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

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

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

I literally walked into a column of cases of this beer when walking around a dislplay in the store. Glad I went around that corner.

Body is a Octoberish chill-haze orange amber. Loads of carbonation. Three fingers plus of level, bubbly bone-china colored froth. Very good lacing.

Big come-on-in inviting aroma full of pine, grapefruit, and some other assorted citrus.

Sweet caramel/toffee sets up a foundation before the resiny piney grapefruity citrusy hops come flooding in like SoCal during mud slide season. Nice hop "burn" lingers on long after swallow. Balanced and hoppy is always a good thing.

Good solid mediumish mouthfeel. Very good drinkability.

As advertised, a solid example of West Coast IPA.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2006 21:22:26 | More by RonfromJersey

Pooba001

Arizona

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

Beer pours a deep orange color, definitely unfiltered with yeast and some small bits of hop. Good head dissipates to nice lace. Pretty. Smell is big grassy, juicy, citrus hops, floral, piney. Wow, obviously a combination of hops here, there's so much going on.

Taste is very bitter even for an IPA, this is creeping towards double IPA territory, there's a little grain and malt to back up the hops, but this is a lupulin showcase, and all the flavors I smelled are on the palate as well.

Mouthfell is good, slightly dry. Drinkability is quite good considering its bitterness. This is a pretty awesome IPA, I'm glad we're getting Green Flash in Arizona.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2006 09:29:36 | More by Pooba001

StoutofHeart

New Jersey

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

A golden orange color with a nice thick head. In the nose there is plenty of citrus notes that carry over into the taste such as: grapefruit, orange, lemon, etc. It has a very crisp and pleasant hoppiness to it that lingers long after the taste. A real pleasure to drink.

Over all, and exceptional brew. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2006 22:04:41 | More by StoutofHeart

Foxman

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

It pours a slightly hazy golden orange. A finger of yellow-tan head ebbs to a bubbly quilt. Hills of lacing range the inside of the glass.

The aroma grants a citrusy swirl of grapefruit with an undercurrent of mandarin orange and lemon. A taunt of malty caramel flits softly along with an unexpected but soothing touch of tea leaves.

Upon tasting, the malt is sweet and boasts caramel and blueberry, but it's promptly trounced by dry, pulpy grapefruit and a lesser needle of pine. Biscuit malt peeks out toward the close, and more crisp dry grapefruit pairs with a lingering bitterness in the finish. It's not extreme, but it lives up to its name in the best way.

Medium bodied, it doesn't coat so much as spice and tingle the entire palate.

I think West Coast and I think juicy, oily, sappy hops, and this doesn't disappoint, but it doesn't overwhelm despite little pretense to balance. It does have enough malt to maintain a presence, though. The ABV is sneaky, as it declines to overtly show itself, but it is there, do not doubt. And so simply, if hops are your bag, baby, you'll likely find this as drinkable as I do. Southern California is one fun, prolific place for beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2006 17:23:31 | More by Foxman

Morris729

Texas

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

Pours a hazy amber copper color with a thick and foamy light tan colored head. Nose is fresh pine and citrusy hops along with a bit of spice. There is some noticeable sugary sweetness in the taste, but this is easily dominated by the bitter and piney hop oils and resins that remain in a lingering aftertaste. Pretty nice IPA here.

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2006 20:51:25 | More by Morris729

kcirtap

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

One fine IPA. I had this on tap a couple of times, and it quickly became a favorite. Aside from losing a little of the aromatic qualities, and having some floating sediment, the bottled ale is still quite good. Plenty of hops right out front. A nice combo of pine and citrus that hits you in the back of the jaws, but is not overly bitter. Aftertaste leaves a hint of alcohol, and a bit of piney oil. Overall, this is one of my favorite IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2006 20:34:11 | More by kcirtap

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

jcdiflorio

West Virginia

3.05/5  rDev -28.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours with a white creamy head doesn't last a long time. Light coppery color sightly cloudy apperance. Sweet malty aroma slight hint of pine. Nice malty taste piney slight citrus hop taste. Good balance not as hoppy as I would like it to be.Medium bodied good clean taste.not a great beer but not a bad one either. I could drink another.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2006 04:09:47 | More by jcdiflorio

Westsidethreat

California

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

A: Pours a towering thick and sticky oatmeal colored head. Body is almost an orange copper color, somewhat hazy.

