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

monkeybutler

Vermont

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

Appearance is burnt orange with excellent lacing, good carbonation and a wispy white head.

Smell is all citrusy american hops. But for the slight malt backbone, I'd be hardpressed to distinguish this beer from a recently cut grapefruit. From cracking the cap to the end of the pour, prepare to be assaulted with citrus.

The taste doesn't belie the smell. Tons of citrusy american hops, but with a more pronounced maltiness and another layer of underlying hop bitterness. It's very well put together.

The bitterness stays with you a bit, which isn't a terrible downfall, but it can be overwhelming- which is why I don't give it such high marks on drinkability.

Overall this beer is a can't miss in the pantheon of west coast ipas and dipas.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2006 02:50:18 | More by monkeybutler

nickss

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Has this beauty in Richmond after a long day of interviews.

Pours a grogeous coppery amber hue with a generous 1/2" resilient head.... the head itself is predominantly rocky in appearance.

The aroma is filled of grapefruit and orange zest... they fill the nose... yay simcoe hoppiness! My only desire is that the aroma was a bit more pungent.

Huge simcoe presence in the taste... loads of grapefruit and pine resin, coupled with citrus rinds.

Big rich mouithfeel.... moderate carbonation amplified by bittering hoppiness.

Imminently drinkable... absolutely a fantastic beer, and the first I have had from this brewery. Looking forward to trying more of their in the future.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2006 01:57:54 | More by nickss

crookedhalo

Pennsylvania

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

Pours a hazy iced tea and orange color with a soapy, clingy light beige head. Very good retention. Very floral, spicy, somewhat piney and candy-like in aroma, attention mostly focused around the hops. Well, there's no false advertising going on, this is certainly a "West Coast I.P.A.". Predominantly hoppy and bitter, however, some tea-like malt sweetness comes through mid-palate, adding some depth and a further bit of toastiness comes through nearer the finish. But the obvious attention-getter of this ale is the hops and their orientation to the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. Playful carbonation accentuates the long, bittering finish on this one. I could easily put away a few and take a hop nap.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2006 03:14:48 | More by crookedhalo

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

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

Brassy orange with goldenrod edges. Great looking creamsicle orange head that appears to be full-to-bursting with hop resins. It's currently a fat three fingers in height with a firm creaminess that will, no doubt, contribute to its longevity. Even though the glass isn't completely covered, there's a more than respectable amount of lace in the end.

Hoptastic aroma that I've been able to appreciate since the pour, despite the fact that the glass is at least two feet away from my nose. A more concentrated sniff brings glorious waves of candied grapefruit, pineapple and fresh pine to my nose. 'West Coast' indeed. The hop bill is sure to include one or more of the following: Cascade, Centennial, Columbus. I'd bet good money on the Columbus. Fantastic nose if you're a hop lover.

The flavor isn't as explosive as expected, given the aroma, but this is still a lip smackingly tasty version. Rather than soar with sky-high, dazzlingly bright, ultra-fresh, citrus zesty, hoppy top notes, the flavor profile is more mid-range, bold, brassy hoppy with caramel and lightly toasted pale malt accents. That's not to say that West Coast IPA is anything other than a hop-dominant beer, but it doesn't quite have that pure, clean hop flavor that I love so much.

Green Flash certainly hasn't skimped on ingredients; almost always a positive in my experience. The tongue ruffling bitterness is countered by a sweet, sticky maltiness that keeps things from becoming overbalanced. I wouldn't classify this beer as a hop bomb, but 'hop artillery' wouldn't be out of line. Bitter orange, white grapefruit pith, dessicated pine sap, all lightly drizzled with melted caramel.

The body is medium-full and is firmer than it is creamy. The finish is long and is slightly oily, ensuring that a thin sheen of hop scum adheres to the tongue and builds upon itself with each successive sip. Good stuff. Not much in the way of noticeable carbonation; another positive.

Green Flash West Coast IPA is, without question, a good version of the style. The brewers have taken care of the essentials--quality ingredients in a sufficient quantity--and have crafted yet another delicious IPA from a state that leads the nation in delicious IPAs. I haven't yet sampled them all, but I feel fairly confident in stating that this is Green Flash's best beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2006 22:35:09 | More by BuckeyeNation

asabreed

New York

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

12 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Light copper yellow with moderate bubbles floating to the top. Lots of sloppy and sticky lacing all over the place with no set pattern ahead of it. Head stays at about 1/2" as I drink.

Smell: Beautifully gorgeous and insane piney hops, an attack on the senses that I love. The slightest amount of malt sweetness is in there, which balances the fantastic hop sprawl.

