Sleepin' With Shaggy - Green Flash Brewing Co.

Etan

Illinois

3.91/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a snifter.

A: Pours a deep mahogany with slight reddish hues. A thick cap of tan foam retains for a while.

S: Rich brandy barrel tannins dominate the nose along with some slight but pleasant notes of sherry-like oxidation. Dried fig, raisins, light chocolate, oak, coconut, vinous brandy.

T: Starts on the palate with mildly sweet brandy, followed by a dusting of cocoa, vanilla, dry leather, caramel, bitter oak, dark grain, stale-ish oxidation and some tannic nuttiness on the end.

M: Thick body, but it's lightened by the unnecessarily high carbonation. After it sits for a bit, the carbonation settles out, leaving the body pretty pleasant and creamy.

O: Going into this, I wasn't sure what to expect with 4 years in the barrel. There's a bit of oxidation creeping in that I could do without, and the barrel character really dominates, but when it's warmed up and some of the carbonation is out, this is actually pretty nice, especially if you like brandy.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 04:43:51 | More by Etan

SSEngelbrecht

Louisiana

3.9/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: dark brown / amber color with medium carbonation and no lacing.

S: caramel, raisin, oak, booze with mild dark fruit undertones.

T: oak, raisins and brandy are prominent. In the background I found dark fruits, brown sugar, peppercorn and clove. The spice from the oak also made for an interesting balance to the sweetness typical of this style of barleywine.

M: The mouthfeel was light/medium served cool, with prominent carbonation. As it warmed, the mouthfeel changed to medium/heavy with a more syrupy / oily character.

O: I liked this beer more as I got to the bottom of the glass. As with many of my favorites, the different characteristics are highlighted as the temperature warms.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 20:27:06 | More by SSEngelbrecht

cfrances33

Illinois

2.5/5  rDev -36.4%

06-15-2013 19:58:07 | More by cfrances33

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.65/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark brown with a generous beige head with good retention.

Super sweet and boozy. Can definitely tell the brandy influence. I'm really struggling to get other aromas over the brandy.

Brandy also dominates the flavor. There is some caramel there and the brandy is very strong although subdued compared to aroma. Very fruity and boozy, but a good amount of oakiness reigns in the sweetness a touch.

Medium mouthfeel. Booze comes through especially as it warms, but not overpowering. Too much carbonation for the style.

A little bit one note overall. I like brandy and there flavor is there, but overpowers the subtler flavors hurting the complexity. Also I like boozy stuff with present, but low carbonation. This one is almost fizzy at times. Not bad, but a somewhat flawed beer. I'd like to try a different batch again sometime in the future.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 23:53:16 | More by jmarsh123

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.58/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Deep reddish amber. Big khaki head with great retention. A little leggy.

Smell - It's all brandy. Fruity. Alcoholic, but not too much.

Taste - Straight brandy flavor. Fruity. Boozy. Dry. Some caramel, but really I can't taste anything beyond brandy. Maybe some oak.

Mouthfeel - Very dry. Boozy. Oaky.

Overall - I'm gonna go out on a limb and say four years is too long for a brandy barrel. I can only taste caramel behind it.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 01:42:28 | More by Alieniloquium

GrindFatherBob

New York

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%

06-02-2013 12:32:29 | More by GrindFatherBob

Anonymous1

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

06-01-2013 05:19:37 | More by Anonymous1

hilgart1

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%

05-30-2013 00:16:07 | More by hilgart1

MaseFace

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +1.8%

05-29-2013 01:37:11 | More by MaseFace

HopsMatt

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

05-29-2013 01:37:01 | More by HopsMatt

metalgdog

New York

3.25/5  rDev -17.3%

05-29-2013 01:12:13 | More by metalgdog

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter.

4.0 A: Deep mahogany brown color. One and a half fingers of frothy/creamy beige head. Retention is good given the ABV and a short ring of lacing is left.

3.75 S: This is a fruity sohmbitch in a "rustic" way. By this I mean there's tons of raisin and tobacco in here. Brandy adds a boozy dark grape component. Some mineral with earthy hops. Plum, currants, and molasses. Layers of caramel and toffee. Overall, the booze is pretty well hidden.

