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

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.95/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Acquired via trade from Phoicon, so a big “Thank you” goes out to him.
Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light amber color, with a thin foamy off-white head that fades slowly and leaves thick lace on the glass.

S: The smell is pleasantly intense with your typical IPA blend of hops and citrus.

T: Big hops burst up front as you would expect followed by the citrus sweetness and malt backbone. Finish is filled with hops bitterness.

M: Very crisp, but a little too bitter to be smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, dry finish.

D: Tasty, not very filling, goes down ok, it’s a good representation of style, but not my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2006 06:31:17 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer poured out as a orangey yellow color with a strong looking white head that sticks to the glass very nicely. The smell of the beer is a fruity, floral and piney. Very inviting aroma on this one. The taste is very good also, its loaded with the pine like grapefruit flavors that make these west coast IPA's so special. The mouthfeel of the brew is decent in my opinion. It is fairly light bodied, it goes down nice and easy, it leaves a great dry cotton mouth feeling after each sip. Overall it's a damn good brew, worth trying if you haven't already.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2011 17:32:22 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.28/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at falling rock tap house in denver.

Pours amber to brown with a 1.5" white head. Very good lacing & average head retention

S: Loads of piney hops & not much else gets through

Taste: Big piney hops up front that evetually let a little malt sneak in. Finishes with a flourish of grapefruitty hops & dryness

MF:Medium with good carbonation. A little too overhopped to for perfect balance IMO

Drinks easier than its 7.0 abv, hopheads will love this. A very good IPA

Serving type: on-tap

07-04-2006 02:44:16 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle, bought at the Hi-Times Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, CA,

A: Dark amber-brown, with a thick white head which lasts for the whole glass, excellent lacing.

S: Great smell, with fragrant whole-leaf hops, with abundant pine and citrus.

T: Hop dominated, done well, with mostly grapefruit, there is some bit of malt in the aftertaste, very robust and powerful for an IPA.

M: Smooth, creamy, and quite resiny.

D: A great West Coast IPA, very hoppy and tasty, a stellar production, will definitely buy again. Great job by Green Flash!

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2007 22:18:26 | More by Halcyondays

emerge077

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Weibull for sending this extra in trade!

Pours a hazy copper, foggy with tiny sediment. Rapid streams of carbonation, feeding a dense, creamy head of foam. Arcs of lacing form too, adding to it's visual appeal.

Aroma takes awhile to surface, even at a cool temperature, there's just the barest hint of earthy hops. edit: subsequent bottles have delivered a cannabis hop blast!

Deep earthy herbal hop notes, leafy. Very vivid flavor, hop vegetation set against a blanket of malty toffee, striking a nice balance. A resiny bitterness lingers long into the finish. Body is more substantial than your average IPA. Fairly low carbonation with a creamy feel.

Mmm, great stuff! I could see this as a fridge staple in the summer.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2008 03:26:39 | More by emerge077

Gavage

New Jersey

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

Appearance: crystal clear orange in color with a 3" fluffy merangue like head. The head lingers quite a while.

Smell: loads of hop bitterness leap out of the glass. Citrus tones are more laid back.

Taste: a pleasant sharp pine bitterness nicely balanced with malt sweetness. Lighter orange and grapefruit tones rounds it out. Overall a very hoppy IPA.

Mouthfeel: crisp from start to finish. Long aftertaste of pine bitterness and citrus. Medium bodied.

Drinkability: this is a wonderful IPA that applies a pleasant assault on the tastebuds. Some may consider this approaching a DIPA, but the lighter malt levels makes this a super easy drinking IPA.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2006 12:32:02 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

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

Thanks to Wasatch for including this one in a trade -

Pours clouded copper with a one-finger head that descends to half the original size and stays.

The smell is of West Coast hops for sure - piney and citric.

The taste is of juicy hops - piney and citric - with enough support from a caramelish and pale malt to tie them together. Smooth. Alcohol well-covered with just a touch in the bitterish finish.

It has a firm medium body.

A hoppy delight here. Carefully balanced to give support to the hops that take center stage.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2008 01:37:54 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

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

I picked up a bottle of this in Austin, Texas, as I've been coming to appreciate the efforts of San Diego-area brewers' take on the West Coast IPA style.

