Green Flash Imperial India Pale Ale - Green Flash Brewing Co.

warriorsoul

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A huge thanks to zrrbrrt for this new beer...
Pours a golden peach color with two fingers of white head...half of which goes nowhere and what recedes leaves behind some thick, web-like lacing.
Tons of citrus hops in the nose...Juicy-fruit gum comes to mind.
Has some sweetness to it...adding a touch of caramel to the hoppiness.
Taste is incredible...less balanced than others, but well appreciated here. Dusty hops that coat the enamel...very fruity with a huge bitter bite to finish it off.
Mouthfeel is above medium-bodied...not cloying in the least. Dangerously drinkable...bomber went away in no time.
I am now sold on any beer this place puts out...but it is their IPA's that will keep me coming back again and again.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2007 23:20:04 | More by warriorsoul

MaltyGoodness

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz. bottle

Pours a slightly hazed orange-amber with a creamy white head that thins. Thick lacing on the glass.

Rich, layered hop aroma. Waves of pine and citrus, loads of grapefruit. Fresh and tangy smelling.

Huge hop flavor, a tasty combination of piney and citrusy hops. A very tangy grapefruit flavor that allows subtle hints of the underlying caramel malt base to sneak through. High IBUs, but maintains enough balance to keep it in check. Well crafted brew.

Full body, light carbonation.

A very nice DIPA, with good drinkability. A good example of the style, it maintains some control where many others become unbalanced. Hopheads will want to get their hands on this brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2007 04:05:24 | More by MaltyGoodness

Gavage

New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a hazy orange color with a thick three finger head that lasts quite a while. The head settles to a thick surface foam that remained. Nice lacing painted the glass.

Smell: loads of pine and grapefruits fill the air. No need to stick the nose in the glass to pick up aroma.

Taste: well balanced double IPA. Hearty malt profile, loads of pine, green grapes, and biting grapefruits. Alcohol is definitely noticeable and warming.

Mouthfeel: medium-heavy in body. Prickly crisp and dry at the start, smoother and dry at the finish. Very long aftertaste as the bitterness and citrus glues to the tongue.

Drinkability: the high alcohol levels drop this down a bit. Overall this was a very fresh and tasty DIPA. One bottle will keep you busy for a while.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2007 14:08:52 | More by Gavage

IntriqKen

California

4.53/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours golden yellow and crystal clear.
Two finger head
Aromas are ....damn this is fresh smelling..totally hops....green citrus and very much pine oils.
Taste is just plain balanced...sweet malts and bitter hops...pine oils, grapefruit peel, orange peel.
Finish to drying citrus tang.
Wonderful...want another sip...and another...and maybe a whole mouthful.
Very good FRESH DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2007 04:10:01 | More by IntriqKen

SkinnyElvis

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Crosling for the bomber in a trade. Unusual for me, but I prefer the Green Flash IPA to the double. Lighter in color than a DIPA. Unusual hops nose. Tastes good but the hop profile is not typical. Fairly easy to drink.

Scary to think me and my BA bro blitheringidiot are starting to review beers sequentially but while on opposite coasts. D'BLOH!

Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2007 00:34:29 | More by SkinnyElvis

blitheringidiot

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours with a golden vitreous whiskey hue topped with a settled frothy off white collar displaying no bubbles rising.

Amazingly potent scents of bright vicious hops that awake my nose like that of a smelling salt. Some serious cat pee in this nose. Wow! Like a pine cone straight outta the john! But not that there's anything wrong with that!

First swigs: Pine tree sap and pine cone bitter with that signature San Diego 2IPA aspect of hops that seems to be all the rage "with the kids" these days. Some mouth puckering fresh grapefruit is an understatement. Bracing flavors with a floral secondary flavor.

Medium to full bodied with a glue hops. IBUs must be through the roof, here. Tacky and syrupy. Wow!

Last swigs: Kudos for using Nuggett and Summit. Surprised to find that there is no Simcoe in here. This will smack the smile off your face and put it back on!