Taste: This is intense, balanced, flavorful, and risky. For all those attributes it succeeds. The finish is dry, with a ton of piney hops by the end. Lots of flavor, lots of malt, but then again, tons of hops. I'm loving it here with this.

Mouthfeel: A lot of carbonation that initially masks the flavors, which I also like. It's almost a delay to the goodness that quickly, after the hop mask. But the carbonation sinks into a creaminess that's nice after the bubbles subside.

Drinkability: A hophead's dream? Maybe, yes. A West Coast IPA? Indeed. I'm a huge fan of this and I'll definitely be buying it again. As I said, it's intense, flavorful, and, quite possibly, not for the faint of heart. In that case, you may want to think about it, or you can take the chance. When can I get some more Green Flash? I hope the other styles have as much going on as this does.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2006 04:03:34 | More by asabreed

GreenWBush

Oregon

3.78/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

My parents brought this one back to me all the way from the Papago Brewery in Arizona. Thanks!

This one pours out of the bottle a deep bronze, with a slow-churning head that creates an absolutely gorgeous meringue effect on the top of the glass. This fluffy beer-cloud leaves a remarkable trail of stick to the glass.

The nose is all shades of hops; fruity, citrusy, zinc-y, metallic, and green/herbal. Completely one-sided, but completely appealing.

The taste is more of the same, a dank hop-slap of insane bitterness. While this does go over-the-top a little bit - my mouth was aflame with alpha acids - I did enjoy this much more than some of the even more unbalanced IPAs I have been drinking. Hop burps could be ignited.

A slight astringency (batteries, pennies, metal) takes away from this and sends it towards the hop-tea pile of West-Coast IPAs. Still, an intense change of pace that I could definitely enjoy from time to time.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2006 15:45:23 | More by GreenWBush

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Cloudy amber hue, big, pudding-y, lace-leaver of a head, 1/2" and long-lasting.

Aroma: wide-open hoppitude, big, bold and brassy, loads of citric tones, piney resins, lemon rinds, pineapple, bristling bitterness...ni-i-ice.

Big, bad, full mouthfeel. Large occupation of palate. Dominant bitterness, but utterly delicious. Extremeness to the extreme. A blast of flavor, sizzling the tongue, and delivering unremittently, absolutely, astonishingly fantastically...wait, what was I saying? Oh, yeah, ...tastes great!
More please!

(I could go for a few of these, yessirree...)

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2006 08:54:01 | More by feloniousmonk

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

brentk56

North Carolina

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

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber color with a fluffy head that displays good retention and leaves spotty lacing

Smell: Citrusy nose of grapefruit and pineapple with undertones of biscuity malt

Taste: The biscuity malt backbone briefly makes an appearance but then becomes a doormat for the citrusy hop bill; after the swallow, this beer provides a bitter, fruity hop finish, with slight aspirin tones

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: A very nicely balanced IPA that is a great example of the San Diego IPA style

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2006 03:00:04 | More by brentk56

gbarron

Georgia

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a Sierra Nevada-esque size 12 oz. bottle. No dating that I saw.

A - golden to light amber. A little orangey. Head is very bubbly, frothy, brilliantly white. Lots of lacing. Head retention is excellent.

S - rich, deep hop aroma. Resiny, piney, citrusy. I can almost taste the hops just from the nose of this beer. Little bit of toasty caramel behind. Impressive.

T - strong hop flavor dominates the palate. Piney, resiny, grapefruit. Almost like biting into a fresh, green pine cone or hop cone. Juicy, sticky, nearly overwhelming hop flavor. There is a decent malt presence in this beer, but it is hard to pick up. A little toast, caramel, biscuit, but hops are front and center in this beer.

M - medium to thin bodied. A little sticky in your mouth due to the hops. Very dry finish. Pucker up!

D - this is an extremely tasty brew, but almost a little overwhelming. Hop flavor is very intense and really dries out your mouth. Still, I could down a couple of these and be a happy camper. Interesting example of the new wave American 'west coast' IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2006 03:33:58 | More by gbarron

WesWes

New York

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

The beer pours an amber color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a nice malty scent that boasts of pale and light crystal malts along with loads of citrus hops. The taste is good also. It has an intensely bitter hop flavor that goes down slow and warms on the finish. THe malt bill provides a stable balance and an elevated abv. . The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a good drinking IPA. It has good malt flavor and a heavy hitting hop character.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2006 01:14:22 | More by WesWes