This beer pours a hazy dark orangish-amber, with lots of puffy, creamy white head, that recedes after a few minutes, leaving lacing around the glass. The aromas of grapefruit and orange are strong out of the glass, and there's a mild sweet caramel malt essence mixed in there too. The flavour starts with a heavy dose of bitter citrus hops - grapefruit, orange rind, and carries it through to the finish, stopping momentarily to allow a moderate malt body to get on board. The carbonation is quite light, allowing the hops to shine through on their own. There is a slight warming after the fact from the elevated alcohol. I find I'm drinking this rather quickly, it's so tasty, and alas, I've just got the single bottle. Definitely a winner for the hopheads who like at least a modicum of balance in their beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2009 23:34:37 | More by biboergosum

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on-tap at Al's prior to KBS.

A: The IPA is an amber color, rustic in its brown copper color while still retaining its clarity. No head sat atop it.

S: The nose is citrusy and jagged, dominated by an excessive dose of grapefruit and a heaping load of caramel. Very strong, with the caramel often getting in the way.

T: Each sip reveals a pretty strong dose of peppery grapefruit hops. Those hops are sweet but they have a rindy fullness to them. For as much as the hops stand out, they could be much stronger. The problem is that caramel maltiness gets in the way, too strong and overpowering on some of the more flavorful floral hops. Too bad, beacuse I can tell that the flavors are lingering but they just can't make it through. There is also a fair amount of booziness lingering around.

M: The mouthfeel is abrasive, carbonation with bitter hops and lots of malt; all conspire to overload the senses. More hop & less malt would be nice.

D: A nice beer to sip on but not an IPA that I'd make a go-to.

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2010 21:26:45 | More by akorsak

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Liberty St. Tavern.

Bottom line: big hops yet drinkable. This toes the line of being too hoppy, but doesn't cross. Maybe my pour was just had the CO2 turned down, but there was zero head and lacing on this pint. The aroma was of big juicy, reisinous grapefuit with floral notes. The flavor expands with more citrus rind that is a nice mix of rough and smooth hops. I can't say enough about the balance here. Not of the mix of hops and malt, but enough hops and too much. Reminds me of Masala Mama of Town Hall in Minneapolis.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2008 16:57:18 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appears copper orange whitish cream head lacing streaks evenly in specks. Aroma contains deep citrus and pine heavy hop dose here mild biscuit malt sweetness comes through with a touch of the seven percent alcohol. Taste is more pine cone and citrus fruit hop bursts mixed with a nice sugary coating of malts aggressive yet mixes well together nice West Coast IPA here with a tinge of alcohol thrown into it. Mouthfeel: Slight oily texture to it medium bodied nice natural carbonation nothing is to harsh here glides on the palate. Drinkability is refreshingly west coast in nature a true gem from the SoCal San Diego County city of Vista nice find in Pittsburgh, PA.

Update: 12/16/11
I'm shocked that this beer is only getting a B rating. One of the widely distributed West Coast IPAs that is always consistently awesome. The bad part about this beer is that it went from being served in a 12 ounce six pack to a four pack and costs more now than I ever remember it being. Pours a bright copper color with light khaki cream colored head, forms even speckled lacing evenly coating my chalice. Aroma is great packs in Simcoe, Centennial, and Cascades probably a couple more hops...but it packs the aromatics in with pine, earthy, floral, citrus grapefruit peels, even a touch of pungent marijuana like smell, very green. Rolling aggressive hop bitterness with ample caramel malts to balance out the heavy handed hops. A really nice aggressive West Coast IPA with balancing hop bitterness to dance with. It's a shame that the beer is running around 14 dollars a four pack or I would gravitate this IPA much more often than I can currently afford to. Flavor offers an earthy herbaceous, grapefruit peel ridden hop bitterness/flavor with a lingering hop bitterness that makes you feel like you brushed your teeth with hops. Ample sweetness from the malts makes this more palatable than your average unbalanced hop bomb. Mouthfeel is coated with hop oils and is medium bodied with a flowing carbonation level. Overall very drinkable beer that brings joy to hopheads across the country, although I prefer Port Brewing hoppy offerings to this I can't seem to get any of their beers locally.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2006 19:36:54 | More by WVbeergeek

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

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.03/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Poured a goldenish deep orange color with almost no head to it.

S: Pine and citrus notes

T: Caramel malt, pine, citrus and Dawn dish detergent. Grassy

M: Heavy for a single West Coast IPA and soapy, bittering on end with pronounced booze

O: Average is generous

Serving type: growler

08-14-2011 21:26:24 | More by barleywinefiend

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Hazy orange-amber color; impressive four-finger head with a long settling time. Spotty lace as the head recedes.

