Green Flash West Coast I.P.A. - Green Flash Brewing Co.

jucifer1818

Florida

2.5/5  rDev -41%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: medium amber, almost grepefruity red ting to it. Rather inviting
4/5

S: a lot of grape fruit here with a distinctive hoppy aroma
4/5

T: Very, very, very heavy handed bittering hops. Has a light fruity (Grapefruit) back taste, but its overwhelmed by the intense hoppyness. and that's the problem. this brew used too much bittering hops and not enough malt, making a very unbalanced beer that I find rather difficult to drink
2/5,
4.5/5 if you want a unbalanced overly bitter brew

Mouthfeel: very light and difficult to describe as the hoppy bite makes it hard to tell anything about mouth-feel
2/5

Final: 2/5
Lets be frank, I'm not a fan of this beers taste and mouth feel. Its too heavy handed with its hops and comes out more like hop tea than beer to me.
If that's what you want then you will like this one
that's not what I look forward to with a beer

without that malt sweetness to counter the bitterness I jut cant enjoy this beer

if you can enjoy that kind of beer, you will like it.
just remember, maltheads and those weak against bitterness should just order something else.

Serving type: cask

12-08-2012 03:21:37 | More by jucifer1818

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.55/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A-Pours hazy orange amber. off white creamy, frothy head is about ¾ of an inch high and retains excellently. Leaves tons of lacing.

S-Smells eccentrically hopped. Ripe and juicy fruity citrus and pine. Great nose. Love how intense the hops are. The malt tries to balance, but it is overwhelmed by the plethora of hoppiness.

T-The cask's temprature and the smooth feel really let all the hop flavors envelope the palate. Pine and citrus and other ripe tropical fruits. Maltiness does lend some balance. Great taste.

M-The cask makes the feel smooth and perfect. Barely any carbonation. So smooth and creamy.

O/D-Love it on-tap or in a bottle. But via cask this beer is truly awesome. Great beer especially casked.

Serving type: cask

11-06-2011 21:53:39 | More by VelvetExtract

Rhettroactive

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From cask to nonic pint glass at ChurchKey on 3/14/11
*From notes

A: Cloudy and wildly hazy. Almost soapy in appearance. Beautiful dark golden to apricot in color. One finger head that dissipated quickly and left next to zero lacing.

S: Unimaginably fruity, citrusy and just plain outstanding. Travel to Belize, find a pineapple plant, chop one open and give it a big, giant whiff. Yeah, it's like that.

T: Imagine the best Pina Colada you've ever had, but slightly woody and in beer form. Like the name states, this is a West Coast IPA baby - island fruits all the way. As it hit the mid-finish, the tannins really show up in large proportion, and it all leaves a lasting finish of tobacco smoke.

M: It's cask conditioned, so the mouthfeel comes off slightly more subdued and smoother then the standard bottle or tapped version. It's slightly slick and heavier then I remember.

O: I don't know who thought that throwing this one in a cask was a good idea, but am I glad they did. Two big thumbs up for this complex and highly drinkable brew.

Regardless of how you get it, Green Flash's West Coast IPA is a cornerstone of the style. Seek this out now - what are you waiting for?

Serving type: cask

03-16-2011 21:47:54 | More by Rhettroactive

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A soapy, medium-white head with low retention. Color was a deep amber with NE-quality clarity. Very unusual in a cask beer. Nose! Ha! As one person put it, it was like sniffing a baggie of fresh Sensimillia. Ho ho. As if I would have any point of reference... Anyway, those CA boys can lay hands on strains of hops that many of us may never toke on, I mean, drink. Mouthfeel was thick, sticky, and resinous. I poured a tad into a bowl to see if it would light, but to no avail. Lots of piney hops on the tongue and on the finish. Speaking of the finish - dig, the groovy light show, man. Smokability: 5.0.

Serving type: cask

12-07-2009 23:06:21 | More by woodychandler

wagenvolks

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-cask at the Draught House 41st Anniversary party.