S: Strong tangerine and grapefruit aromas. Hop presence is staggering, the bitterness is very apparent

T: Lovely grapefruit syrup with pungent grapefruit rind bitterness. Fruity malt consisting of apricot, strawberry and melon. Finishes with a ton of earthy, bittering hops. Aftertaste of hop butter.

M: Medium bodied and creamy.

D: That, my friends, is a west coast IPA. Recommended to all hop heads.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2006 20:35:39 | More by Westsidethreat

ghostwalker

Massachusetts

4.72/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle generously provided in a trade with bennetj17. Thanks!

Orange-amber body with a solid finger of sticky yellowish-white head.

Smell is a huge sweet citrus blast. Clears the sinuses and makes my mouth water.

Flavor is all West Coast. "C" hops abound with a bite like a sugar coated grapefruit rind. There is a sweet caramel malt backbone present, but it does not impose or intrude in any way. This is all about the love of hops. Somewhat similar to Masala Mama, but more so. I think I may like this even better.

Mouthfeel is tart and toothstripping. Yow!

Drinkability is outstanding! A great brew, wish it were available out here.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2006 22:04:23 | More by ghostwalker

demcorhip

Ontario (Canada)

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

I got this in a trade with bennetj17. He's a great trader.

Appearance
This orange-coppery amber beer poured with an impressive two finger off white head. The lacings were also quite impressive on this brew. It was decently carbonated as well.

Aroma
Piney hops with a hint of citrus. Buttery caramel and bread also present to a lesser degree.

Taste
Resinous pine overtop of caramel and buttered toast. Finished again with hops, with more of a grapefruit taste and feel. Guess im a hophead because I could have used a touch more hoppiness.

Mouthfeel
This is a decent bodied and well balanced IPA. The astringent and piney hops nicely balanced the sweet and buttery creaminess of the malts.

Drinkability
This is a very refreshing and drinkable medium bodied IPA. Could tip a few of these back.

This beer had awesome head and lacing, much more so than other great IPAs. It also had very nice malty flavours and contributions, without being overdone in that department. Just a touch more hops would put this over the top as an American IPA in my opinion. Thanks again to Bennetj17 for throwing this one in.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2006 03:25:26 | More by demcorhip

Imstillthegman

Delaware

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

This IPA pours a clear dark copper color with about an inch of eggshell colored head. Nice lacing rings the glass after each sip.

The hops dominate the aroma with pine beating the citrus to the front. Malts are present but you have to search for them at the end. It's hard to keep my nose out of the glass.

Taste is almost identical to the smell. Pine is the big player here with a lighter grapefruit flavor peeking out in the end. Little sweetness is noticed, but it has to be there somewhere since the hop bitterness doesn't overpower my tastebuds. Yup...there it is... right in the middle and easy to miss.

Medium body with a very slick and creamy mouthfeel to it. Some dryness on swallowing but little of the normal prickly feeling I get from some hoppy beers. Almost like warm velvet in the mouth, if you can imagine that.

I will have to get more of these, since I only picked one up on a trip through VA. Next time it will be a sixer at the least. Very enjoyable IPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2006 23:53:24 | More by Imstillthegman

tonistruth

Nevada

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

A- burnt orange copper in color, fluffy two finger off white head with good retent, settles to ring, lacing on glass

S- citrus & pine, all hops

T- citrus/fruit malt sweetness up front shortly before hop bitterness comes in and hammers it home. Bitterness continues through aftertaste. Sour pine, grass, toasted malt flavors. Earthy and slight, slight citrus aftertaste.