Fresh pine cone smelling hop aroma. The malt takes the backseat, but the bitterness does not overwhelm. Very inviting.

Strongly bitter right from the initial sip. Definitely a hop head beer, perhaps could be placed in the extreme category of bitterness. The body is very rich with a minimal amount of carbonation. This seems to enhance an already strong hop presence.

While flavorful, this may be a little too much of a good thing. It is not balanced for an IPA, but it is still tasty and worthwhile to seek out.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2008 23:04:46 | More by smcolw

Wasatch

Utah

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy orange color, nice carbonation, nice small off-white head which lasted awhile, some nice islands and sticky lacing throughout the drink. The nose is slightly sweet, hoppy, slightly malty, grapefruit, and some caramel. The taste is hoppy, and plenty of grapefruit/caramel going on. The finish is slightly dry. Medium body. Very drinkable, I heard many good things about this IPA for about a year now, well it is a mighty fine IPA at that, will definitely buy more of this in the future.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2007 23:56:08 | More by Wasatch

Billolick

New York

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

12 ounce bottle, no freshness info offered. Pours deep copper amber. Would be fairly clear, if it weren't for the abundance of yeasty/sediment/floaties floating around. Darker tan head, fine retention, leading to a nice lumpy froth. Then all kinds of lace. Nice looking brew, lots of character. Fresh leafy resiny hop nose. Hop blast continues onto the taste buds, plenty of more resin, soft citrus notes, this is the good stuff. I have gotta get back out to San Diego, love the style and love this version. Long smooth finish, more hops, riding on a luxurious blanket of malt. Love to be able to get this stuff in the NYC area

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2008 23:14:27 | More by Billolick

jlindros

Massachusetts

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

For some reason never reviewed this beer, just escaped through the cracks. This one was an extra thanks to HaveUSeenMyCellar.

Pours a decent looking fluffy but bubbly 1 finger head that fades semi slowly with nice soapy lacing, over a semi hazy ruby red grapefruit orange color.

Nose brings plenty of hops, floral and citrusy with some spiciness, a light citrus tangerine effect but not a big juicy pungent kick or rind bitterness, light pine spicy hop aromas, with a touch of a grassy floral effect as well. Touch of grapefruit as well, and a very faint malty sweetness with slightest touch of reddish amber malts. It does bring a touch of fruity candy hops, like a little candied orange peel and tangerine the more I nose it.

Taste starts with a nice big hoppy bite, quite bitter right off the bat like 70IBUs bitter almost immediately, but doesn't get astringent. Hops come in with pine and spicy flavors first, not really a chewy spicy hop, but a piney spicy not overbearing like hop. Then citrus, a bit of tangerine and faint grapefruit pith, touch of that candied fruit hop character again. That's followed with a mild malty sweetness, a bit of a caramel toasty reddish copper malt flavor, but all pretty light, just enough to balance the big bitterness and keep it from getting astringent. It brings a little citrus rind as I let it sit on my tongue for a while, a bitter rind flavor. Finish is fairly dry, still very bitter but doesn't really ramp, more plateaus almost right off the bat and stays at a quite bitter but not overly taste. Finish also brings more citrus rind bitterness, a little spicy hop and a very long bitter grapefruit pith taste, and a faint touch of a booze flavor.

Mouth is med bodied, it feels a bit fluffy and airy thanks to a good amount of carbonation, and a very light warming booze.

Overall a nice IPA, not quite what I expect for a "West Coast" IPA, but those terms are a bit out of date now. A nice big hoppy beer, quite bitter that plateaus right away, nice hop characters with a little spicy (but not chewy), a bit of citrus but more like rind and pith bitter citrus, and just enough malty sweetness to give it a base so it doesn't get astringent. Nice IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 00:43:55 | More by jlindros

mdfb79

New York

4.1/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 12/21/10 notes. Hat on tap at Rattle n Hum in NYC last night.

a - Pours an amber color with one inch of white head and light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of bitter, citrus hops, lemon, grapefruit, light pine, and floral hops. Pretty nice.

t - Tastes of citrus hops, grapefruit, pine, and fruity malts. Big bitterness up front.

