing

S: Phenols, colves & breadyness

T: Follows the nose, peppery with lemons up front. Grains of paradise, phenols & faint orange peels as this warms, plus a little bit of pineapple. Finishes with more grains of paradise, faint lemons, & white pepper

MF: Medium bodied, firm carobonation & good balance

Easy drinker, a nice saison, but nothing special

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 04:50:22 | More by russpowell

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.6/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dry fruit, peppery spice, bubbly malt character all converge in Belgian-influenced Californian-brewed medley.

The beer pours with a semi-bright straw color and modest haze. Steady streams of carbonation march to the surface and provide the fuel for a creamy and fluffy head that wants to settle into a broken sheet. But a constant swirl of the glass won't let it. Instead, the head rebuilds as I watch its lace cling to the glass with broken rings. The second pour is much more haze and appears burnish gold as the yeast is roused.

Aromas of light fruit rise to the nose with apples, white grapes, pears, and mild lemon acidity. A musty malt scent of bread dough, grain, and dusty dried wood support the fruity scent and balances against the spicy notes of white pepper, orange peel, and clove.

Firm flavors of malt dictate the malty sweetness at first as the bready, doughy, and grainy-sweet taste seems lightly of confectioner's sugar. The fruity and spicy balance provides the zesty taste of lemons, grapes, oranges, and pears with spicy ginger, dried orange peel, paradise seed, clove, and white pepper. The mild earthiness of dust leaves me wanting more, as does the grassy bitterness of grass and high acidity.

Medium bodied because of the mild malt weight, creamy carbonation, and impressions of fruit. But the zestiness of acidity and high carbonation levels bring about a refreshing zip of sparkling white wines. Finishing with a dryish malt texture, alcohol warmth, and mild hop bitterness- again, the beer wants more dryness and hop bite.

As I settle into my last few drinks from the glass, the rather banal Belgiany character is caught between American-brewed Belgian-style golden ales, pale ales, tripels, and saisons. It's restrained Belgian character keeps a simpler palate that's safe but makes it nondescrip and polite in complexity. I'm looking for authenticity and aggression here.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 04:54:40 | More by BEERchitect

dbossman

Nebraska

3.78/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Cloudy and hazy with a lemon hue and a 1 inch head--surprisingly small for a saison--and great lacing

S: Quite grainy with subtle orange, banana, apple, ginger; this smells spicy and musty and slightly funky and grainy and great

T: Quite dry and not nearly as much musty fruity funk that I picked up in the aroma but still grainy and tasty

F: Creamy with a light but appropriate level of carbonation

O: This is a nice saison--not a crazy funky saison--but a good, dry, grainy, easy-drinking one

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 02:47:40 | More by dbossman

lordofthewiens

Maine

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

In a pint glass the beer was a pale gold color. The white head retained well and left a good deal of lace.

Funky, yeasty aroma. A little spice, a little citrus.

First sip, some lemon and tartness. Then a little bit of spice. Later, the funky yeast taste took over.

A crisp, refreshing beer.

Very nicely done.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 20:14:09 | More by lordofthewiens

fostah

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pint bottle into Sam Adams Perfect pint glass.

Light golden color, with large, rocky off-white head that sticks around for a bit. The head evaporates in big fluffy rings. BIG spice aroma here, some wet blanket/horse underneath at first, eventually overpowering the spice. Light flavor. Lower medium range in body, spicy hops first, followed by crisp maltiness. Finishes with the familiar yeast bite.

Overall a decent attempt, though light for the style, worth the calories.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 02:20:31 | More by fostah

popery

California

3.25/5  rDev -11%
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

51mmz0rz

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into an Orval chalice.

A: Poured a beautiful clear golden color. White head has good retention.

S: Belgian yeast aromas

T: Wonderful breadyness to the flavor along with belgian yeast flavors. Easy drinking.

M: Good carbonation, fits the style.

D: Overall, solid beer, I don't taste the spices (but this is probaly a good thing)

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 02:49:57 | More by 51mmz0rz

wethorseblanket

California

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clearish golden yellow with a massive 2" white rocky head which fades to a cap and rim leaving puzzle lace.

N: Big funk blast up front, followed by mellow lemon citrus zest and hay/grass from the barnyard. Peppery spice with biscuit yeast. Cloves, and faint banana. Beautiful springtime floral notes.

T: Yeasty, spicy, orange/lemon/citrus combine well with earthy and floral elements. Faint ginger spice is present, but most contribution from the grains of paradise.

M: Solid carbonation, light body. Very bright throughout and somewhat dry on the lingering finish.

