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

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

4.31/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | 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 wa

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

bambam2517

Arizona

4.1/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass and paired with sushi.

A - Nice clear copper body, strong head maintained thanks to a well-crafted amount of carbonation.

S - Extremely hoppy. Which is to say piney and grapefruity in this case.

T - Like it more than I thought, expected to be hop-wearied by this one. It maintains a nice zesty grapefruit flavor throughout, can taste the hops but they mingle well and dont overpower.

M - Feels a bit hot from the alcohol presence, but it finishes dry and is smooth on the aftertaste. I can see why this is one of the most iconic West Coast IPAs...

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 18:26:55 | More by bambam2517

lordofstarside

Nevada

4.56/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12oz to snifter, bottled 2/19/13

Pours dark cloudy gold with some orange hues, a little bit of brown, kind of like tea. Some small sediment floats around below a finger of foam. Retention isn't bad, a few minutes now and still a half finger. Really good lacing, this probably looked a lot better fresh

Hops hops hops for the smell, strong floral and citrus notes- grapefruit, pineapple, pine, and some lemony/limey citrus. Sweet caramel malt mixes well with the alcohol, everything coming together well. Large floral and fruit bouquet, lots of complexity, sweet and fruity being the most definitive

Taste is just as consistent, fruity floral hop bomb. Heavy grapefruit, tropical fruits, pine, and citrus, followed by a sweet subtle malt. Not as much complexity as the aroma, but the relative simplicity is part of what makes it so beautiful. Things are hard to pick out because of how well they meld. Almost perfect

Feel is sharp and crisp, with a chewy medium body. Alcohol is well concealed, goes down very well. Quite bitter, nice bite

Overall the beer is aptly named, this is there paradigm of a west coast ipa. Over hopped, floral and fruity, with enough ibus and alcohol to be classified as an imperial ipa by those who aren't used to having their ipas strong. This gives Stone a run for it's money for my favorite ipa

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 00:41:36 | More by lordofstarside

trxxpaxxs

New York

4.3/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a completely translucent amber with about a half finger of slightly off-white head. The foam takes a bit to settle as a frothy ring along the edges of the glass start to appear. Good lacing as it drinks.

S: The nose is light malt and mild citrus. It's also a bit dank. Lots of skunky bitters, but nothing too overwhelming.

T: The first sip is a wonderful marriage of sweet and spicy. I get mild malt and a good helping of spicy hops. However, they are in such great balance that neither flavor dominates. This beer remains constant in flavor from start to finish. No big changes in it's profile. The finish smooth and clean.

M: Medium bodied beer. Sweet, but not too sweet. Hoppy but not too hoppy. It envelops that palate but moves of nicely. Not too sticky, but not exactly light either. Hoppy bitters remain in the mouth for quite a time after the beer is gone.

O: This is a wonderful IPA. The hops are there and it's bitter, but it's not too much to to stinging. The balance on this beer is perfect. Solid. Really solid. This would be a great beer for new beer drinkers that are starting to get into the IPA category. A beer that won't destroy the palate but will showcase that bitter/spicy quality that hop heads grow to know and love.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 20:01:04 | More by trxxpaxxs

estlinska

Arkansas

4.4/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap into a tulip at Big Orange on 4/20/13. Poured a dark blend or pure red and dense orange-copper, creating a nice color similar to a ruby red grapefruit. It was very dense and allowed little to no light penetration. On top there was voluminous head the color and apparent look of crushed limestone. Looked great in the glass. The smell up front was lots of dark resin and very dank. There was a good amount of caramel sweetness to balance. As the beer opened up, there was good grassy smells and some citrus: mainly grapefruit and lemon oils. The taste very much like the nose. There was a good sweet caramel malt, but it was definitely a big, bitter hop bomb. There was lots of big citrus fruit like oranges and limes, but also some big pine and mint flavor as well. It did get a tad astringent, but only ever so slightly. The beer had great body overall with a dry and bitter finish. No ethanol burn to it at all. Overall, this is an excellent and big IPA. They almost went too far, but kept it overall in check. Very tasty brew..

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2013 22:36:17 | More by estlinska

TempeBeerMan

Arizona

4.4/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a nonic pint.

A - Pours a nice clear light copper with a two-finger eggshell colored head. Leaves ringlets of sticky lacing.

S - Well not exactly a shocker here, lots of grassy hop alpha acids. But wait! Also getting some nice malt sweetness. Inviting.

T - Obviously hop forward, with hops leaning toward the grassy/sprucy side of the spectrum. Heavy grapefruit citrus bite. Very "juicy". But no mere grass bomb, this one's got backbone. A nice buttery Ritz cracker malt underbelly holds the whole thing together. Really well presented.

M - Full bodied chewiness+ prickly carbonation to make it gulpable = excellence.

O - Really surprised by this one, and another solid offering from Green Flash. Right up there with SN Torpedo as far as "Big IPA with malt" style. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 05:19:30 | More by TempeBeerMan

BRANDY818

California

3.13/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer was available at a hotel lobby bar in New York City and I was dying for some hops.

Overall, not that impressed with how it traveled. At home it's typically a solid choice. Seems like the strong bitterness and a round maltiness took over from what is normally a range of hoppy flavors.

Can't wait to get home and drink the real deal.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 20:23:36 | More by BRANDY818

Jparker37

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into an oversized tulip. Bottled on 1/21/13.

S - Citrus, tangerine. Resiny/catty fresh aroma. Malts have a little bit of sweetness, honey-like.

A - Towering, rocky light tan head. Little bit of haziness to the deep amber colored beer. Tons of sticky lacing.

T - Right away there is a glimpse of toasty malt, it hangs on for nearly the entirety of the taste but early on is overcast with hops. Piney/minty hops are there early and often lending good flavor with a wallop of bitterness. Little bit of sweetness midway but dried up nice in the finish. Hop bitterness was a little clingy and a little unpleasant well into the aftertaste.

M - Medium body, dry, medium carbonation.

O - Good meld of hop aroma with underlying malts. Taste is great again from malt striking a stylistic balance. Hops lent a unique flavor profile also drying the beer up well. Bitterness was a little on the sharp side for my preference and a little over carbonation contributing to that sensation. All in all I am happy to have tried this beer and will look to seek out more from this brewery as I have heard great things.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 01:12:58 | More by Jparker37