m - Medium body and low carbonation, it has a big bitter kick up front, followed by a smooth body.

d - A pretty nice IPA. I enjoyed the citrus smell a lot, would certainly drink again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2010 16:31:03 | More by mdfb79

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle from hoppedup as part of BIF 25*. Thanks for the opportunity.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1" beige head above the somewhat cloudy amber brew. Pillowy head lasts nicely, with plentiful sticky lacing. Aroma is malty sweet with strong fruity and piney hops. Taste is the fruity/piney hops indicated in the nose, with a light undercurrent of grain, and closing with licks of pine all over. A bit over the top for me, but then again, that's the west coast way sometimes. Mouthfeel and drinkability are acceptable for the style. A bit harsh at times, but a nice over-hopped IPA if that's what you need.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2006 00:19:48 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appears a hazy, orange toned amber with a 2 finger light tan head that slowly fades out. Nice amounts of sticky foam cling to the sides of the glass.
Smell is of roasty, caramel malt, biscuits, brown sugar, citrusy orange & grapefruit, along with pine sap.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas perhaps a bit more tame than anticipated from the ballsy West Coast hoppy aromatic profile.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, malty, bitterly piney, with a decent amount of CO2 running along the palate.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2007 19:09:57 | More by weeare138

Zorro

California

4.4/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear copper colored ale with an attractive tan colored head that lasts a rather long time.

Smell is very pleasant pine and minty hop aromas. There is malt here but it takes a back seat to the hops.

Taste is wow. Sweet malt peaks out at the beginning and then is run over by the local Hops delivery truck! First hop sensation is pineapples and a hint of mango. Taste of pinewood and bitterness hits your tongue next. Sharply bitter this really pushes the envelope and sees the place where harshness is but never quite goes there. Almost but not quite in Dreadnaught or Pliny The Younger class of IPA. This just needs a little more complexity.

Mouthfeel is good, really good.

WTF? I REALLY did not expect this to be a good beer, and I was correct: This is a kick ass beer! I know of a few better IPA beers but not very many and none of those are as affordable as this one. $11 a six pack is practically the deal of the century!

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2006 06:41:41 | More by Zorro

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a clear amber with a several fingers of poofy off-white head. Settles down into a creamy 1/2 finger or so of retention that just leaves MASSIVE sheets of sticky lacing that coats the glass. The aroma is extremely West Coast, with tons of floral hops, pine cones, juicy smelling grapefruit, and just a slight tingle of warmth.

The taste is a well balanced mix of sticky, resinous hop bitterness and a lip smacking blend of caramel and citric grapefruit character. I'm loving the bitterness in this, as it combines with the tanginess to just stick to the tongue. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with an extremely smooth and oily feel. Damn, this goes down extremely well!

I hadn't had a bottle of this in a while and I DON"T KNOW WHY! Just a great representation of the West Coast style IPA and probably thee best example that actually gets decent distribution. I really need to keep more of this around.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2008 18:01:47 | More by Kegatron

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to grub for sharing this bottle.

Pours a clear amber, very thick and chunky white head, big bubbled ring forms around the glass along with a solid layer, drops a ton of lace. Smell is awesome, big pine and grapefruit, caramel, orange rings, some floral, very hoppy. Taste is pine and grapefruit, more rind, tangerine, jasmine and green tea, grain, caramel, and a thick bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation, very smooth and drinkable. Very nice IPA, I'd drink this all day if I could. Thanks Russ!

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2008 21:23:44 | More by Viggo

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Murky looking copper. Thin white head leaves ample amounts of lace. Beautiful aroma of pungent, oily hops. Cannabis, grapefruit rind, lemon.... All the good stuff. Wafting up my nostrils. This is kind of a down and dirty, grundgy tasting IPA, but I like it. (As opposed to a more bright and snappy IPA....) The hop flavors are resinous in nature and a little lemony. Grassy too. The bitterness lingers, though it's not overbearing. Malts are toffeeish in nature and in the background. Body is medium to medium-full. Lightly carbonated. Solid IPA. Different, yet solid.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2007 04:12:29 | More by Bighuge

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap at the Grey Lodge in Northeast Philadelphia.

Pours a dark amber color with foamy white head. Very hoppy aroma balanced by caramel malt presence. Flavor very similar to arom. Very quaffable IPA with a nice sweet maltiness balancing out the bitter hops.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2008 09:25:41 | More by corby112