Green Flash / St. Feuillien Friendship Brew - Green Flash Brewing Co.

MEsquandoles

Texas

3.68/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle into bulbous St Feuillien stemmed glass.

Full carbonation with fine bubbles (bottle conditioned).

Aroma is dominated by spice and menthol.

Tastes kinda like bitters and mint chocolate latte, some chai as well. Definitely some Brett in there too. For spices, I'd guess from ginger, eucalyptus, some kind of pepper, cardamom, anise, allspice, or sage, and in the Belgian tradition I'd bet on grains of paradise, coriander, and/or some kind of fruit peel. It's an interesting and complex spice presence, and certainly a strong one.

Slick mouthfeel with dry finish and lingering herbal bitterness. Fairly astringent and somewhat metallic.

Unique for sure, it really grew on me but I'd recommend sharing the bottle. It reminds me of bitters and beer cocktails, which I thoroughly enjoy, so I think that's why I like more than most.

Should be interesting to age.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 06:50:48 | More by MEsquandoles

kbrown

Ohio

3/5  rDev -8.5%

05-17-2013 23:12:12 | More by kbrown

3SH33TS

California

2.75/5  rDev -16.2%

05-13-2013 02:12:43 | More by 3SH33TS

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

3.41/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

P: Black slightly transparent body with mahogany tint. A massive mountain if rocky brown ice cream float head. Great retention that settles to a creamy crown. 3 rings of lacing cling to the sides.

S: Roasted malt, cocoa nibs, dark fruits, cumin, cardamom, black pepper, clove and faint licorice. Earthy farmhouse yeast and roasted grains. Aroma is similar to the spring time gain laundry detergent.

T/M: Lots of char in the taste with a bouquet of floral hops, dark cocoa, chalky yeast and a bite of cayenne pepper midway through the swish. Sweetness from burnt molasses, brown sugar and dark fruits. Medium-full body boasting zesty carbonation. Finish is semi dry with lingering spice, wild onions and leaves a dirty grainy feel behind.

O: Super complex nose with a great a roasted earthy spiced profile that delivers sugary sweetness to bring balance. The aroma is the main attraction. Im not a huge fan of dark saisons but this one is pretty decent.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 18:09:33 | More by Hopswagger

YobroitsJoe

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev +6.7%

05-11-2013 06:29:36 | More by YobroitsJoe

cguidry44

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -0.9%

05-08-2013 00:00:43 | More by cguidry44

ChanChan

California

3.25/5  rDev -0.9%

05-07-2013 19:38:04 | More by ChanChan

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Sure, they call themselves friends, but do they go bowling together? Anyway, this stuff pours a midnight russet-garnet topped by a finger of khaki foam. The nose comprises pumpernickel, light perfume, black pepper, clove, light ginger, brown sugar, cardamom, light candied orange peel, light toast, and a bit of licorice. Man, there's all sorts o' things goin' on here, I almost don't know what to do with it all. The taste generally brings in more of the same, though the toast is stronger and there pervades a strange bitterness and spiciness throughout, one that puts me off more than it intrigues me. The body is a light medium, with a moderate carbonation and a dry-ish finish. Overall, this is an odd duck, indeed. It's aroma is more than complex and intriguing, but the corresponding flavors just don't meld well together at all, leaving me wondering why they lied to me in the first place. Not the basis of a strong and prosperous friendship, if you ask me...

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 07:17:04 | More by TMoney2591

dbossman

Nebraska

3.9/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Quite black with a cocoa-colored, bubbly, froth head; lacing is really nice

S: Spicy and fruity: bananas, cloves, apples, pepper, rosemary, anise; also bready and a touch of chocolatey; a strange but strangely appetizing blend of aromas

T: Grassy herbal flavors mingle with spicy fruity flavors: subtle anise, mint, grass, banana, cloves; this is weird but unlike most of the review, I like this

F: Sticky, medium body; good mouth feel

O: Strange. But a really interesting beer nonetheless: roasty, spicy, grassy, herbaly; frankly, though, I like it

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 13:08:23 | More by dbossman