Boilermaker88

California

3.2/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Presented in a stubby 12oz bottle and poured into my Stone IPA glass. Heresy? Maybe...
Well, it started out looking good; all coppery with lots of carbonation and a tall off-white head that left nice sheets of lace behind.
The nose had a pretty robust hops punch to it as well as a decent caramel malt note. But there was a tinder-dry woody aroma that seemed out of place.
Odd, that woodiness came across in the taste, too. It left a flat "dead spot" mid-palate as the sweet malts and light vanilla flavor transitioned to the hops flavor. Hops were plentiful and quite citric but that yawning gulf of wooden deadness just took away the overall character, leaving things to seem disjointed and thrown together. The feel was medium-bodied and crisp.
I dunno, this West Coast IPA just didn't hit the spot for me. The two elements were too far apart and that dead zone was a turn-off for me, pure and simple. I'll stick to putting Stone's IPA in my Stone IPA glass from now on and pass on this brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2006 18:52:33 | More by Boilermaker88

murrayswine

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked this up in Arizona at A.J.'s fine foods.
The pour gives an average orange/gold beer with slight white head. The nose is all raw hop. It smells huge, I mean absolutely HUGE.
The taste..Well thats not as huge. rather bland actually. Still very good. but it's low in citrus, and low in dryness.
Try it for comparison

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2006 22:48:48 | More by murrayswine

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

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

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

The beer poured into the glass lightly hazy pale golden amber with an off-white and huge frothy head that rose tall and fell slowly to lace the glass from top to bottom.

The aroma was fruity and piney with a resinous hop presence that could be perceived through the huge head. As the head fell back the aroma was more piney and resinous hops with a nice caramel malt backbone and an apricot fruity character.

The flavor was piney and resinous and strongly so when drinking through the head. The flavor of the beer was malty and balanced toward bittering. The malty flavor was well done and the piney hop flavor was also well achieved leading to a long lasting hop flavor.

The finish was dry with a lasting fruity and resinous hop presence long and pleasantly into the aftertaste. The body was medium and the carbonation was medium. A great IPA, and a pleasure to consume.

12 ounce bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2006 01:07:13 | More by GCBrewingCo

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Beautiful appearance. Great head retention and lacing. Massive assault of pungent, resinous, grassy, and floral hops in the nose. Medium-full bodied with a perfectly crisp carbonation. Firm, toasty/bready malt base. Layer upon layer of resinous hop flavor. Bracing bitterness. Finishes a bit too resinous, and that tends to hold what bitterness is there for just a little bit too long. West Coast IPA? No doubt!!! Be forwarned then, if you're NOT a hophead, this one will slap you senseless! :)

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2006 00:01:22 | More by NeroFiddled

orbitalr0x

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours from the stubby 12oz bottle with a cool picture of a green ocean sunset on it and into my glass with a wonderful glowing copper orange, not unlike a beatiful beach side sunset along with a two finger craggly foam cap that leaves trails of sticky lacing all down the glass. Aromas of big raw hops, citrusy, piney, grapefruity and resinous. Quite the kind bud-esque aroma with a mellow bready sweet, slightly caramelly malt undercurrent. Solid west coast IPA aroma.

First sip brings a rush of sweet citrusy, resinous hop oils. Piney flavors are definetly present with a bready, crystal malt background. As it rolls across the palate the flavors quickly move from sweet to a nice bracing bitterness on the way down. Hops overpower the malt in this case and I'm enjoying it. The brew finishes with a lingering hoppy bitterness and piney hop burps to match. Tasty.

Mouthfeel is smooth, creamy and satisfying. There's a tight, mellow carbonation that really acts as a nice catalyst making this beer easy to drink down. Another solid IPA from the great state of California and one I would be drinking more often if it was readily available. Thanks to blitheringidiot for the hookup once again.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2006 04:03:57 | More by orbitalr0x

clvand0

Kentucky

3.68/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours an amber color with a small head that is gone fast and doesn't leave any lacing on the glass. The aroma is comprised of all US hops - citrus and pine - with almost no malt aroma. The flavor follows suit - tons of hop flavors that just mask any malt backing that could be around. I would prefer to have more caramel malt in the flavor. The body is moderate and the drinkability is good.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2006 13:47:21 | More by clvand0

kmpitz2

Tennessee

3.8/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a superbly clear deep copper color with a finger of white head that falls quickly to a light coat over top. Good looker. Nose is resinous, with big American citrusy, juicy hops over top a very sweet caramel base. I really like the nose here. Flavor is more malt focused. Good caramel and light toasty base. The hoppy flavors are lighter citrusy and a kiss of earthyness, with a good resinous peppery bitter on the finish that hangs on well after the finish. Feel is moderate with a moderate carbonation. Pretty standard, and not setting itself apart. This is a pretty solid brew. No hint of the 7% ABV anywhere. The bittering hop is a touch too strong for me, and I would like to see more flavor hop coming through. Overall, this one is pretty nice.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2006 02:20:26 | More by kmpitz2

ReebShorts

Washington

3.08/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

wow, this thing has a huge head for an IPA. Thick and foamy 2 finger job, and sticks around. Color is they typical IPA, cloudy brown-orange.

