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Monthly Archives: April 2013

Review of Green Flash Saison Diego

What’s up guys? Let’s drink a beer shall we? For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be sampling the Green Flash Saison Diego produced by the Green Flash Brewing Company located in San Diego, California.

I’ve only had this beer once before and I remember liking it, so I figured I better give it a proper review.

Let’s get to the website, greenflashbrew.com, and see what we can find out about this brew.

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.

Let’s pour.

This brew had a light ABV of 4.2% and it came in a 22 oz. bomber.

It poured a very nice, semi-hazy, golden color. The head was white, rocky, fluffy and soapy. It was sized great and it had some outstanding retention time. The lacing was patchy and fairly attractive.

The aroma was a bit lighter than I was expecting it to be, although it did present some decent shots of lemon and orange citrus. Grassy tones and coriander type spices followed. Touches of hay and yeast sat underneath while a very minute funkiness became more noticeable as it warmed.

The flavor released some very nice splashes of orange citrus and lemon peel. Clean breadiness and some wheat type characteristics stood out too. More of that coriander as well as some herbal tones made themselves known as I continued to drink. Little to no funkiness was to be had in the flavor. Oh well, it was still an all around solid tasting brew.

The mouthfeel was on the lighter side. Dry, snappy, crisp, refreshing and thirst quenching. The carbonation was lively and zesty. An “ok” amount of flavor was left behind on the palate for me to enjoy after each swallow as well.

Overall, this was a pretty good beer. Definitely a great session beer for the Summer season. I would love to have this after a day of doing yard work. It’s not quite on the level of some of those Belgian Saisons that I love so much, but the Green Flash Saison Diego would be an awesome gateway Saison for someone interested in exploring the style. It has some of the proper attributes without being too overwhelming. I’d say give it a try. I wouldn’t mind picking it up again sometime when the weather starts getting warmer. Be sure to let me know of your opinion if you sample it.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone. I really appreciate it.

Until next time. Cheers.

Score: 3.7 out of 5

Grade: B

Review of Schlafly Bière de Garde

27 Apr

Hello again everyone. It’s time for another craft beer review. This time I’m going to be trying the Schlafly Bière de Garde produced by the St. Louis Brewing Company located in St. Louis, Missouri.

I’ve been pretty fortunate to be able to get a lot of stuff from Schlafly in my area and I’ve tried most of them, yet I’ve never tried this one, so I’m pretty excited about it.

Let’s get to the website, schlafly.com, and see if they have some sort of description of the Bière de Garde.

Our Bière de Garde invokes the tradition of the farmhouse ales of Northern France, renowned for their subtle aromas of apricot and allspice. Four different types of malt create a toffee sweetness, while French Strisselspalt hops add a subtle spice flavor. The beer is fermented with a distinct French farmhouse ale strain, then bottle conditioned with extra sugar and yeast for at least two weeks.

Nice. Let’s get to it.

This beer came in a 25.4 oz. bottle with an ABV of 7.0%.

It poured a hazy deep orange to almost amber type color. The head was eggshell white and sized very well. The texture was soft, fluffy, kind of soapy and semi-rocky. The retention time was good and the lacing looked decent enough. Not a bad appearance I didn’t think.

The bouquet was chocked full of fresh grass and grain tones. A touch of sweet caramel along with a minute biscuit fragrance too. A light fruitiness of orange citrus intermingled with some yeast and some mellow peppery spice as the brew opened up and began to relax.

The taste didn’t seem as complex as the aroma in my opinion. The peppery spice did become more prominent and the grassiness was still there, but the orange citrus and the earthy/yeasty characteristics were a tad bit muted. A little bit of funkiness made itself known though, which I liked.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied. Mostly smooth, dry and even a tad chewy. A nice, medium strength carbonation seemed about right for the style and I even got the slightest inkling of warmth from the alcohol. A solid dose of flavor was left behind on the palate for me to enjoy between sips.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty nice beer. For sure one to try if you can snag a bottle. I didn’t think that any one attribute was “world class”, however all were sturdy, stable and sound. The drinkability was good and I definitely wouldn’t mind trying it again sometime. I think the Schlafly Bière de Garde is part of their “Bottle Conditioned series and I believe it’s available year round, so keep an eye out for it. If you’ve tried this beer feel free to leave a comment and tell me about your experience. Did you like it? Would you drink it again?

Thanks for reading everyone. I really appreciate the support.

Until next time. Cheers.

Score: 3.9 out of 5

Grade: B+

Review of Jolly Pumpkin Luciérnaga “The Firefly”

25 Apr

Hi guys. For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Jolly Pumpkin Luciérnaga “The Firefly” produced by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales situated in Dexter, Michigan.

Let’s just go ahead and get to the website, jollypumpkin.com, and see what kind of info they can provide regarding this beer before we sip.

An artisan pale ale brewed in the Grand Cru tradition. Enjoy its golden effervescence and gentle hop aroma. Coriander and Grains of Paradise round out the spicy palate, melting o so softly into a silken finish of hoppiness and bliss! Make any season a celebration!

Now that sounds delicious. Let’s pour.

This beer came in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it had an ABV of 6.5%.

The liquid discharged into the glass a hazy, darker orange color. The head was slightly off white and sized great with a rocky, frothy and soapy texture. The retention time was solid and it left behind some patchy, cobweb”y” lacing as it slid down the sides of the tulip. It looked great I thought.

The nose released a solid dose of funk along with some fruity pineapple and lemon. The sour smell was kept to a minimum Definite spices of white peppercorn and coriander. Tones of musty hay and oak too. The overall bouquet was well defined and balanced adequately.

The taste let loose of some of those funky “bugs”. It seemed a touch more earthy than I was expecting though. Only the most minute sourness and tartness was detected from the citrus of pineapple and lemon. I felt that it contained some grassy hops as well. The woodiness and spices were subdued, but still recognized.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied. Smooth, yet crisp and thirst quenching. Not sharp at all. It was mostly dry, although it did become a bit watery about halfway through. The carbonation was of medium strength and believe it or not, I got a touch of warmth from either the pepper or alcohol. A decent amount of flavor was left behind as well.

Overall, I thought this was a solid beer. Easily a beer to be enjoyed during the warmer days of the Summer. As I worked my way through the bottle it began to fall a bit short in comparison to some of the other Belgian Pale Ales that I’ve had in the past. Everything became somewhat muted. Still though, it was a good beer with a superb drinkability. Surely a beer I would recommend if you haven’t tried it yet….. so give the Jolly Pumpkin Luciérnaga “The Firefly” a go if you see it. Please leave a comment to tell me about it if you’d like also.

Thanks for reading everyone. I really appreciate it.

Until next time. Cheers.

Score: 3.75 out of 5

Grade: B