Beer is good. Happy 2IPA beering.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2007 06:58:51 | More by blitheringidiot

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.2/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours a brilliantly clear, full copper color. It is topped by a frothy, initially three-finger thick, light tan colored head that has some staying power to it and even leaves some lacing on the sides of the glass as it recedes. As I pours this a hit of hop aromatics hit my nose; it even has that sort of rank hop character. Ah yes, the aroma is definitely massively hop driven. In addition to the characteristic fruity American hop character there is a touch of the rankness that almost has a sort of garlic-like, maybe onion-type, but certainly herbaceous; a sort of hop reek if you will. A hop reek that seems to be characteristic of a hop like Summit, though this beer is not overly Summit driven, which can get too distracting. Don't get me wrong though, this beer is dominated by the typical fruity hop driven notes; I get notes of grapefruit, concentrate apricot, lychee, peach and even some light tropical fruit notes. If you really dig for it you can notice some biscuit like malt character, but by and large the malt aromatics only play a supporting role for hops that are the focus of this beer.

Served at a cool, 58°F (14°C), this beer has a bracing hop bite to it from the get go. A long lingering bitterness finishes this beer off, though I would not say that the bitterness is over the top. Lightly sweet from the underlying malt, this serves to accentuate the fruity hop notes. The herbaceous, green hop character from the aroma is a touch muted here in the flavor, but is most certainly still noticeable. The hop character actually has a nice balance between fruit & herbal notes; both are over the top (as they should be in a good Double IPA) and in fact this beer actually leaves a touch of hop burn as it flows down to my stomach. The hop character communicates flavors of candied orange peel, peaches, lychee and tropical fruit as well as notes of basil, a touch of onion, and herbaceous pine. What this thing hits perfectly is the mouthfeel / body; it remains light and drinkable and does not take on that sticky sweetness of many examples of this style; certainly this is a west coast version, and that is certainly the stylistic version that I prefer. It is by no means dry though, there is just enough malt to add some sweetness that really helps to carry the hop flavors.

Deliciously hoppy, yet at times aggressively burning; this is certainly an exercise in self flagellation. I had forgotten how enjoyable a raw, aggressive hop bomb could be, but at the same time it makes me remember that this (and most examples of the style) is not something I would want to be drinking every day.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2007 01:02:44 | More by Gueuzedude

SacoDeToro

California

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a bright golden/amber color with a small foamy white head.

The aroma was of very citrusy and herbal hops. Some alcohol and light biscuit was in the nose.

The flavor of the beer was powerfully bitter with huge amounts of grapefruit and earthy spice. The maltiness was light and crisp - just the way I like it in a double IPA. As the beer warmed, more of the spicy earthiness came out in the hops, along with some gassiness. The flavors were reminiscent of Centennial and Chinook hops, but with noticeably less coarseness. The combination of Summit and Nugget hops in this brew prove to be quite nice.

The carbonation was just right and the mouthfeel was light and crisp.

The was an excellent DIPA with a very distinct hop profile from many of the other DIPAs out right now. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2007 21:10:57 | More by SacoDeToro

Westsidethreat

California

3.15/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Dull copper orange color with scores of little bubbles racing to the surface. Head is fairly creamy with a light beige tint to it.

S: Fresh OJ, grapefruit rind, floral hops and lemons.

T: Starts with marischino cherries and old orange juice. Lot of lymon and grapefruit rind in there as well which transitions to that "band aid" taste. Alcohol is very present and adopts the band aid flavor before handing it over to a grainy taste. Finishes really grainy with a strong herbal bitterness to it.

M: Full mouthfeel with a nice consistency to it. Probably the best part of the beer.

D: This beer just didn't work for me. Flavors weren't balanced and I found some of the aspects just not desirable. But I also wouldn't categorize this beer as bad.

D:

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2007 21:20:15 | More by Westsidethreat

mentor

Colorado

3/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle obtained from Liquor Max (Loveland), thanks to Crosling for the recommendation. Pours a two finger light orange-tan head over a crystal clear gorgeous copper liquid. Smells wonderful. Rich sweet pink grapefruit, pine, oranges, lemon zest. Some fruity esters, but they are buried below the intense hops.

Tastes dry and much more mild hop flavor than I was expecting. Sharp grapefruit and flat dry hop oils. Some grassy and malt sweet with a mouthfeel much less than I would expect from a DIPA. Fruity is buried way beneath and has no distinct character. Overall very dry bitter beer which appears worse, because of the rough alcohol finish. Mild ethanol flavor in the finish that is drying and rubbing alcohol in the aftertaste. The flavors of this beer are disjointed. Compared to the enticing smell, the flavor is quite a let-down.

