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

arizcards

Arizona

2.28/5  rDev -30.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.25

Picked up a single from Total Wine in mid-November for $2.49.

Beer poured black as night with a nice tan head that is leaving lacing behind.

Nose is something out of a medicine cabinet with a bit of barnyard funk. The combo is terrible.

Taste is a muddled mess, the barnyard medicine cabinet ruins the beer. In the end the roasted malty hoppy backbone attempts to salvage this brew but cannot pull it off.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and kind of smooth.

Overall this is a bad of beer that i have had in a long time. I don't think i can finish it which says a lot as this rarely happens.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 00:07:36 | More by arizcards

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4/5  rDev +22%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Green Flash Friendship Brew has an enormous, soapy, light brown head and a very dark brown (essentially black) appearance, with brown highlights in evidence on the edges as light hits the glass. Lots of lacing is left behind. The aroma is of spices (white pepper?) and dark bread crust, with an underlying sweetness. Taste is of white pepper, other odd spices of some sort, black bread, and there is a wall of bitterness at the back end of the sip. Mouthfeel is light to medium, and Green Flash Friendship Brew finishes dry, mellow, peculiar, and easy drinking. Overall, even though it’s a strange beer, it’s still quite nice.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 18:43:29 | More by RonaldTheriot

DavidST

Texas

3.76/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a tulip glass, unknown bottled date. This pours a pitch black color with a large tan head which has long retention and leaves a lacing. The smells are of spices, coriander, cloves, a little coke smells. The feel is medium. The taste is good, high peppery tastes, the spices, some weird bitterness (not quite hop bitterness), like a bitter orange.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 01:30:07 | More by DavidST

animalchin

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +34.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at the Blue Tusk in Syracuse, NY and was completely enamored. This is from the bottle, purchased at Tasty Beverage Company in Raleigh, North Carolina.

A - Pours a very lively black body, which is assisted by a light tan head.

S - Very sweet, but carries that spiciness of a saison. Picking up some esters as well. Lively pepper, clove, lime, smoke.

T - Take what you know about a saison and a black ale and put it all together. The earthiness and spice of a saison clashes with the malty and bready backbone of a black beer, combining into a beautiful melange.

M - Frothy, creaminess upfront. Moves around nicely.

O - Probably one of my favorite beers of all time thus far, and hopefully available from Green Flash from here on out.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 21:51:36 | More by animalchin

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Lovely tan head and foamage. This thick film of foam lasts for all twelve ounces. Like the oil black color and even some sticky lacing.

Spicey and roasty herbal aromas. Roasted malt acts as the backbone for the herbal spices one would often find in a more standard saison.

Herbal and roasted flavors abound from start to finish. Hints of coffee mixing with chammomile, sage, maybe lavender. Palate is dry and the finish is a bitter herbal flavor. This was a fun and interesting beer to try.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 17:34:58 | More by scruffwhor

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Weird nose on this. Can't quite pinpoint it, but it's a wad of spices not very defined. Flavor is kind of the same, though seems like a ton of pepper just heaped on there. It's too much. As far as saison tones, it's hard to get any off here since its so clogged with spices. This beer is not that good. Or at least, not as good as it should be.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 03:49:11 | More by RblWthACoz

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Shared w/Tim

Enjoyed chilled from a cervoise

A- black w/full thick cream ringlets of lace cling w/ translucent clarity

S-very spicy pine tinged and ginger like tropical earthy nose w/ herbal yeasty blend of scents
M- really spicy w/ highly effervescent and mostly dry feel w/ light bitter and semi tangy yeast feel

T- flavor has slight orange rind w/ mild astringent taste w/ piney hops and roast notes w/ acrid dark roast coffee w/ a tropical yeast which has Belgian earthiness and slight ginger bite w/ mild black tea-like herbal astringency

O- a very tasty dark Saison w/ lots of hops and spice emphasis w/out an abundance of peppery phenolic which is pleasant

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 10:46:35 | More by Slatetank

KVota

4.95/5  rDev +50.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap, this beer began by tasting like the St. Feuillien Saison, then it changed to having lemony notes, then it finished with the light chocolate and mouth feel of a porter. I went back to have it 3 or 4 times while the bar near my house had it on tap and I never regreted it. They served it out of a porter glass, which may have enhanced the porter finish...

