Green Flash Cellar 3 Series - "Silva Stout"

My response from GF

 

So, since roughly 6,000 bottles have been distributed, and going with 1 in every 200 being infected, they believe there are only 30 infected bottles out there? . Why not make it up to the folks that bought the diacetyl'd bottles? There are only, at most, 30 of us, right? I think the part about this that truly irks me is their reluctance to cede that they have a bigger problem on their hands.

 

opened one with a bunch on non-craft beer people. They all loved it. Me, it smelled and tasted like butter. Not sure if they loved it because they "love" everything I open or if they didnt pick up on the butter or liked the butter. but out of 5 adults who all drink wine/craft beer all but me enjoyed it. Even after I disclosed my butter thoughts they could pick that up, but still enjoyed it.

I took that bottle for that specific purpose to see what everyone else thought.

 

Yep... And as was said before, this thread alone probably has close to 30 examples in it.

So everyone who got a bad bottle is both on BA and spoke up about it in this thread? Riiiigghhhttt... I didn't buy much Green Flash before and I'd be willing to let it go if they'd just admit how big the problem (seems) to be, but they seem unwilling to do that.

 

FWIW just skimmed this thread and there are, at minimum, 30 posts in here of people reporting bad bottles. Probably more, I got lazy and stopped counting on page four.

 

I don't expect them to do much about it. They'll stick to their claim on how rare it is to find a diacetyl bottle and call it a day. Just remember as consumers we have the upper hand. If you got a bad bottle and are upset with wasting $20 just stop buying their product. And if you're really pissed about it word of mouth goes a long way. Just my 2 cents.

 

Yeah I don't expect them to do anything either and that's fine. The only GF beer I ever purchased with any sort of regularity was Saison Diego and I'll just leave it on the shelf from now on.

 

I didn't feel mine was infected when I tried it, and still thought it was a disappointment. Haven't had any GF since and seeing this unfold, pretty sure I've had my last.

 

I havent openend mine yet but I really wish they would just own the mistake. Infections happen and I think how the brewery handles it really sets the stage for future releases. At the end of the day its $20 so im really not that upset, it happens to big and small brewers alike. Admit there is a major problem with the batch, let everyone know how you plan to correct it in the future, and charge less for future celler 3 releases untill you have a proven track record of quality. Just my .02.

 

As more reports of diacetyl being present in this beer continue to surface, along with Green Flash attempting to minimize the problem and continuing to advise people with concerns to go ahead and drink the bottles, I tend to conclude Green Flash has come to the conclusion bad PR is worth less than the cost of a recall. Perhaps with the development of Cellar 3 and the acquisition of the Alpine brand, the need for capital in the amount generated by the release of this beer was necessary for the business.

 

This seems to be the thread that never ends...

I have a bottle that was given to me a while back. Since I'm not a fan of Green Flash, I put it in the cellar and pretty much forgot about it...

 

If this is the case they are about to learn what the long term consequences are of not delivering on customer expectations. Based on what I'm reading in this thread, Green Flash has lost a lot of customers over this. I wouldn't want to be in executive management over there, that's for sure. As for me, I still have a bottle sitting in the cellar. Any thoughts out there on whether or not time could improve the diacetyl? Can't make up my mind as to whether I should open it now. I did have a friend report that the draft pour was excellent but that sounds like it's typical for this beer.

 

I thought I saw somewhere that eventually the Diacetyl will be cleaned up but I have never heard of that before. Im going to sit on mine because I was planning on it anyway.

 

Diacetyl could result from several different issues in the brewing process, in which case there is a possibility active yeast in the bottle could possibly metabolize the compound. Or it could be a result of a pediococcus infection.

 

It's funny that their latest Cellar 3 Series release is a Flanders Red Ale. Just to be safe.

 

Drank 1 of mine right after I bought it a month or 2 ago. Awful drained poured and drank some SMS which was shockingly good. Have about 3 or 4 more. Had bought one for a buddy because it was so limited around here but I would never stick him with it now. I will open it with him and take the hit. All part of the deal but doubt it will ever see my cellar again.

 

Sounds delicious but after the debacle of Silva stout I cant see giving them another 20$.

 

The 3rd is a Sasion with Fruit and Brett.
Green Flash Natura Morta Plum is a saison fermented in oak foudres, then aged in red wine barrels with an Italian plum puree.

 

Devil's advocate: we're assuming that every complaint on this thread is accurate. I'm not calling out anyone's palate specifically, so there is no need to reiterate that yes, in fact, you *actually* tasted diacetyl. But palates are funny things.

Case in point: I opened a bottle of Crasher In The Rye this past weekend that I thought was extremely buttery, but the vast majority of reviews and feedback I've see on that beer has made no mention of infection.

I've also seen some comments on here about not particularly liking the beer, and his wouldn't be the first time that drinkers (again, not questioning anyone here specifically) have confused dislike for the dreaded infection. Especially now that the existence of infection is a public issue. Some people are suggestible, and the truth could lie somewhere in between peoples' perception of a massive amount if Diacetyl vs. Perception of a small amount.

All that said, I agree that it seems like GF is being a little disingenuous here. It seems like they don't want to admit to possibly having a larger problem, but if they aren't careful, playing coy is going to do more damage than admitting to the infection in the first place.

One other thing: does anyone know if the extra-long time in barrels might increase the chance of a diacetyl infection or possibly impart a flavor on the beer that is similar-smelling/tasting to diacetyl. Just curious.

One things for sure--I'm very curious to try my own bottle now. Especially given my experience with CitR relative to others.

 

I've never tasted or smelled a beer like this one. It was like some took a pot and melted butter and Werther's Originals and let it go just until it started to burn. It was truly, truly odd.

Catcher in the Rye was definitely unique, but nothing like this.