Green Flash Sleepin' with Shaggy

Not sure if the name is a Scooby Doo reference or not, but it is certainly interesting. Sleepin' with Shaggy is a 13% barleywine aged in brandy barrels and was sent to me by my buddy in San Diego. I actually thought it was a sour for the longest time and I'm not sure I could have been more wrong. Also, not sure this was a good choice for a Monday night beer considering its strength but I'm running low on normal beers so here we are.

Well, this was certainly aged in brandy barrels. Huge, huge brandy nose consisting of a fruity, caramel sweetness. Not too boozy either. Thick mouthfeel which I always appreciate in high octane beers and think is pretty important in hiding the alcohol. Body was complex with chocolate, caramel, a lightly bitter earthiness, and more brandy. Some booziness but I felt it meshed with all the other flavors well. The brandy sweetness really comes through which is impressive. I wonder what the base barleywine tastes like before the barrel aging. Regardless, this was tasty and a nice surprise.

Green Flash Silva Stout

Another gift from my San Diego buddy, this one came as a surprise in the last box. He sent me another of Green Flash's more limited beers, too, but I haven't had a chance to open it yet. It's in the refrigerator at least! Silva Stout is their Double Stout aged in bourbon barrels.

I liked the nose. It had a mix of smooth coffee, vanilla, and a little bourbon. Pretty thick, almost milkshake like. Body was creamy with coffee and vanilla and finished with a little bitterness. This was pretty good though my notes don't go into too much detail unfortunately. Glad I got to try it though since we don't see many (or possibly any) of Green Flash rarities here in Philly.

Green Flash Palate Wrecker

There were actually a few things on draft yesterday at the Kite & Key that I could have chosen, but I decided to go with the Green Flash Palate Wrecker. Considering I haven't liked most of the hoppy Green Flash stuff before, I'm not sure why I chose it but the sample I had seemed decent so I went with it.

Very bright pineapple nose. Not too hoppy smelling though there is some bitterness there. Medium bodied, not thick but not thin either. Started with pineapple mixed with some grapefruit and finished with a decent amount of bitterness. Luckily, fresh at least, the fruit notes from the hops overpowered the bitterness because there was no sweetness at all in this one. The bitterness isn't too astringent like some of their others which helps too. Definitely wrecks your palate so it's aptly named at least.

I also should mention that there is going to be another Savage Sixtel Sunday at the Kite & Key this coming Sunday (April 22nd). Possible appearance of the Dogfish Head Randall plus other fun stuff!

Green Flash Double Stout at Kite & Key

I've been seeing the Double Stout on the upcoming beers list at Kite & Key for a couple weeks now and couldn't wait until it was finally available. The choice was this or Rogue Chocolate Stout on cask and I decided this one may not last as long.

Roasty nose with hints of coffee in it. On first sip, I got chocolate and roast with some more coffee in it. Some bitter notes but otherwise relatively smooth. Very nice stout. As I drank more and it warmed up a bit, I was getting an interesting sweet flavor that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Reminded me almost of maple but it wasn't quite that. Either way, pretty delicious and I'm going to be on the lookout for some bottles to try it again.

Drinks at London Grill

I've been pretty busy with moving into the new house and going to St. Louis for a wedding so sorry about the lack of updates. There's a big backlog of stuff I have to write about including the Philly Beer Geek semifinals (didn't move on) and some brewpubs from St. Louis.  Look for those soon hopefully. This one is a visit Jo and I made to London Grill a little while ago partially to ensure we actually had a reservation for their Deschutes dinner during Philly Beer Week.

I started with a glass of Dogfish Head Hellhound on My Ale, a double IPA.