Had it out of a bottle the other day, after searching for months for somewhere that carried it, and it was bitter. The lemon was over powering, the traditional Belgian saison flavor non-existent, and it had none of the appearance the one on tap had. Looked and tasted like a completely different beer. While I give it a 5 on tap, I'd give it a 1 from the bottle....

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2012 03:37:18 | More by KVota

LambicPentameter

Kansas

3.73/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured out of a 12 oz bottle into a Belgian-style stemmed tulip glass. Needed aggressive swirling to get all the sediment out of the bottom of the bottle.

Appearance - Almost completely black, with garnet/ruby hue barely perceptible on the edges. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was a glass of cherry cola, with a slightly creamier head. The foam is light beige but denser than soda foam. Foam is sustained by traces of carbonation rising up from the bottom of the glass. Moderate lacing

Smell - Some toasted rye, and biscuity malt and hint of floral bouquet. A faint hint of semisweet chocolate but aroma is dominated by medicinal/menthol/alpine overtones.

Taste - Nose expresses hoppy bitterness, but that gives way to fresh soil, earthy undertones and just an echo of that classic barnyard funk that so often comes with the saison style. It's almost not present at all. Perhaps a trace of coriander?

Mouthfeel - silky with a lingering feel on the tongue.

Overall, a beer that I would drink again in the right situation. It's weird and interesting, but there are certainly other beers that I would choose first. It's quirky and, imho, something worth sampling to help train your palette, but not a beer you would just sit down to drink, I don't think.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 08:04:29 | More by LambicPentameter

merc7186

New York

3.55/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Mr Goodbar in Buffalo NY, poured into pint glass.

A: Dark Black Hue, Passes No Light, Thick Brown Head, Great Lacing

S: Floral, Sweet Tarts

T: Floral, Sweet Tarts, Mild Dark Wheat

M: Great carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Spicy

Overall, its was a little weird and wouldn't recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

12-27-2012 03:11:59 | More by merc7186

dogfishandi

New York

3.7/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle at fridge temp. Poured into a snifter. Bottled on 7/31/12.

Pours out pretty much opaque black with a huge, billowy tan colored head. Some really nice lacing and amazing, rocky head retention. Looks great! Very stout like.

Interesting aroma. Floral smelling, reminiscent of roses, with a big scent of smarties candy. A bit of spice. Also some tart aromas which make me think a little bit of Brett is at play.

Follows the aroma, very floral, smarties candy, sweet tarts, some overall tartness. A bit of pepper and hop bitterness in the finish. Hints of spice. Some roasted grain as it warms, expected a lot more just based on the color.

Very light feel, carbonation is up there. Just a touch watery. Becomes creamier as it warms.

Not too bad, a little off at first but it grows on you the more you drink it. Very Saigon like.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 20:36:46 | More by dogfishandi

Tombomb

Pennsylvania

2/5  rDev -39%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Started out looking like a winner. Nice color and an interesting aroma. The nose was almost medicinal? Then the taste...had a hard time even getting it down. The face I made had the whole group laughing. So much so that they had to "see how bad it was" we all had the same reaction. I think it may have been infected or something. It had a distinct band-aid taste that was very unpleasent. One guy at the bar who was sipping his Sam Adams Winter lager had to ask what was so funny and decided to see how bad it was. We protested that the bartender should warn people before pouring that it was not for everyone. Very disapointed since I usually enjoy the offerings from Green Flash and normally like a saison...

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2012 22:41:30 | More by Tombomb

flexabull

California

2.65/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a very dark brown color with a big rocky tan head.

Aromas are very floral. Mixture of spices and a note of cola.

Taste is very vegetal. Slight cola sweetness, floral and spice notes and a quite bitter finish. Odd tasting beer for sure.

Mouthfeel is ok, on the thin side.

Overall, blah... Not a fan at all, I finished this but certainly didn't enjoy it. Worst beer I've had from Green Flash by far. Looking back, I think my review was kind, because this wasn't a good beer at all.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 19:18:15 | More by flexabull

CA_Infidel2o9

2.08/5  rDev -36.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured from a bomber to a Tulip

A- jet black, 2" long lasting fluffy khaki head

S- mint, herbs, spices, black licorice, citrus

T- follows the nose in a horrible way with added funky hops and a metallic twang

M- watery, average carbonation

O- looked nice, smell was interesting, drain pour...

