Dia De Los Serranos
Green Flash Brewing Co.

4.38/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Look - super dark / black with a dark khaki 1 finger head - retention is decent and lacing continues onward
Smell - sweet chocolate syrup, coffee, charred wood, black cracked pepper, roasted peppers
Taste - super rich stout flavors like dark brown sugar, chocolate, and coffee - starts out very sweet but it fades and dries out and gets more stouty - the serrano peppers are fairly subdued in flavor, but the heat intensifies with every sip - this one isn't too hot, but it has a decent amount of heat - caramel flavors continue on as the peppers fade
Feel - quite thick and full bodied
Overall - I really enjoyed this one as I really like spicy peppered brews - this isn't overly peppery or hot, but it is quite complex and well balanced - the stout side is very flavor

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4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - The beer was deep black with visible carbonation.

Smell - The beer had a nice baker’s chocolate nose with a hint of spice.

Taste - At the front was dry baker’s chocolate with an overall smoothness. At times, the chocolate is syrupy sweet. Spice comes toward the back with just a hint of heat. In the big picture, the heat is mild.

Mouthfeel - Carbonation is modest or the bubbles are set to small for an overall smoothness.

Overall - I wanted mire serranos/more heat.

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3.05/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This was poured into a snifter. The appearance was a dark brown close to black color with a one finger white to off white foamy head. Light lacing running here and there. The smell started off with the Serrano chili spice blending nicely with some milk chocolate. The taste was basically the same, but came off a bit more leaning towards the spice. Milk chocolate is there, but not too much. Some of the roasty coffee bean comes out lightly. But the aftertaste and finish seem to be all about the Serrano chilis. On the palate, this one sat about a medium on the body with a pure sipping quality about it due to the chilis coming across the way they do. Carbonation seems to definitely run light enough to allow spicy heat to pretty much overtake the feel, damn, this comes across super hot all around, Overall, good imperial stout for the qualities Green Flash wanted. But the heat part could be dialed back a little bit.

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4.02/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured out a jet-black color with a two-finger, light brown head of foam. It smelled of subtle serrano chilies and roasted malt. Big-time heat and spice that lingers with each sip. Just enough roastiness to make sure the heat isn't overpowering.

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4.02/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. Bottle

Pours a very nice dark brown color, nice carbonation, with a pretty nice thick/creamy one-finger tan head, which leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, with some chocolate/toffee, peppers, vanilla, licorice. The taste is malty, spicy, chocolate/toffee, vanilla. Medium body. Overall, a tasty brew.

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3.98/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I wanted to love this beer. However, it just isnt doing it for me right now.
It is solid, certainly not sweet. I honestly think I would like to use it for cooking more than anything. Let's review it...

Drinking it from tap at Strange Brew in Allentown, PA

Look: Dark and delicious looking. Little to no head. Not sure if a laser could shine through it.

Smell: Like the best mole I have ever had. Chocolate and lots of earthy goodness.

Taste: I just ate a salad and drank an IPA before taking this on. But the first taste, to me, was of pure Chile Powder. Don't get me wrong, very good Chile, but it was very strong. I am liking it more as it warms up. And now I just ate some hot sauce and pastrami, so let me try it again....Ok. Less pepper, but more bitter than I would like. I prefer the Stone Xocoveza by a million miles. Too bad it is so rare...
Feel: The feel is lighter than it looks. Not much more to say than that. I feel a slight burning sensation that will probably be felt in other areas later, but not much more to say on that.
Overall: I was really stoked to get into this, but I am left a little disappointed in comparison to Stone's Xocoveza and even Rouge's Chipotle, or Wyerbacher's Mole for that matter... But Wyerbacher way overdid their Mole. It was a DUI Special...

Try the Stone if you can find it! And thanks Mexico for their influence!

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4.91/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 5

A Stout/Chile Lover's Dream. Pours black with a brown head. Aroma is phenomenal - dark roast coffee and dark chocolate with a little something sweet stemming out. Taste is even better; dark chocolate, coffee and YES, THEY NAILED IT - the Chile Peppers come through perfect! It's the cherry on top for this stout. Feel is little thin and a little bit too carbonated for the style, but no worries. Overall this stout is a must try, especially for those looking for that spicy kick. In my opinion, this is a level ahead of what BOMB! is trying to do. And BOMB! is a world class beer.
(Could have sworn I had this on draft at the ABC Bar in NYC under a different name.)

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3.75/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Great beer. The pepper is very light on the aroma and flavor. They could have gone a little stronger on the pepper but the beer is still really good. Nice dark color a little lighter in body compared to a lot of double stouts, but I think a stronger bodied stout would have drowned the pepper flavor.

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4.41/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a Chimay goblet best by 4/12/17. Pours midnight black with a two inch dark khaki head that covers the glass with lace.

Smell is cocoa, roasted coffee, vanilla, grainy biscuit, and a little spice from the peppers.