ShemRahBoo

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -0.9%

05-01-2013 20:05:54 | More by ShemRahBoo

troy138

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -8.5%

04-30-2013 23:44:19 | More by troy138

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +6.7%

04-27-2013 16:05:27 | More by Jason1337

KiMiRaiK

Washington

2/5  rDev -39%

04-21-2013 21:34:34 | More by KiMiRaiK

Ciocanelu

Romania

3.5/5  rDev +6.7%

04-21-2013 19:08:05 | More by Ciocanelu

abex44

Texas

3.5/5  rDev +6.7%

04-14-2013 02:44:13 | More by abex44

psuscott1

Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -16.2%

04-12-2013 00:01:21 | More by psuscott1

Tjvan2

Iowa

2.5/5  rDev -23.8%

04-07-2013 03:24:46 | More by Tjvan2

laituegonflable

Australia

3.45/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The beer pours a dark brown colour. Head is over-generous but beautiful, sinking slowly to form a marshmallowy lump on the top - lacing left behind is gorgeous, beige and sticky. Looks fantastic.

Smells strongly funky, with a rich, comforting dark roastiness. Strong star anise notes as well, a touch of nutmeg and maybe some fennel. Spice has a slight sour note to it, and could use maybe some more sweetness on the nose. Just a tad overdone on the spice to make it keel off-balance.

Taste is slightly more in balance. Roastiness underlies it all, slight char note with light coffee grounds. Spice is there too - anise, clove and some pepper. Still has that slight sour, raw spice kind of flavour, unbridled, but the roast malt makes a decent complement.

Thinnish feel; no real presence in the mouth. A little bland, but OK for the palate that goes along with it.

If it were stronger it might make a more interesting blend, or if there were more Belgian yeast notes, too. The spice is the dominant figure throughout, and the beer seems a bit uninteresting in what it does with it.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 10:26:26 | More by laituegonflable

Lanstrum

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +14.3%

03-31-2013 18:46:48 | More by Lanstrum

bigred89

Maryland

2.75/5  rDev -16.2%

03-31-2013 04:07:17 | More by bigred89

MalterMatthau

Nebraska

3.48/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is an interesting brew, and in my lifelong quaffing continuum up to this point it stands out, so it james garners a mention here.

Appearance: held up to the early spring sunshine it allows no light to penetrate its obscurity. 3.5 for standing tough like onyx to the rays of the sun.

The smell is less than stellar, perhaps like forgotten licorice discovered stuck at the bottom of a jar. 2.5 for reminding me of a grandfather I never knew.

The taste of this Friendship Brew is its most remarkable aspect, a combination of anise and mint and nutmeg that my palette takes notice of continuously throughout imbibing. Four.

Overall, I'm happy to taste a new taste in beer but I'm not going to aggressively pursue buying another bottle. It should be noted that I finally tried this because of a three dollars price reduction.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 19:30:48 | More by MalterMatthau

BAsbill

California

3.5/5  rDev +6.7%

03-30-2013 04:31:51 | More by BAsbill

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Even though I paid $1.75 for this I still feel cheated. Color is that of a stout with no inescapable light and a 1/4 inch of deep mocha head. For some reason I wanted this to smell like a Black IPA but alas little to no hops in the nose just mint, anise, and a touch of coriander. Taste is only mildly palatable and makes me wonder why they even bottled this monstrosity. Burn rosemary, deep black anise (which isn't terrible but not great) and a mildly fruity yeast in the finish. Mouthfeel isn't that terrible giving me a medium chewy body much bigger than I would expect for such a low ABV Saison.

Overall this beer is pretty much a fail in the sense of friendship. It made me hate green Flash all over again (still can't drink west coast IPA it taste like soap)

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 00:44:28 | More by DrDemento456

SFC21

New York

3/5  rDev -8.5%

03-21-2013 02:09:02 | More by SFC21

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

2.54/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A-Did not know it was a black Saison. Pours very dark with a light white head. Light struggles to get through.

S-Oh no. Burnt rosemary? Anise. Spicy and herbal. Cooking spices. Yeasty and toasty.

T-A burnt arrangement of cooking spices. Menthol. Not even close to appetizing.

M-Dreaded each sip.

O/D-Bad.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2013 01:05:21 | More by VelvetExtract