O: Nice and refreshing. Well done Chuck.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 05:11:36 | More by wethorseblanket

BoatsSinkBro

3.55/5  rDev -2.7%
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

Zorro

California

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the Green Flash website:

"Saison Diego™
Ale Brewed with Spices

Unfiltered golden farmhouse ale, brewed with Seville orange peels, Chinese ginger and grains of paradise. Light, bright, spicy aromas, lively carbonation and earthy flavors co-mingle with musty notes that add funky complexity."

No ABV on bottle or website IBUs 20.

Very slightly chill haze in a clear golden beer with a tall fluffy white head. The Brewer did nail the looks.

Smell is slight honeysuckle malt and wild flowers on hay with a slight coriander scent. Pretty much a Hennepin clone.

Starts out dry with the taste of hay and a little bee pollen with a coriander aftertaste. Gets a little sweeter as you drink it. Mild flavor with a very mild noble hop taste at the end. Very clean taste with a slight wheat malt flavor at the end. Didn't detect the ginger, I'm slightly allergic to it and this didn't make my nose itch either. Grains of Paradise, never tasted one so I have no idea if it made a difference in the taste.

Mouthfeel is light.

Overall this is a good beer. Something of a Hennepin clone.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 00:25:33 | More by Zorro

RaulMondesi

California

3.06/5  rDev -16.2%
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

Murrhey

Montana

3.43/5  rDev -6%
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

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hazy yellow color with a serious fluff of head and crags of lace and stagnant bubbles. 4.0

Light white pepper, lemon, whisps of Euro hops, and crackery malts. 3.5

Yeasty and tangy. Light lemony zing and a lot of dusty spices. Peppery and semi-dry with a polishing finish of alcohol. Actually ends very dry. Nice flavor. 4.0

Thinner body and even thinner carbonation. However, remarkably drinkable and refreshing. 3.5

Nice American craft saison. Would prefer this to others. 3.5

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2012 01:16:31 | More by thecheapies

Reaper16

Alabama

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

served on-tap at Local Option, Chicago IL, into a chalice

Pours a yellow color. It's very yellow. Like, skin-of-a-Simpsons-character yellow. 1.25 fingers of white head stick around to leave some nice arches of lacing. In a bar setting, with lots of bright neon around, this beer practically glows.

The aroma hits the notes that you'd expect from the name and brewer: a healthy dose of green, fruity hops underscoring a Farmhouse Ale base. This beer is floral like honeysuckle, with dry malt character and plenty of hops (for the style). The first sip yields a big surprise: this beer isn't as hoppy as the aroma (or name) would have you believe. I mean, it's still got plenty of hop flavor. But the slightly musty, plasticky Saison yeast asserts itself strongly.

The mouthfeel isn't as attenuated as it could be, but most American Saisons suffer from this flaw. It's fine. Overall, this reminds me of a more refined take on Green Flash's Rayon Vert. That beer has more Brettanomyces character, but also way more hops. The hop bill here is present but respectful, which allows the saison character to show. This is a nice beer (though it tries to do much the same work as Boulevard Tank 7 and doesn't at all measure up to that beer).

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2012 04:58:00 | More by Reaper16

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a hazy straw yellow pour with an initial finger of head which quickly disappeared. smells of lemongrass, orange peel, coriander, celery, bready. spicy, bready bitter, citrus, zesty flavors all blend very nicely together for a traditional saison flavor. light body with lots of constant carbonation (almost seltzer like) - the citrus/spicy combination leaves a nice sensation on the cheeks. spicyness is more noticeable in the finish and lingers for a bit.

overall this is a very refreshing summer saison. i was actually expecting a little bit more after having green flash's le freak, but i appreciate the subtle mixture of smells and flavors in this fine blend of a light saison. i wish this was easy to acquire around here - but from the amount of reviews on here (14 total, counting mine), i won't hold my breath.

Serving type: growler

06-17-2012 05:24:37 | More by facundoCNB

PorterLambic

Florida

2.78/5  rDev -23.8%
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

largadeer

California

3.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at GHS.

Pale straw yellow appearance with slight haze. The head is fluffy and lasting.

Initially smells strongly of sulfurous funk. That pushes to the background after a while and peppery phenols emerge. There's a touch of sweetness, a slight lactic note, a bit of clove, bread and fruit.

The palate is bready, lemony and slightly lactic initially, before the yeast takes over and spicy phenols emerge. Hops are present but subtle, lending mild leafy and herbal notes. A note of banana appears mid-palate along with a dash of clove. The body is light but doesn't feel thin until the finish, which is brief and a bit bland. This beer would benefit from a bit more bitterness and drier finish, but it's solid stuff overall.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2012 01:38:34 | More by largadeer

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%
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