One of the favorites of the evening, Green Flash IPA from the cask pours a translucent, particulate-rich copper orange body with a wisp of khaki foam. Big, fruity aromas of grapefruit and orange peel with yeasty undertones of bread dough backed by caramel & pale malts.

Great flavor, enhanced by the creaminess of the cask conditioning. All the usual suspects were there: hoppy pine and resin, bittering citrus zest, and caramel malts; however the hoppiness was slightly subdued, making this beer much more drinkable than out of the bottle. Fantastic body, with a creamy medium thickness and light carbonation. One of my favorite cask experiences to date...right up there with, nay, better than dry-hopped Ruination.

Serving type: cask

11-08-2009 18:27:06 | More by wagenvolks

augustgarage

California

4.43/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On cask during Green Flash night at Blue Palms Brewhouse in Hollywood. Served in a Green Flash pint glass (which the bar told me to take home:-).

Orange-peel tinted amber body with bright highlights - unfiltered, with lots of green hop nuggets in suspension. Two fingers of ivory foam receding by half, leaving behind lovely drapes of lacing.

Aromatics reached my nose before the server even reached my table. Candied ginger, orange zest, apricots, and floral notes. Not much pine, despite these clearly being west coast hops. If this doesn't awaken your senses, nothing will.

Grapefruit, light malt, mint, oregano, hemp, and light earth notes on the palate. Very hop forward, but not excessively bitter. Finish alternates between fruit and herbs. Crisp and somewhat dry overall. Excellent.

Approaching medium bodied, with adequate carbonation. A bit chewy (literally - you'll need to floss after finishing one of these on cask!).

Superior drinkability if you are a hop-head. This is a very pure expression of the style, and works very well on cask.

Serving type: cask

10-21-2009 03:40:02 | More by augustgarage

sustainabrew

New York

4.47/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Look: The IPA poured from a cask is a hazy golden straw color. A thin off white head resides at the top with a bit of lacing as it recedes.

Aroma: A complex hoppy nose. A strong floral bouquet is followed up with just a hint of sweetness and a nice citrusy back end with pronounced grapefruit notes.

Taste: The flavor is like the nose but intensified. The hops just hit in the same complex interplay of floral and citrusy notes, with a bitterness that lingers on the tongue a while after the sip is done. A slight sweet maltiness is just perceptible in the background, balancing this amazingly hoppy IPA just enough.

Notes: Great cask IPA. Green Flash has made a monstrously hoppy IPA but it is far from a single note beer. The hop flavors come in layers and add an interesting complexity in its own right. The cask brings down the carbonation just enough to let the flavors blend and show off with still just enough bubbles to be crisp and cleanse the palette. Overall one of the better IPA's I have had in a long time.

Serving type: cask

06-22-2009 22:40:16 | More by sustainabrew

bonbini26

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On Cask @ the Blind Tiger...1/19/09

Pours a cloudy, hazy, bubble-less blond color. Wow the smell is exploding with citrus and pine. Taste is at first tobacco leaf, grapefruit, hops. Mouthfeel is oily, smooth at first then finishes with a great hop bitterness. Excellent cask beer, would love to try this on tap or the bottle.

Serving type: cask

01-20-2009 01:46:32 | More by bonbini26

PEBKAC

New York

2.42/5  rDev -42.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1

Last call for me at the Brazen Head Cask Fest. One of the few beers that night(Friday) with any noticeable flavor. If my mouth was having a bad day, then this stuff would of surely killed me on any other.

It's cask, so it ain't exactly pretty. It squeezed off just a touch of head, & the floaties were still groggy, so it's a better then average pour to me.

Imagine lighting some Tibetan medicinal incense(the ones with over 800 "cleansing" ingredients), noticing how "wet" it smells, then promptly suck it up your left nostril. Then chase it with a spritz of Pine-Sol. Double Simcoe, Ruination, this hurts like nothing else I've had. If it was dialed down a notch & a half I could of appreciated it more. It smells better from a distance. :P

Now, regardless of what you read, I'm not a hippy. I just happen to like incense. I have a regular everyday job & the last time I saw a hackey sack, I crushed it with my love of capitalism.

