The Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Co. (San Diego, CA)
The Brew: Saison Diego (Saison / Farmhouse Ale)
Availability: 12 oz. & 650 mL Bottles
ABV: 4.2% | IBUs: 20
Rating: 7.5/10
Location: Home
The Story? Green Flash's offering have peaked my interest for a while and Saison Diego was next up, in my attempt to make my way through their entire bottled line. After Le Freak, Pallet Wrecker, and Friendship Brew; this had high expectations.
Green Flash lists the beer as "Unfiltered golden farmhouse ale, brewed with Seville orange peels, Chinese ginger and grains of paradise. Light, bright, spicy aromas, lively carbonation and earthy flavors co-mingle with musty notes that add funky complexity" - a great number of those words, especially in the combination sound like tasty to me.
The Beer? Mmm... a nice Belgian noise with some mild funky/sour hints - sour dough bread, maybe? Hazy yellow coloring with a medium head after the pour.
First sip - the ginger is very mellow and not spicy at all. More of the earthiness of the ginger is present than the usual spice. A mild, bright taste with perky carbonation. The orange peel is in there somewhere along with the grains of paradise. Hints of pepper, white bread, and yeast all dialed back with some funk in the back of the room.
Finishes with a bit more earthy, funk imprint at the end of the bottle, but never aggressive.
Overall, a very delicate beer. Not as attention grabbing as I had hoped, but good for those looking for subtle, mellow, and light. Reminds me of the Game Of Thrones Blonde from Ommegang (another brew featuring grains of paradise) - neither is a disappointing beer by any stretch, but in they're both a bit mellow for their own good. Saison Diego has a lot of potential for wowing beauty with the citrus, ginger, funk, grains of paradise, and yeasts present, but none are present enough to lead the pack.
I'd be very interested in comments from anyone who seeks out more delicate beers such as this and their thoughts on the matter.
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