Silva Stout | Green Flash Brewing Co.

4.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Sampled this at Creekside Brewing Company during a central coast BA gathering last night. Either bargerking or rhertan shared this one. Either way, thanks to both of you! Hopefully we can sneak in another BA gathering before I leave town.

Poured into a 4oz. tasting glass.

Appearance: Pitch black body, with brown only appearing at the outermost edges when held to light. Fine, brown foam forms a size-able crown-like head that retains very well. Nice lacing to boot!

Smell: Roasted malt, fudge, caramel, (boozy) bourbon, red currants, and chocolate syrup all breathe forth right off the bat. Coffee (mocha-like) plays a larger role as the beer warms. The nose isn't as strong as I expected, but it's certainly complex and dynamic.

Taste: Tons of coffee and creamy chocolate meld together to form a beautiful mocha-like flavor. Bourbon and caramel emerge shortly afterward, followed by boozy heat that rolls into a rich, roasty, and semi-dry finish. Harmoniously balanced; absolutely delightful!

Mouthfeel: Full, malty (even kind of grainy), peppery, and semi-dry with great mouth-coating. Roast and sweetness play off each other nicely in the finish and aftertaste. Very smooth and pleasant.

Overall: A fantastically rich, complex, and smooth imperial stout. The barrel-aging plays a more subtle role, which really allows the complex malt flavors to shine through. I took multiple pours of this one. Maybe my favorite from the night.

 1,440 characters

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: black body of ale, shiny obsidian; slim finger of tan foam atop left some scarce lace motes down the glass

S: chocolate malts and bourbon whiskey barrels - suggestions of molasses and vanilla

T: sweet roasty chocolaty goodness underscores a suffusion of bourbon; dark espresso notes with molasses sweetness; hints of vanilla, oak, and whiskey caramels...

M: medium-weight, subdued carbonation, drying vaporous finish; dark chocolaty bittersweetness lingers with faint bourbon traces...

O: an excellent BBA stout - currently marketed as Cellar 3 Silva Stout - hits all the marks you'd want in a BBA stout, leans toward the medium density-type, with a smooth and classy drink and finish. Highly recommended.

 713 characters

2.4/5  rDev -43.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Was looking fwd to this one for awhile only to be super let down by the infected batch. I emailed green flash and was told reparations would be made to those who spent money on these infected bottles. I have yet to hear anything more from green flash. Will avoid buying their beers from now on.

 294 characters

3.43/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hopefully this was the infected batch, but if it wasn't, what an overrated brew. Hints of barrel, not much else. Extremely disappointed by this one.

149 characters

1.31/5  rDev -69.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Well, this was a major let down. Was one of the 2015 bottles. Right off the bat we all knew something was wrong. Smells like shitty butterscotch. Only goes down hill from here. Taste is cherry like and even shittier butterscotch. Huge let down for the almost $20 price tag.

 273 characters

3.28/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

750ml bottle of 2015 batch 1. Aroma upon first opening the bottle is promising, chocolate, malt, and bourbon. Aroma is much more muted from the tulip glass. Flavor is sort of woody, cheap whiskey, no real chocolate or vanilla, disappointing really. I feel like I've been so spoiled by Parabola and Bourbon County that most bourbon barrel stouts are a letdown these days.

 370 characters

3.53/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I have no clue how this made it to the BA top 250 after the changes - this beer tasted like buttered popcorn and was pretty clearly infected. That implicated about everything.

 176 characters

1/5  rDev -76.6%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Something was off with this beer, It had to be infected. Shared a 750ml bottle between 4 people and we all dumped it. Very unfortunate, especially because of the cost of the bottle. We saved it for the last one of the night and were so disappointed.

 252 characters

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Jet black appearance, dense cocoa colored head, splotchy lacing, opaque

S - Vanilla, fudge brownies, oak, coconut, dark cherries, caramel and toffee.

T - Dry cocoa powder, dark chocolate, and some fresh oak. Black coffee. Hints of bourbon and coconut.

M - Velvety smooth, but not thick like more imperial stouts, more medium bodied with slightly higher carbonation then expected.

O - This is a great stout for sure. Glad I traded for this one.

 453 characters

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

4/5  rDev -6.3%

4.21/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottle vintage 2010. Pours black with thin brown head. Strong bourbon aroma followed by notes of chocolate and dried fruit. No heat. Flavor is smooth bourbon with bitter sweet chocolate finish. Medium bodied with a nice cola texture. Nicely balanced stout.

 256 characters

4.42/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to dfillius for sharing this one! Been wanting to try this for awhile.

A - Pours pitch black with less than one finger of tan head. Head dissipates quickly and leaves no lacing.

S - Nice sweet bourbon aroma with a lot of vanilla. Smells like dense chocolate cake. A bit of fruit (maybe cherry) and some coffee aroma.

T - Lots of chocolate upfront. Slightly sweet, but mostly bittersweet. Vanilla follows quickly with bourbon. Bourbon is a bit subdued, but very nice. Really tasty.

M - Medium/full mouthfeel, but not heavy. A bit of noticeable alcohol, but relatively mild. A faint amount of lingering booze.

O - Big, flavorful stout, but not at all in your face. Nice bourbon presence, and very chocolatey. Would love to have this again.

 753 characters

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

5/5  rDev +17.1%

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to bu11zeye for sharing this bottle. I have been looking forward to this one.

The beer pours a dark brown to black color with a very small tan head. The aroma is oak, heavily roasted malt, bourbon, maple and chocolate. You get a ton of barrel-aged aspects in the aroma, along with a lot of stout notes.

The flavor is just as complex. I get a lot of heavily roasted/burnt malt, along with some oak, maple and bourbon notes. The alcohol is present and is very hot.

Medium to thick mouthfeel and low carbonation.

A very nice barrel-aged beer that I think may get better with age.

 591 characters

3.75/5  rDev -12.2%

4.87/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours pretty black, but not jet black. Smells fantastic. Loads of vanilla and chocolate. Barrel aging is present. Taste is SOOO smooth. ABV just isn't present at all. It's like sipping a desert. Semi sweet, but dry as well. Vanilla, dark chocolate, loads of malt, bourbon is there but blends very nicely with the rest of the flavors....just fantastic. Mouthfeel is perfect. Huge but smooth. Insanely creamy. This is one of the better BA stouts I've ever had. Nuff said.

 469 characters

5/5  rDev +17.1%

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

4.75/5  rDev +11.2%

4/5  rDev -6.3%