For taste, rancid Ecto-Cooler is probably the easiest way for me to describe the taste. A whole lot of grapefruit juice mixed in with a squeeze of extra harsh SunnyD. Practically burns your throat. Maybe a couple stale croutons are floating around in there, but it's all concentrated hop juice. It's hard to define the alcohol in all this. I'm sure some people drink the stuff for breakfast & toasted with it at their wedding, but it's too much for me.

Mouthfeel, as with nearly all cask pales I've had, is a smidgen thicker then the norm. Sediment is only obvious once you reach the bottom. Even for cask, carbonation was low.

I just can't drink it. I had a few other patrons rooting for me. Even a try & chugging the last few ounces almost ended in disaster.

Serving type: cask

02-27-2008 01:19:28 | More by PEBKAC

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark amber. No head at all. Nose is saturated pine and peaches. Extremely intense. Flavor is areal zingy concoction. Thick resin edges. Earthy citrus tones. Feel is slick on liquid and the carbonation is low. Feels nice though. Drinkable, but there is a lot of edge to this though that I'm not sure I remember experiencing on the bottle.

Serving type: cask

02-25-2008 11:55:27 | More by RblWthACoz

madmanjf

New York

2.9/5  rDev -31.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

From cask ...

The beer poured an orange light brown color with a lacey head that retained well beyond the initial pour. There was a slight cloudiness to the beer, but quite minimal and transparent overall.

The smell was exceptional ... what you'd expect from an IPA. Very fresh on the nose with a grassy pine aroma that you'd expect from a walk in the forest.

The citrus notes came in very strong all the way through from sip to swallow. Grapefruit is the overwhelming flavor, one that I'm not particularly fond of.

This flavor left you with an extremely dry feel in the mouth in terms of the overall finish. I couldn't help but feel parched on the tongue.

The tastes I was not fond of mellowed out after by about the second or third pint; however, the first pint was not easy to drink.

On Night #2 of trying this, I was not able to get past the first pint at all; hence my low score in drinkability.

I'm quite a Hop Head --- but I'm not a fan of grapefruit so it makes it quite difficult for me to appreciate this particular beer despite my love for IPAs.

I'd probably overlook this beer in the future, but would be very interested in trying other beers from this brewery.

Serving type: cask

02-13-2008 20:07:49 | More by madmanjf

scottoale

California

4.35/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the cask at the Liar's, too the pint glass in my hand was a beautiful orange-amber ale, with a cloudy hop residual beneath a 1/4" of clarity, topped by a just off-white frothy, tight head everlasting. A very bright IPA with a glow.

Very piney and grapefruit upfront blitz...much hoppier than I remember this from the bottled version. Sweet malt loaded with citrus and pine, a definite hop-bomb of an IPA.

Pungent grapefruit intro that blazes into a pine forest for a wollop of bitterness and tang. For sure, a crowd pleaser of this style and beyond. Wow, very impressive from the cask...and a good mouth puckering.

Tons of sticky lace coat the whole inside of the glass. Halfway through, the grapefruit turns to a tangerine/orange with a bit more sweetness only to return to the grapefruit dominance, ending in a spikey hop bittering finish. Well done Green Flash!

Healthy medium plus body with a healthy dose of very well-hidden 7% ABV, an all-too-easy to drink, Western-style IPA of hop distinction.

Gotta love it!

Serving type: cask

09-09-2006 08:39:14 | More by scottoale

Penderazdoun

California

2.95/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This beer was very light, nothing about this beer stood out. A very simple IPA, I would not recommend this beer. When I saw the beer color I was excited with anticipation, but after I tasted the beer I understood why it was so cheap. The glass is pretty cool though.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2013 06:46:53 | More by Penderazdoun