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 01:26:01 | More by CA_Infidel2o9

babayaga

3.78/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance- As poured, 3-finger light brown head. Very lasting &
excellent lace. Black, almost opaque. I actually tried to shine some light through it and it blocked it all out.

Aroma- Big. Mint, medicinal, herbal, you can smell the funk.

Taste- That minty flavor transforms a bit with the roastiness, but it's still in-your-face. Much rounder in flavor than I would suspect from the aroma. Nice light acidic tang, slight clove and ~allspice background.

Mouthfeel-light to medium creamy body. Moderate carbonation. It's just very-interesting.

I didn't think that I would enjoy it as much as I am. I would definitely drink it again on a cool saturday afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 21:25:39 | More by babayaga

acevenom

Louisiana

3.63/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass. Pours dark cola brown out of the bottle and turns black in the glass. There is a thick, light tan head that dissipates very slowly. There is plenty of lacing left behind on the glass as the head dissipates. The aroma of Brett hits the nose up front. There's citrus, roasted malt, and some other spices as well. It definitely conjures up memories of Rayon Vert. Dark roasted malt and those spices hit up front along with that farmhouse yeast. More of the citrus comes out as I sip it. The hops don't really show up very much here. The roasted malts add some of that bitterness you would expect. The flavors are unique. The body is light with moderate carbonation. The finish is dry. This is a decent beer that's worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 03:06:59 | More by acevenom

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 16 oz bottle into a Lost Abbet chalice.

A- pours black with a 2" dark tan head. Blotches of bubbles and trails of lacing remain on the glass.

S- roast, lemon zest, peppercorns, more spices

T- sweet roasted malts, light dark fruits, and then just a overpowering mix of spices and citrus that just do not work for me.

M- medium body and high carbonation. Dry tingling feel.

O- this beer just doesn't work. The spices and dark malts lend for a mess of peppery, citrus, and some sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 00:10:22 | More by kawilliams81

metter98

New York

3.85/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is very dark brown (near black when viewed from afar) and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense tan head that has very good retention properties and left lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of Belgian yeast and herbs in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and also has hints of roasted malts and spices.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and a little airy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. The finish has some dryness.
O: This is quite an interesting beer that seems to share some properties of an Irish Dry Stout (from the roasted malts) and a Scottish Gruit (from the herbs).

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 02:39:56 | More by metter98

Pintofbrown

Iowa

3.08/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I contemplated the merits of Friendship with a tulip.

Appearance- The pour results in two-inches of foam colored like milk chocolate. It recedes so slowly and leaves behind a wall of sticky lace. The body is not quite black, but oh so close. The beer looks formidable so far.

Smell- Is this what mint extract mixed with black pepper would smell like? Oh, and some roasted malt hiding under that interesting bouquet. I do not necessarily think these are two scents that should be mixed. And I definitely do not detect your run of the mill saison flavors either.

Taste- There is more acidity than I would have expected from what the nose offered. It is not a nice surprise either. That weird herbal smell transfers a little to the palate, but there is less mint and more haymow. I also get some peppercorn and roastiness in the finish. I just don't get this amalgamation of flavors.

Mouth feel- Friendship is silky smooth and a solid medium body.

Overall- Maybe someone out there will like this minty, peppery, roasty concoction. I just am not that someone.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 00:52:25 | More by Pintofbrown

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Beer #2 for Thanksgiving! Friendship Brew. Poured this one into a Rodenbach Grand Cru tulip.

Achieved a mega-sized latte-colored head with craggy lacing and variable bubble sizes. Mind you, this beer is surely black. Has a thinner, softer black look to it. Looks marvelous in this glass.

Lovely spiced aroma of cardamom, wintergreen, licorice, and clove with a lively farmhouse yeast nose center. Smells very sweet, however. Very much the nose of an herbal elixir. Someone nailed it in a past review when they said Ricola cough drop. Actually picking up a bit of eucalyptus, also.

So nutso for a beer! A saison, sure enough, with tangy Belgian yeast strains and tart pomme fruits. Very herbal with loads of spices added. Notably, wintergreen, clove, star anise, spearmint, mace, and black pepper. Eucalyptus isn't a stretch, either. Medicinal tasting with some West Coast hopping at work in the background. A little spruce and a little citrus peeking through the blackening. Mentholated and sweet. Finishes decent, with lemon and grapefruit notes revealing themselves. Keep in mind, this isn't hoppy. It's just overloaded with busy flavors. But, after all, it almost works. Nothing particularly clashes. You just have to be into all of those medicinal flavors that can be so imposing here. Honestly, this is pretty well-done. I must say it's pretty tasty.