3.5 T: Like the nose, this is full of raisin, tobacco, and brandy. Light astringency accompanies vanilla, oak, mineral, dark grape, and a hint of leather. Plenty of caramel and toffee with plum, currants, and molasses. Basically tastes like it smells with a bit more booze and astringency.

3.25 M: Heavier medium body. A bit too much carbonation that "blows up" a bit in the mouth. Somewhat sticky. Decent, but nothing special here.

3.5 D: Decent beer, but I'm not crazy about it. Those with a love for raisin and tobacco should enjoy more than I have. Definitely worth a try either way.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 00:26:51 | More by DavoleBomb

jaasen64

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into 18oz Funky Buddha snifter. Thanks Tom (airfoil) for this one. Full bottle pour, reviewed live, served at cellar temperature (around the recommended 55 degrees).

A- Pours a dark mahogony brown that appears almost jet black in the glass, about a half finger of thick foamy/creamy yellowish brown beige head that has excellent retention and fades very slowly to a thin creamy layer. Appears to have decent carbonation.

S- Wow the brandy pops out right away and can still be noticed when the glass is sitting a couple feet away. Aromas of brandy, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, oak, and lots of dark fruits such as plums, cherries, apples, dates, raisins, etc. Fairly aromatic with a nice complexity and noticeable barrel characteristics.

T- Flavors of raisins, toffee, light oak, brandy, light baker's chocolate, cola, and some dark fruits (plums, apples, cherries) and a hint of yeast. Finishes with more dark fruits and a light acidity which kind of ruins the beer. Fairly complex like the aroma however the flavors don't quite come together as nicely and the light acidity + slight cola aspect kills the beer a little bit in my opinion.

M- Probably the worst part about this beer- thick, creamy, lightly syrupy, abv very well hidden, fairly high carbonation which does not fit nicely with the beer. Something was not right with the mouthfeel of this beer- I think it was how it had a decent amount of carbonation combined with a fairly dense body, I felt like the carbonation took away from the complexity and flavors making the beer less enjoyable.

O- When I first heard about this beer I had high expectations and thought that it sounded amazing. At first from the aroma it easily lived up to my expectations, but after that it went downhill. I felt like the taste didn't quite match the intensity that I was expecting from the nose and the beer was slightly overcarbonated for the style. Don't get me wrong this beer wasn't terrible, it was actually fairly drinkable, it just didn't live up to my expectations and probably isn't something I'll be trying again in the near future.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 22:19:30 | More by jaasen64

mendvicdog

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%

05-21-2013 13:25:34 | More by mendvicdog

duceswild

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

05-21-2013 04:56:18 | More by duceswild

mcdonald422

California

5/5  rDev +27.2%

05-21-2013 03:25:34 | More by mcdonald422

coz

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.8%

05-19-2013 05:41:28 | More by coz

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

05-14-2013 03:19:52 | More by t0rin0

Dirtinabottle

New York

4/5  rDev +1.8%

05-10-2013 03:47:07 | More by Dirtinabottle

brycevolk

Ohio

3/5  rDev -23.7%

05-06-2013 14:48:26 | More by brycevolk

drummermattie02

Texas

2.5/5  rDev -36.4%

05-05-2013 18:58:29 | More by drummermattie02

angrygrimace

California

4.84/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours nice and deep red. Little bit of yeast sediment left in the bottle.

The beer smells a bit boozy, but at the same time sweet and nutty, a bit like candied pecans. But the taste is not boozy at all; in fact, this is the smoothest Barleywine I've ever had.

The taste is strongly of nuts (which is weird since its a Brandy Barrel aged beer), particularly liquid pecans as suggested by the smell, but the finish is oaky and very, very reminiscent of Walnuts. It just tastes fantastic. This is an amazing beer that's completely underrated, particularly in comparison to its brother beer Silva Stout. This beer is better than Silva Stout. Mouthfeel is great, super smooth for its ABV.

Great beer. Hard to get, but seek it out if you can find it.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 07:46:54 | More by angrygrimace

FLBeerGuy

Florida

4/5  rDev +1.8%

04-28-2013 22:33:02 | More by FLBeerGuy

iL0VEbeer

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

04-28-2013 19:40:03 | More by iL0VEbeer

nrs207

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

04-28-2013 01:45:06 | More by nrs207