utopiajane

New York

4.11/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a really great IPA and I have tried a lot of ipa’s lately, I really like this one and here’s why. It pours a beautiful glowing, amber color with a copper/orangey hue. Hazy with 3 fingers of bone white head that fell slowly to a thick collar and cap with a nice skin on top. Lots of effervescence. Just beautiful. Nose is sparkling with floral hops, grapefruit, some tropical, lots of citrus. lemon and lime. A really deep malt spine. Caramel, toffee and bread. No alcohol on the nose. A graceful light pine and I do smell a little yeast. Taste is excellent. Fruity hops, orange, delightful bitter, juicy tropical fruits, good bread and caramel. Simple and delicious. Drinks so easy, you definitely want more than one. Finishes with a light coating of resin and oil for a piney aftertaste with a little bread and sweetness. This was a truly great IPA that had enough hop bitter to tempt you into each sip but not enough to sting you for it. I really liked this.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2013 12:11:30 | More by utopiajane

jhartley

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to an over-sized wine glass/goblet. Bottled on 04/29/2013. Love the Green Flash bottles too; embossed with their name on the neck and the GF "star" on the bottom!
Thick 2 finger white head. Left beautiful lacing in the glass. Clear tangerine-amber body, no floaties or sediment to be seen.
Smells of grapefruit, pine, oranges, mangoes. Tons of tropical fruit.
Tastes just the way it smells! Just a hop bomb, with a nice amount of malt to give it a little sweetness.
Super easy to drink! Perfect representation of the WCIPA! I've had this a couple of times now and this is the freshest I have been able to get. Go out and get some!

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2013 21:39:48 | More by jhartley

shocksmarin

California

3.94/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a shaker pint

A - Coppery color. Good carbonation. Nice head retention.

S - Grapefruit and pine. Very, very strong hop presence.

T - Starts out with a severe kick of hops, which is expected. Vibrant mixture of citrus, grapefruit, pine... Starts great. I get a tinge of soap finish. I couldn't shake that.

M - Very strong. Prevalent alcohol character. Definite hop bomb.

For what it is, it's very well done. I can't get past the soapy finish though. I wouldn't drink more than one at a time.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 15:59:45 | More by shocksmarin

davidsumner

Virginia

4.29/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poor - Nice, with a decent head and a little lace; settle's down to a half a finger liner the remainder of the beer. Color is dark orange to copper.

Nose - Grapefruit/Citrus, pine, lemon. No hint of the malt.

Taste - Pretty nice; Grapefruit, pine, lemon. Not hot at all, very smooth. A little crystal sweetness on the front of the tongue but everything farther back, it's bitterness. Not too much though, but it is a pretty bitter beer.

Reminds me of Stone's Ruination.

Good beer; I like it a lot.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2013 23:05:08 | More by davidsumner

Omnium

Pennsylvania

4.16/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle > Sensory Pils Glass

A- Pours a medium hazed amber, 2 finger off white head, mild lacing.
S - Pine, biscuit malt, more pine, a touch of citrus zest, ohh and pine.
T - PIne, pine, some dried apricot, pine, a touch of sweet malt, some light alcohol burn, or is that the bitterness? pine, and definitely more pine.
M - pi...i mean extremely bitter, this is a palate dominator.
O - The classic, and aptly named West Coast IPA, is full of...you guessed it, pine. And its extremely bitter. While this may have been one of the better IPA's back when, its overly aggressive flavor, and feel just renders your taste buds useless for a while. Though if you're in the mood for that kind of beer, this is it, and much more so than palate wrecker in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2013 02:16:58 | More by Omnium

TheCondor

Missouri

4.38/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I spent the whole day Geocaching, drinking beer, and having fun. It was a good day, and I wanted to finish with a good beer. Side poured lightly from the bottle into a Becks mug.

Appearance - Pours a deep copper color, very beautiful, with an impressive two finger head that could have been even bigger had I poured more aggressively. Fluffy head, good retention. Lacing is like glue up the sides of the glass. Presentation is outstanding.

Smell - I smelled it as I poured it, but as a pleasant surprise it had a much stronger malt backbone even in the nose than I would expect out of a brew with 95 IBU. I figured it would just be a hop assault, but I was wrong.

Taste - Amplify the nose and you have the taste. While of course there are strong currents of pine, citrus, and grapefruit from the powerful hops, this beer is remarkably well-balanced. There is a malt element throughout the drink, which makes it smooth and easily drinkable. As it warms it gets even smoother. Man this is a good beer.