M- smooth with a great body, crisp, good carbonation, dry finish & aftertaste

D- Very well brewed IPA. Not my favorite IPA, but this is a must try for hop heads. Distinctive taste compared to other IPA's.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2006 06:07:33 | More by tonistruth

WeymouthMike

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is what I would expect of a West Coast IPA, hoppy but not overhopped leaving you picking resin out of your teeth like some West Coast DIPAs, nothing wrong with that either. This one left a head that hardly receded as I sipped, as the liquid went down the head clung to the side to form more than what I would consider a lace. This would be one of my go to beers if it were a local brewery.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2006 21:57:17 | More by WeymouthMike

Illinick

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Amber/orange in color with a big, thick, fluffy white head that retains nicely throughout. Nice glass clinging lacing.
S: Grapefruit pulp with medicinal/herbal and piney hop smells. Spicy notes as well as some bitter citrus pulp.
T: Follows the nose with a huge hop bite at first derived from grapefruit pulp and medicinal hop flavors. The pineyness comes out and leads to further spice flavors and a dry and warming finish. Some citrus pulp notes throughout. Definate huge hop flavors!
MF: Light medium that finishes dry with a slight alcohol warmth.
Overall: Definately a West Coast IPA. Hops, hops, hops, with little detectable malt balance. The hops, grapefruit pulp and medicinal flavors really overpower this brew. A good brew for hop heads, and even though I am in that category I like to see a little more balance.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2006 23:41:39 | More by Illinick

FuzzyGuy84

Virginia

3.93/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beautiful amber color with very low amount of head. A slight, hoppy and fruity smell with a touch of sweetness. Taste is very hoppy (even for an IPA), but with a very pleasant and surprising citrus undertone. Slightly sweet but not overly so, I found this to be very unique. After drinking the entire glass, it may be a little overly hoppy/spicy, but nevertheless an excellent IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

07-29-2006 17:19:33 | More by FuzzyGuy84

rowew

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 12 oz short bottle. Same label design as the rest of the Green Flash offerings. This is the 3rd of 3 that are available in CO now (Nut Brown and Extra Pale are the others).

Appearance: Pours reddish orange with lots of haze, a big head that is pretty solid. Good retention and lacing.

Smell: Lots of hops - piney with a bit of malt sweetness.

Taste: Very much like the aroma - quite a bit on piney hops with just enough malt to almost balance it out, but not quite.

Overall impression: A nice beer for hopheads - definitely the best of the 3 Green Flash offerings I have tried.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2006 21:53:32 | More by rowew

Beaver13

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle. Pours a copper orange with lots of miniscule floaties. The head is huge and rocky off white and retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is a huge piney fruity hop blast, yum!

The flavor is sweet malts and melon initially, that are quickly followed by a big hop bitterness that lingers through into a sharp bitter ashy aftertaste. It is medium bodied.

Overall, an excellent IPA! This is right up there with Titan and Stone for me. It a bit unbalanced to the hops (especially in the aftertaste) which keeps it from being top notch (Two-Hearted). I'll definitely be getting this again.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2006 02:40:41 | More by Beaver13

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

Domingo

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Glad to see more brewers sending their brews to Colorado! I recall seeing the Green Flash PA all over San Diego and a few days after I got back, my local store started carrying this.
Pours a dark golden color with some copper tones. I'd actually compare it to the "east coast" IPA's I've had rather than the slightly lighter west coast ones I've had. Lacing is as good as I've ever seen....coats the glass like a champ.
Smell is of bitter pine-style hops and grain. Not a ton of malt in the smell, but the hops smell is VERY strong.
Flavor starts off with a bitter hops bite, but it mellows into a maltier flavor quickly...only to finish with a hops bite, too! At 7% there's a little alcohol bitterness, too, but it's not overpowering.
Mouthfeel/Drinkability is only limited by your love of hops. If you like hoppy beers, this is your drink. I think the actual hop characteristics in this brew remind me a lot of Stone's IPA, but possibly stronger. However I think the maltiness is a bit more subdued in this beer, too. They're near equals just depending on what you like. I personally would like a little more malt to back-up the hops, but others might go the opposite direction.
This is a winner. If you're a fan of brews like Stone or Lagunitas, pick this one up, too.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2006 23:25:28 | More by Domingo

gbontrag

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Aroma: I'm surprised by the balance of hops and malt. I note the hops of pine, citrus, etc.
Tastes like fresh wild bergamot, greek oregano; horehound finish, all gliding slick-like on a soft malt stick. Big citrus afterglow: Grapefruit, orange, lime peels.

