Beer of the Weekend #393: Double Stout

Today on my search for November recommendation candidates I nabbed a bottle of Double Stout, brewed by the Green Flash Brewing Company of San Diego, California.


I am sitting upstairs for a change of scenery. I rarely shake things up with these posts. Nice Halloween decorations, eh? Plus, J-Rod is a Reds fan so I cannot resist the chance to watch him sweat over the playoffs.

Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The nearly smeared “BOTTLED ON” date printed on the bottom of the bottle is “07/02/12.”

Appearance: It poured almost like syrup. The color is opaque black; no light passed through when I held it to a lamp. Two fingers of dark tan head dissipated very slowly and unevenly to leave a rocky lacing.

Smell: Deep, dark, roasted, and basically straightforward. Roasted malts, dark chocolate, a hint of espresso.

Taste: Each sip is tinged with a boozy sting (somewhat reminiscent of fruit-flavored vodka) and the flavors are much more muted. The roasted quality from the smell is not as noticeable (the bitterness lingers after each sip, though) and neither is the dark chocolate. Overall, the flavor is basically a pale version of the aroma.

Drinkability: Meh. It smells awesome but I was expecting a little more in terms of flavor. It is pretty bold, though.

Fun facts about Double Stout:

-Style: Green Flash refers to it as “Black Ale” while BA classifies it as American Double/Imperial Stout.

-Price: $2.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.

-Serving temperature: 50-55ºF.

-Alcohol content: 8.8 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: BA recommends buttery cheeses, chocolate, beef, smoked meat, game, and grilled meat.

-Nerdiness from the brewery website:

Golden naked oats mashed with dark crystal and robust roasted malts create a luscious black brew with satin smooth finish. An old-world style, done the Green Flash way. Big, bold, flavorful and complex.

Not really, but what can you expect from the brewer? They are businesspeople, too.


The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.

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