Green Flash Silva Stout

Formerly brewed at Green Flash Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
San Diego, California USA

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle provided by Shawn at our little tasting. Thanks! Basically opaque with a fading rocky head and spotty lace. The aroma has notes of heavy roast, cocoa, vanilla beans, bourbon, oak, soy sauce, pepper, clove, walnut and a leathery and tobacco ester. The taste pretty much follows suit with big initial chocolate, vanilla and bourbon overtones supported by some dark fruit twang and hop spice. A bit salty, peaty, smoky and boozy as well. The mouth feel seems thinned out by the barrel aging yet is still creamy and soft, ashy and warming finish but the alcohol is mostly an afterthought. While it was good, I was left with the feeling of wanting more from the beer. Better mouth feel would have likely tipped the scale towards a much higher score. Aging will not improve this beer anymore. I can remove this from my want list.

Bottle @ Hamilton’s, San Diego. Strong bourbon notes, vanilla, wood, chocolate, dark fruits. Thick oily body, creamy mouthfeel. Awesome.

Super-heavy overall in the hourbon department, but I don’t mind that so much! Aroma = Bourbon. Taste is chocolate cake soaked in bourbon with vanilla, toasted coconut and wood tones. Black in color of course with tan head. Could the boubon be dialed back a little to taste more of the underlying beer? Yes, but I still love it just how it is. Notes: Bottle from my friend Joe who was visiting San Diego and picked it up at the brewery upon release. Also sampled some with Shaun Hill, who happened to have a bottle arrive in the mail when we were visiting the brewery.

Bottle. Pours a pitch black color with a tan head. Aroma is of roasted malt, nesquick, dark chocolate, dark fruits, oak, bourbon soaked raisins, coffee and vanilla. Flavor follows the nose with lots of nesquick like chocolate flavors, some dark chocolate, vanilla, coffee, oak, bourbon soaked raisins and dark fruits. The body is full with a creamy mouth feel. Overall a really tasty Imperial Stout!

This poured a darker brown color with a beige head. Aroma was lots of chocolate, mlight bourbon and wood notes, some cherries, and alcohol. Flavor was of bourbon soaked toosie rolls and dark cherry jelly. Very odd this one. There was a flavor there that was new to me that I couldn’t quite pick out and wasn’t sure if I liked it or not.

Bottle shared at Toronado SD by richiesd. Good lord, this was pretty close to my ideal bourbon barrel stout. It poured black with a creamy tan head. The aroma was nutty with caramel wood and chocolate. The flavor is amazingly decadent with fudge, caramel, wood, vanilla, roasted malt and nice minor notes of coffee and coconut. Very full bodied but not a chore to drink. A freakin outstanding beer. Wish I had cases of the stuff.

Thanks to doodler for hooking me up with this bottle. Pours pitch black with mocha head into snifter. Aroma is wood, vanilla, roast, heavy chocolate, and earth. Taste is very rich smooth and delicate. The bourbon is subtle and complimentary to the medium sweet base beer. Great stuff.

Silva is great, the bourbon character takes a seat to the roastedness.  Hoppy aroma and big roastedness adding fresh brewed double stout is killer

Pours dark as oil and thick with a small tan head. Strong vanilla nose with lots of chocolate and a little coffee. Bits of leather. Flavor is sweet and moldy bitter but flavor ends abruptly. Mouthfeel is smooth a creamy. Silky with a long aftertaste. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Bottle shared by the very generous richiesd! It pours jet black, with a thick tan head. The nose is chocolate, wood, toasted coconut, vanilla, roasted malt, caramel and toffee. The taste is roasted malt, thick chocolate milkshake, vanilla, wood, chocolate ice-cream, touch of meat and toffee, with a long, dry finish. Full body, moderate carbonation and well hidden alcohol. Very well balanced and surprisingly not sickly sweet. Great stuff.

From notes. First reviewed 8/19/2011. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip. Thanks to marisatheyounger for the awesome extra. The appearance is mahogany all the way through, a nice viscous look with a frothy tan head. The head mostly dissipates after a few seconds and leaves just a few spots of lace. Silva Stout has a smooth aroma with a nice full balance of roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate, a bit of vanilla, and a very subtle bourbon flavor. The taste is very balanced, easy-drinking, and smooth. Roasted malt and a lightly sweet dark chocolate up front. It turns slightly bitter with a nice roast espresso and bit more bitter chocolate. The end has a touch of bourbon. The mouthfeel is very smooth and balanced, although it is a little weird that the body is on the lighter side for a 10% stout, and the carbonation has a little bit too much pop to it. This is splitting hairs, though. Overall, this is a solid barrel aged imperial stout, I really appreciate the fact that I could drink a few of these without feeling bourbon overload.