Taste follows a little heat upfront, expresso, vanilla bean, biscuit, and some more peppery heat in the finish not over the top, but it lingers on the tongue until your next sip.

Mouthfeel is fairly chewy above medium for sure, plenty of life, on the dry side not complaining either, and excellent drinkability if you don't mind a little spice in your life.

Overall I really like this beer, far from one dimensional, but like I was expecting from the base beer, with some subtle heat.

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4.44/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is an excellent stout for those who don't like their dark beers to be too sweet. The peppers definitely take a back seat to chocolate and coffee, but you notice more heat as it warms. For a double (8.8%) it does not taste overly boozy, which makes it very pleasant (and dangerously easy) to drink. Overall, this is a winner that I will definitely buy again.

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3.68/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Large frothy tan head, with decent retention.

Fairly standard stout aroma, with chocolate, roast, coffee, and dark fruit, but a nice hint of peppery spice starts coming through on the back-end.

Flavor definitely follows a more restrained, nicer robust stout body than the nose intimates, and the pepper is more noticeable up front, without ever actually becoming hot. It's more a vegetal, herbal spice addition, with just a touch of heat on the back-end.

Fairly thin for an 8.8% stout, but very drinkable. A nice beer, but nothing amazing. The heat level is nearly perfect.

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4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured into a snifter to a deep black topped by a finger and a half of dense tan head that slowly fades to a collar around the edge of the glass with some lacing
S: Smells of chili peppers with some chocolate, coffee and roasty malt notes
T: Taste is peppers up front with some chocolate and coffee, there are some nice roasty notes as well but the peppers are front and center for the most part with the other flavors playing a supporting role. Swallow is roasted malts, coffee, burnt marshmallows, and chocolate with some lingering heat.
M: This beer is smooth and full in the mouth with soft carbonation that is adequate for the style. The beer finishes on the dry side but that's okay.
O: Overall this one is pretty good. The peppers are there but this one isn't super hot. The addition to the base beer creates a real nice harmony of flavors. Really happy I grabbed it but not sure if I intend to ever revisit. Definitely worth a try once though.

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4.38/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours jet black with a one-finger, creamy, tan head.
Nice chocolate malt, toffee smell. a touch of the peppers.
Wonderful baker's chocolate malt, and the peppers come in with some heat at the end. Blends well and the peppers are not overbearing. Coffee and toffee present.
Smooth mouth feel, medium body.
breweries are starting to make some good pepper beers.

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3.93/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Looks like a stout, smells like a stout, it's a stout.

Smell is quite subtle, with coffee, cacao and (very) slight chilli.

Taste is reflective, and the chile is not noticable besides a slight burning on the tongue in the aftertaste. Otherwise it feels like a normal American imperial stout - which is just fine by me.

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4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is really a Double Stout more than a Chile Beer, but I mean that as a good thing. The chiles do not dominate, they enhance the flavor of a solid stout. Pours a dark black color into a pint glass with only the least bit of light showing through the bottom of the glass. Big frothy dark tan head with very good retention. Thick bands of lacing on the glass. Aroma is a somewhat sweet, malty stout with a little coffee and chocolate. Taste starts out the same with rich sweet maltiness and fairly prominent chocolate and coffee. The Serrano peppers kick in towards the end with a bit of a sting at the back of the mouth. The peppers are well integrated into the beer, not as an unpleasant or over-the-top addition (Like Ghost Killah). Mouthfeel is rich and smooth, with a nice little pepper kick at the end. Very well done.

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4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pitch black with an off-white lacing ring. Lots of legs and viscous on the sides of the glass.

S - Roasty dark chocolate aroma with some, light charcoal smokiness, and dark chocolate cream.

T - Dark roasted chocolate bitterness, some and spicy lingering heat with dark roasted chocolate cream on the back end.

M - Heavy body, pepper heat in the back of the throat.

O - Not too hot and nice job keeping the peppers in check without dominating.

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4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

UPDATE: I finished the last one awhile back, and although I really liked their double stout, aged, this one aged did not impress me.

Good Imperial Stout; there was a decent amount of heat in the flavor, with some coffee notes as well; and it was reasonably bitter.

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4.22/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

So this is a stout, and while it has the flavors of coffee and cocoa like you would expect from this type of beer, it also has the added kick of chilies. There is a noticeable kick of heat, but this is by no means "hot" in the same sense of something like hot sauce being hot. There's just a little bit of bite, so it doesn't drown out the other flavors floating around in the beer. This brew is very well balanced in terms of its different flavors, as I've come to expect from Green Flash. I only had a taster of this beer, so I'll definitely be back to have a pint before this beer disappears off the menu.