Very smooth in the mouth. Lighter-bodied, but the carbonation isn't accelerating much neither. The low alcohol level doesn't rear into the taste, it just kind of paces with you, unless you drink it too quickly (as I'm doing)... probably, because I'm enjoying it.

Looks great, smells interesting, then you taste it... a full-blown spiced black saison. Far from being short on flavor. This beer is a dream for a geek who loves experimental winter seasonals. A must try, in that regard. However, as a farmhouse ale, there are so many better and purer examples. I'm sure both Green Flash and St. Feuillien were happy with this product, and as it turns out, I am too.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 22:17:15 | More by thecheapies

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from bottle into a sampler shaker. Poured a massively dark brown with a half finger light tan head. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, earth, herbal, and potpourri. The flavor was of sweet malt, herbal, earth, medicinal, and toasted malt. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. While I can say that there were things I liked about this brew, there were also things I did not like as well. I did like the sweet and earthy aspect going on. However, I did not like the herbal and medicinal part at all. Even with the sweetness going on, it did nothing to cover up the dislikes to make it a good brew. I really went into this one expecting good things, but I was slightly letdown. Worth trying if you get the chance to judge for yourself, but I doubt I would personally buy a bottle to drink to the face.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 12:16:44 | More by thagr81us

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.88/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked this up at Gomer's in Parkville, MO...

Pours black with 3 plus fingers of mocha colored head. Very good head retention & lacing

S: Dark fruit, pears, some funkyness

T: Green apple peelsa touch of roastyness, black currants& some grapefruit up front. More green appleskins as this warms, some astringent notes, & grapefruit peel, some anise as well. Finishes with a hint of funk, roastyness, a bit of plum & black currants, some dryness & brown bread

MF: Medium bodied, slight carbonation

A pretty interesting take on the style, I liked it, didn't love iit
You can see the westcoast slant of this black saison

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 02:08:07 | More by russpowell

mdfb79

New York

3.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up on Monday at City Swiggers on the UES. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into my Bell's tulip.

a - Pours a deep dark brown, almost black color, with two fingers plus of fluffy dark tan head and moderate carbonation evident. Head lasts for a few minutes and leaves light lacing on the glass.

s - Smells of pine hops, roasted malts, pepper, spices, floral hops, mint, an spearmint. Interesting but nice mix of pepper/mint and pine hops.

t - Tastes of pine hops, pepper, spices, mint, roasted malts, sweet, floral hops, and earthy notes. Follows the nose pretty closely.

m - Light to medium body and low to moderate carbonation. Little light in the body but decent.

o - Overall an okay beer but not my favorite black saison or Green Flash offering. Some interesting spice, mint, and pine combo to it. Worth checking out once but probably wouldn't revisit too often.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 02:34:39 | More by mdfb79

zeff80

Missouri

3.58/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a jet-black color with a two-finger, light brown head of bubbly foam. It left sticky patches of lace on the glass.

S - Very herbal with spices and some bready malt notes.

T - It tasted very spicy. Herbal and piney with some grassy notes. Some fruitiness with a bready malt backbone.

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

O - This is a nice beer. Very heavily spiced makes it a little rough around the edges.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 03:12:34 | More by zeff80

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.73/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

11 ounce pour - $6.50 at Taco Mac in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Brought to my dark, dank corner of the bar a very dark brown body with infinitesimally small bubbles arising from the sides of the glass. Smallish, khaki-colored head depositing a fair amount of lace on the way down.

Smell: Florals that crank the scent dial towards heavily herbal atop astringent burnt, blackened malts and licorice root. Smells like Ricola cough drops.

Taste: Roasted maltiness leaning towards touches of burnt black malt. Near nil sweetness. Then, that rather curious St. Feuillien spice mix that again just screams Ricola (though I guess honking Ricola through one of those long-ass alphorns is more appropriate). Charred prune skins. It's warming, heavily spiced, with coarse burnt malts.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-plus carbonation.

Overall: It's all well and good to have a collaboration but one best ens--hey, hold up a sec, my cough... it's gone! Thanks, Green Flash/St. Feuillien!

Serving type: on-tap

11-11-2012 15:55:57 | More by ChainGangGuy