Green Flash Brewing just announced the national release of Rayon Vert. Vert is a Belgian style pale ale that has been in progress for more than 4 years. Ok, I love Green Flash and this is great. But what makes this so interesting?
The beer was brewed by a self imposed challenge – brew as if they were brewing just ONE beer, AND! under the same operating conditions as pre- WWII Belgium. Green Flash employees travelled to Belgium for inspiration, making a collaboration with Brasserie St-Feuillien Bière de l’Amitié (Friendship Brew) on the trip, released last year.
What makes this unique? Rayon Vert will be a nationally distributed, bottle-conditioned, wild yeast, 12oz/4 pack brew. The ingredients, method and process stays true to the original methods and styles from 80 years ago. Because this process is unique, the flavor will change an evolve over time.
Because it is bottle-conditioned with Brettanomyces, the beer’s flavor is “continuously evolving,” which means there are countless unknown variables that would make most breweries shy away from such an undertaking. So, like most Green Flash beers, there is not anything like it on the market; Rayon Vert is the only year-round front-line beer in the US of its kind.
“After experimenting with many variables to create the definitive signature Belgian-Style Pale Ale, I ultimately settled on using a yeast that is unique to Green Flash for the base character and further developed the beer from there,” explains Green Flash Brewmaster Chuck Silva. “Keeping the ingredient list simple seemed to be the best approach,” he continues. “Focusing on hop complexity was always in the forefront, but how to finish the beer was the unknown challenge. We grew inspired by Saison and Belgian Ales that finish dry and have a slightly wild character and we made the bold and risky decision to launch this new, Green Flash front-line beer with Brettanomyces bottle conditioning.”
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
Availability: 12oz bottles
Taste Expectations (Per GF): Rayon Vert is distinctly aromatic, effervescent and light in body. It is dry, crisp and refreshing with notes that are fruity without being sweet and has a toasty quality that is true to the period of pre-WWII Belgians. An ideal, full-flavored, everyday ale, it can be enjoyed year round.
Arrival: January, 2012
Interestingly, Rayon Vert translates to Green Ray. It’s a rare optical phenomena that happens at sunset. It looks like a green ray shooting up from the sun. Caused by light refraction through the atmosphere. (The more you know right?) See image.
