As a law student on both a budget and a diet, I decided to indulge once a week in my love for craft beer. The result was a weekly ritual involving an in depth look into the specific beer I chose. The following are my picks for The Beer of The Week. I urge you to go out and support craft beer, both locally, nationally, and internationally. Most importantly, find that time during the week to sit, relax, and indulge! Cheers!
Beer of the Week 107 - 2/8/2012: Green Flash Silva Stout
I have to admit that I often pass on Green Flash’s products for no real, good reason. Sure I have had most of their beers in the past, but if I’m out at a bar or at a beer store, I rarely gravitate to their bottles. After having this bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, I will most certainly think twice the next time I walk by their bottles.
Silva Stout, named after Green Flash’s brewmaster Chuck Silva, is described by the brewery the following way: “We aged our Double Stout in oak bourbon barrels for seventeen months. Flavors are very complex. It starts off with dark chocolate truffles rolled in cocoa powder. Next is the vanilla and wood notes, with rich cherry-like fruitiness. After racking and filtering the ale, we blended in just the right amount of freshly brewed Double Stout to provide the perfect balance of bourbon barrel aging and freshness.”
This was a real treat to get to try. The aromas were a pleasant blend of milk chocolate, butterscotch, and loads of sweet vanilla. Not a huge bourbon presence on the nose, which was a nice change of pace from the other big, barrel-aged beers. Hints of oak and coffee came through as well making the nose that much more inviting. The flavors were even nicer. The bourbon made its presence known in the taste mixing quite well with cocoa powder, and yes, truffle like dark chocolate sweetness. Roasted malts and coffee come next contrasting nicely with the sweetness from the chocolate and bourbon. Some fruit like flavors (black cherries, blackberries, etc.) also come forward along with nice sweet vanilla. There is a subtle oak nauance that rounds everything together.
I was really surprised by how well balanced this beer was. My only qualm was the mouthfeel. I like my imperial stouts, especially those aged in barrels of any kind, to have a thicker mouthfeel. The body of this beer was a bit thin for what I envision beers like this to be. Other than that, this was a really well done barrel aged stout. Hopefully I can get my hands on some more sometime soon!
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