Holy crap, is there a bottle of perfume in this thing?!?!? this baby has some kind of floral presence... behind that i get hops and maybe some brown sugar.

This baby is hoppy alright, but it's a real floral hop, not really feeling it. My mouth feels like I just took a sip of perfume. the beer seems to be constructed well, just not my style of hop i guess.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2006 07:16:28 | More by ReebShorts

oberon

North Carolina

4.55/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ooured a slightly hazy burnt orange with a thinner but sticky white head that leaves spots of lace as it settled.Fresh raw hop aroma comes at ya hard when first opening the bottle extremely piney with big grapefruit notes as well I even noticed a touch of caramel malt as well.Well oddly enough hop dominated hop oils and resin dominate quite piney but that resiny finish is great just enough of a hint of caramel makes it a gem in my mind.A few years ago I would have thought a good beer but a little over the top for me now I take it all in,gotta love the hops.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2006 02:14:26 | More by oberon

SkinnyElvis

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I just had a pint of the Green Flash IPA while in San Diego so I was excited to see it distributed in Southeastern PA. The price was very reasonable at about $35/case. The hops were strong in this IPA but not overwhelming as in some other CA IPA's. The beer had a pine flavor which was tasty. It poured a nice head and was very drinkable. It's ABV is at 7% so it won't (hopefully) get you in trouble with the wifa. A very good IPA & better than most than I have had and I am a hophead. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2006 00:53:35 | More by SkinnyElvis

jakester

Pennsylvania

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

I bought this as a single at Union Jack's on the Manatawny. I drank it in a goblet. No date on the bottle.

Pours a hazy amber/orange with a nice fluffy head of off-white foam. The head falls to a good coating and a ring, with very good lacing. Carbonation appears medium.

Aroma is fresh grapefruit, but not overwhelming, maybe some pine, nice bready pale malt, and fruity, with notes of pears and golden raisins. Smells great.

Flavor is pink grapefruit, for real, pine needles, and big bready pale malt. Hop bittering level is pretty damn high, as well as fruity pears and golden raisins. This is a yummy beer. Aftertaste is sweet grapefruit and bitter.

Mouthfeel is smooth with a fairly stiff level of carbonation, which adds to the feel of this beer. Residual sweetness is medium, but deceiving. Alcohol warmth is well hidden. Finish is fairly sweet and bitter at the same time. Awesome!

This is a very good IPA. Obviously Amarillo hops, but not overdone, which some beers with Amarillo hops have. There is a nice malt base, and hop bitterness is there, but not in your face. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2006 02:15:28 | More by jakester

SwillBilly

Virginia

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

A new beer to the DC area. Poured from a 12 oz bottle.

Appearance: Aggressively poured into a pint glass, Green Flash West Coast IPA generates a big, thick, foamy, white head that dissipates ever so slowly. Ample lacing is present. Remnants of the head follow to the bottom of the glass. Color is amber in appearance, ice tea like and clear.

Smell: Huge amounts of grapefruit rind and pine dominate the nose. Very fragrant as the smell of hops wafts out of the glass.

Taste: Piney, citrusy hops dominate the start, the middle is herbal, almost grassy, hints of slightly sweet malts break through giving the middle a mellower flavor profile. The finish leaves the mouth dry and a big aftertaste of bitter hops. Big hoppy burps soon follow.

Mouthfeel: Decent carbonation, somewhat slick and oily.

Drinkability: I'm glad this beer has made it to my area. A very, west coast style IPA, hence the name. Plenty of big, hoppy flavors to satisfy any hop head. Well balanced and very easy to drink. Alcohol is well hidden for a 7% abv IPA. Session some these guys and you'll be tasting them for a while after the fact. An IPA that has found a home in my beer fridge. Definitely worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2006 20:18:17 | More by SwillBilly

IPALOVER

Colorado

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

Having had my fair share of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale for the past three months, I felt it was time to move on. Since I'm a huge IPA fan, I decided to try Green Flash, which is brewed only about 45 miles away in Vista, CA.

The beer's appearance in the bottle was a bit cloudy. I wondered if it was old, but after opening, pouring, and drinking that thought quickly went away.

The beer poured very well into a pint glass, and even as I drink it now with half remaining it still has a very delicate, frothy ring around the glass. It leaves a nice lace as you drink, also. The initial taste is very fruity, then a hop bitterness at the end followed by a smokiness that is more characteristic of a scottish ale. The more I drink this beer, the more I like it!

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2006 03:59:25 | More by IPALOVER