Mouthfeel - Smooth smooth smooth. The warmer it gets, the easier it goes down. Medium carbonation, bitter aftertaste. Dy finish.

Overall - Although I was disappointed in the first beer I reviewed tonight, the Green Flash has more than redeemed the experience. This means that much more coming from someone who is not a hop head and doesn't drink IPA all that often. This is an exceptional beer no matter which way you look at it. I would strongly recommend this to intermediate level craft beer drinkers and above, as it may be too aggressive for a beginner, but it is outstanding. I can't say enough good things about it.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 02:36:16 | More by TheCondor

ckollias

Maryland

4.74/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a Beligan Tulip glass.

A: Pours a copper hue with a white, 2-finger, frothy head that quickly slowly dissipates leaving a good trail and solid lace.

S: Hoppy, hoppy, hoppy aroma. Did I mention it smelled hoppy?

T: Extremely bitter and tart flavor with a good pine and citrus background. Finishes long, dry, and bitter.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Wow – probably the most bitter hoppy beer I’ve ever had. Phenomenal.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 04:13:30 | More by ckollias

dar482

New York

4.26/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

It comes in a deep amber red color.

The aroma is big of grapefruit, tropical fruit, though the biggest is this resinous pine note..

The flavor has big simcoe and pine. If you're looking for pine hops, then this is your IPA. There is huge grapefruit flavor with a dry finish. It's very West Coast in its characteristics. This really stands out for its wonderful deep earthy and pine flavor.

I'm re-reviewing this because having this a third time on tap, the pine really stood out. Not sure why it was meek on tap before, but this was quite a big change from my previous review.

Serving type: on-tap

05-19-2013 08:08:22 | More by dar482

BeerRefugee

Oklahoma

4.24/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Pours a medium orange-amber color. Medium white head with good retention and lacing. Huge aroma of citrus, floral and piney hops and a mild dose of yeast. Flavor has just enough malt backbone to balance the big hops. Lots of grapefruit and floral with a hint of pine. Medium mouthfeel and slightly dry finish. The glass I had was very good and it was past its prime. This stuff must be phenomenal when it's fresh.

Serving type: on-tap

05-17-2013 20:27:59 | More by BeerRefugee

DenverHopHead

Colorado

4.31/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Another solid Cali IPA! A gold, slightly orange tinted brew, with subtle head. Not overly impressed with the look, but this is really the only knock on an otherwise strong beer. The smell is par for the course; not that toe curling thrill that other Cali IPA's deliver. Easy drinking 7.3 ABV IPA, I like it! I love the mouthfeel with this hop grenade! My mouth is awake now!

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 19:07:34 | More by DenverHopHead

bmwats

Louisiana

3.85/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a footed tulip.

A: Dark amber hue. Pours a 1 finger, foamy, white head. Settles slowly. Slight lacing.

S: Pine is prevalent, not much else.

T: Hoppy with a slight indistinct sweet tone.

M: Syrupy and bitter, with a dry finish.

D: Sip and savor.

Atmosphere is pretty good. Decent hue, with a nice, head and some fair lacing. Nose is hoppy and sweet. Syrupy sweet pine resin with a slightly bitter finish. Overall, this is a good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 08:50:21 | More by bmwats

ElSid

California

4.19/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

The Beers of California

#85

Bottled Date: 4/16/13

A: Amber brown with a gorgeous off white head which clings to the glass after giving way to minimal layer of foam.

S: Dank, pine, and citrus paired with a strong malt sweetness. Flowers with moments of tropical esters.

T: Pine, grapefruit zest, and dank give way to an invigorating bitterness of earth and garlic. Bread and sugar malt notes with a hint of caramel comes large in middle. The finish is spicy and warm

M: Solid feel with an everlasting linger. Moderate carbonation.

O: A great California IPA which easily holds it own with the more distributed Stone IPA and Racer 5. One of my Green Flash favorites and amazing when fresh.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 03:24:47 | More by ElSid