The thick light pastel yellow froth holds dense as long as it takes to sip the pint. Quilts the glass with lace like a mama trying to keep her baby warm in a blizzard.

Once my palate is deadened a little to the numbing hop kill I really appreciate the malt candy background. The mouthfeel too is lovely, rich and middling on the thick-to-thin spectrum. It poured with more body then I was expecting. A very pretty beer that exceeds some west coast IPAs I've tried.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2006 04:00:57 | More by gbontrag

warriorsoul

Pennsylvania

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

Thanks to bennetj17 for this west coast goodie.
Rust color with two fingers of creamy off-white head..1/2 sticks around and leaves behind some of the stickiest head I have ever witnessed.
Juicy fruit hops fill the nostrils...cotton candy, sweet caramel malt.
The taste is fantastic...incredibly thick with a huge blast of hops...the bitterness grabs the tongue and does not let go. A solid malt backbone tries to balance this out the best it can, but the hops cannot be subdued...actually feel the hops sticking to my enamel.
Sturdy mouthfeel and the carbonation is beautiful...creamy in the finish, thanks to the head that remains until the very last sip.
Ok...maybe not a session beer, but I would have to go this again and again if I had the chance.
This offering is as far as one can go without entering double IPA catergory.
So glad to get to try this one...everything I expected and more.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2006 00:50:32 | More by warriorsoul

bennetj17

Arizona

3.93/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Slightly hazy and copper in color, the head is a nice half-inch with solid retention. The foam clings well to the glass and creates a fine lace. Aroma is sweet and citrus-like with a grassy hop flavor. Nice, but it could have been stronger. The taste starts out tangy and a strong bitterness is immediately detectable thereafter. The hop flavor is strong but not particularly well balanced by and malt flavor. I would have enjoyed more citrus flavor like in the aroma. The bitterness lingers strongly after the finish also. The mouthfeel has a light creaminess, and goes feels nice and smooth. Carbonation is subtle, not sharp. Overall this beer is a nice bitter hop selection, but needs more malt balance and sweetness to make it excellent. Very good...

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2006 01:09:43 | More by bennetj17

PeatReek

California

3.88/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a thick amber color with just a touch of haze, and a nice beefy layer of foam that's sticking around. Incredibly bold hop aroma, cascade-y and centennial-y and a couple others I can't quite nail -- strong pine notes over a thick base of citrus. Tastes like all those, with the lemon aspect coming out a bit more strongly in the flavor than in the smell. A little sweet at the outset and full-bodied, but finished with quite a stiff bitterness. A little over the top, in fact, even given the clear prominence of the malty sweetness. That's the only thing keeping this from supreme drinkability; the hop aroma really makes me want to come back for more each time I put it down.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2006 06:16:23 | More by PeatReek

ElGordo

Oregon

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

Pours a copper-orange hue topped by an inch or so of off-white head that subsides after a couple of minutes. Nice carbonation in the form of tiny, tiny bubbles that keep on coming for a while. Aroma of spicy, grassy hops, along with a hint of grapefruit and just a hint of sweet, biscuity malt. The hugely assertive hoppiness on the palate is offset just enough by the sweet malt to keep this beer from being over the top. The hops are grassy and bitter, with just a hint of anise lurking behind the scenes. Body is substantial and just a tad sticky, providing a good vehicle for the lupulin to coat the tongue. Strong, but quite drinkable. I'm glad I discovered the Green Flash.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2006 04:27:55 | More by ElGordo