Green Flash Brewing Company Dia De Los Serranos

“Alcoholic heat in the nose obscures hints of roasted malt, chocolate, and caramel. Booze carries into the flavor, stripping away more subtle complexities. Roasty, smoky, with pleasantly malty profile.”

**Aroma:** “Caramel nose with a bit of chocolate—reminds me of Sugar Babies candy. Some oxidation, divided between sherry and cardboard. There’s also a bit of a spicy phenol that reminds me of pepper and dried oranges. Cherry fruity notes up front with a bit of chocolate hiding in the background. High sweetness.” **Flavor:** “Sweet and malty. Toffee, chocolate, and caramel. Still get Sugar Babies candy, but more malt complexity. Moderate sweetness with fruity cherry and plum notes. Roast malt is restrained, but present. Tastes more like an old ale than a stout. Slight alcohol warming, just enough to let you know it’s there. Light hops toward the end of the sip.” **Overall:** “Tasty and easy drinking. Not a challenge at all, but still interesting. Very drinkable beer, but I wouldn’t put it in the stout category. The fruity esters and the oxidized notes seem more like an old ale. Very sweet and a rather heavy body, but it would make a good fireside sipper or desert beer.”

**Aroma:** “Cinnamon, cayenne, ashy roast, dark and milk chocolate, and yes, tobacco. The ash is a little unpleasant, but everything else works well together. Moderate mint, with cinnamon and light chile pepper. Deep richness, with notes of tobacco and leather. Chocolate, with a hint of mole spice, and some fruity notes of cherry, as well as chile powder, earth, and maybe a touch of Brett.” **Flavor:** “More chocolate that other Mexican chocolate stouts, with the cinnamon and cayenne being fairly subdued up front. The flavors grow the longer the beer sits on the palate. Chocolate mint, with cinnamon, vanilla, and just a hint of vanilla spice. A rich, creamy mouthfeel reminiscent of oats or lactose in the grain bill. The capsaicin and alcohol heat hits, then fades into the aftertaste, leaving a vague Thin Mints finish, along with more heat. A very balanced finish.” **Overall:** “Love the body of this beer, mainly because it is so chewy, but then it finishes dry and hot, making you want more. So much complexity, which is typical of the style, but it blends together better than most. It’s quite smooth for a beer with chile spice—nicely subdued, but still present enough to add an interesting background. It’s a nice mix of sweet, chocolate, spice, and roast.”