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4.07/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

super creamy-looking brown head.... smells just like their Double Stout except for a little adjunctivity....
nice, hearty and filling mouthful produces some full roastiness and a little bit of (as they say) bakers' chocolate. a little bit of vanilla here n there but not much pepper (which is the reason for purchasing this). some earthiness at the finish. not bad. obviously their trademark double stout recipe with an added ingredient or two.... great mouthfeel....

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4.23/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

22 oz bomber served cold into a pint glass. Purchased while visiting the US. A little past its best before date of August 2, 2016.

Appearance - One of the blackest beers I've ever seen. A fine finger of tan foam rests on top and stays a while. No light can make it through even at the edges of the glass. Not much lacing but a thin streak of lace rests around the edges of the glass.

Smell - A bold earthy stout comes the nose immediately. Charcoal, earth, and a little leather in there. Not so much smoke but rather a little ash. Some mustiness as well.

Taste - Bitter with some elements of smoke and ash and grounded in an earthy bitterness. Some leathery flavors and just a hint of dark chocolate mixed with used coffee grounds at the end. Chile's don't come into the end and have some heat, but not too much. Well integrated. Improves significantly as it warms with chocolate and coffee especially coming through with the heat of chiles at the end.

Mouthfeel - Smooth with a heavy body with prickly carbonation enhanced by the chiles. Fairly click going down the gullet. Heat builds nicely in the back of the throat.

Overall - A chile beer with the sum of the final product being greater than the sum of the parts. Exceptionally well integrated and a certain must try for not only chile beer fans but stout fans in general as the heat is moderate and not burn your tongue off hot. One of the best in the style and something I'd give a second thought to purchasing again despite the steep price tag.

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4.15/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nice dark color. Tan head with fine lace. Not super persistent.

Smell is ok, not great. Malty, musty, perhaps sour.

Taste is very nice indeed. Stout. Classic stout. Malt, licorice, hints of cocoa & chocolate. Even the base beer for this (without chili) would be quite nice.

Mouthfeel is rich, not overcarbonated, spot-on.

Finish is lovely. Not super long or intense. Chili flavor appears only once the malt goes. Beautifully integrated, subtle. Well done, gents.

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4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle into snifter; no bottle dating, but is a recent release. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky tan head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toasted dark bread, chili pepper, vanilla, light smoke/char, herbal, light pine, and roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of roast/bready malt, chili pepper, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toasted dark bread, chili pepper, vanilla, light smoke/char, herbal, light pine, and roast/toasted earthiness. Moderate pepper spiciness and light-moderate herbal/roast bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toasted dark bread, chili pepper, vanilla, smoke, char, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready malt, chili pepper, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from pepper spice, increasing though the glass. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy, fairly sticky/chalky, and lightly silky mouthfeel that is great. Light-moderate pepper warmth builds through the glass; leading to lasting body core warming that is not overwhelming. Overall this is an excellent chile pepper stout. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready malt, chili pepper, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth to sip on, despite elevated pepper spice and warming. A very enjoyable offering.

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4.08/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Green Flash Dia De Los Serranos (Chile Stout), 8.8% ABV, 45 IBU. Pours dark and thin, not much head. Nose is malt, chocolate/cocoa, and chile, taste follows plus coffee, slight coffee bitter close. The chile heat is not overpowering in this one, but could be better with more chocolate. Good mouthfeel, overall pretty good. Not as good as Prairie BOMB!, but better than Rogue Sriracha.

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4.24/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Type: 22-oz. bottle
Glass: Hardwood Artisans shaker pint glass
From: Trader Joe’s in La Mesa (San Diego), Calif.
Price: $5.99
Purchased: July 1, 2016
Consumed: July 9, 2016
Reviewed as: Chile beer
Misc.: Best by April 12, 2017

Had seen this on tap at the Alpine tasting room, but never pulled the trigger. Saw a good deal for $5.99 at Trader Joe’s and finally pulled it. Not really any expectations going in.

Poured a pitch black color with 4-to-5 fingers of khaki, rocky head. Excellent, spiderweb, foamy lacing. Excellent retention. (Sight - 4.00)

Smelled dark chocolate, spicy chile peppers, dark cocoa nibs, toffee, caramel, dark roasted coffee beans and chocolate milk. (Smell - 4.25)

Taste followed the nose nicely, maybe not quite as flavorful. Not as spicy as I thought either. Got dark cocoa nibs, dark chocolate, dry roasted black coffee beans, spicy serrano (I mean it’s in the name) chile peppers, toasted toffee, dark caramel, hints of vanilla and chocolate milk. (Taste - 4.25)

Full body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Long, spicy finish. (Feel - 4.25)

This was a very nice chile beer. Really liked it. (Overall - 4.25)

4.24 | 94 | A-

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4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

look: Very dark brown, nearly opaque as a stout should be. Sparse tan smattering of a head.
smell: Pretty subtle nose. A hint of chile, some light roasty vanilla.
taste: Much like the nose with a fairly pronounced chile heat in the finish.

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