Md to md-light body and heavy carbonation. not very drinkable, but it got me a good lit on.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2006 02:54:29 | More by mentor

sideshowrob

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was one of the better imperial IPA's I've had in a while. The color was a bit on the light side, and very well filtered, which left me somewhat suspicious at first. The nose was great, with lots of piney and sweet resin notes. The taste was great - this is the type of beer that first got me hooked on big IPA's - a big west-coast style that's all hop and no balance. Stuff is hop juice. Mouthfeel was good, a bit undercarbonated and almost flat though. Very drinkable. I still don't really think it was a 9%er. Had this stuff on Tap at Friscos in Columbia. Cheers.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2006 19:32:51 | More by sideshowrob

BeerRun13

California

3.95/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pors a super clear deep gold color with a solid/sturdy, bubbly cream color head. Fades a bit and leaves awesome lace.
Resin hop aroma. Pine, citrus, and something I would have to describe as almost pungent or musty... but in a good way. Reading the lable, this may be one my first encounters with sumit hops, but not sure.
Hops galore in this one. Pine for sure, a touch of citrus, and a flavor that mirrors that other quality I got from the nose. Sweet mid sip and a big bitterness that washes it down. Bitterness grows as you drink.
Medium to full bodied. Nicely carbonated. Oily and slick.
I know that one of these days hops are gonna kill my taste buds, but I love 'em. This one is no exception.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2006 22:10:43 | More by BeerRun13

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to doppel07 for breaking this 22 ounce bottle open...
Appears a transparent, light orange with a small white head. Tiny speckles of lacing are left aound the glass.
Smell is of skunky, sticky marijuana, spicey, earthy, citrus, bordering cat piss, and intense spiced grapefruit.
Taste is sweet, spicey, citrus, earthy, bitterly hopped, woody with a grassy rawness.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, bitter, mildly sweet, and semi-dry.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2006 19:45:46 | More by weeare138

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A 650 mL bomber from my 2006 Secret Santa, nvsblman.

A: The ale is a copper red color with a small wispy head that laces well.

S: The ale has a very pungent hop aroma. I pick up some grapefruit but it is overpowered by the pungency.

T: The ale has an interesting taste. The intense hops in the nose pop up in the taste too. There is a bit of grapefruit hops but there is a lot of bitterness that doesn't fit in with the grapefruit. It has the effect of making the whole beer taste bad. I think that the hops are a little too overloaded, not paired well together.

M: The mouth is dominated by the strong, intensely bitter hops.

D: The drinkability is limited by the higher abv and a taste that is too bitter and unfocused. Stick with the West Coast IPA for a nice hop flavor.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2006 03:22:24 | More by akorsak

jwc215

New Jersey

3.1/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours golden amber with a lasting, thin white head that leaves some traces of lacing down the glass.

The smel is of pine. My Christmas tree should smell so piney - If I were not in the same room, I would have thought I was standing to close to it. Slightly musty.

I should have known from the smell - pine - can almost taste the sap and everything. Some sweet malt ties the piney hops together, but hardly balances it out any. Some citrusy hops try to emerge but are held back by the overwhelming pine. The alcohol is noticeable, but not as much as expected for abv level.

Creamy body. Feels full. A slight acidity, almost metallic, aftertaste left on the tongue detracts a bit.

There is something of a smoothness about it, and plenty of hops, but the overwhelming pine, slight mustiness, and acidity make this fit the "mediocre" category for this style pretty well. Not a total loss if you are into pine, but I won't be getting this one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2006 18:24:53 | More by jwc215

phisig137

Virginia

3.33/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light amber/ golden color, with a one finger head from a vigorous pour. Decent retention with no lacing, just a small ring of foam in the glass.

Aroma is outrageous. Pine-sol. Seriously piney hops, along with some grassiness, combined with a decent level of alcohol present in the nose, makes this smell like floor cleaner. This is definitely a love it or hate it smell. I think it's pretty good, and leaves me curious as to the flavor.

Unfortunately, I'm let down here. Tons of hop flavor, but not well integrated at all. Very little malt presence does not help this at all. The different hop flavors clash quite badly, leaving you with an unpleasant bitterness that is harsh and metallic. Mouthfeel is fairly full and creamy. Drinkability is pretty good for the alcohol.

I've got to say that I've very disappointed in this. The Green Flash West Coast IPA I really enjoy sometimes, this one just doesn't do it at all. Very unbalanced, harsh hoppiness, with no malt to back it up. Their standard IPA is much better. For that matter, their barleywine is a far better DIPA than this is... I won't be buying it again...

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2006 02:03:18 | More by phisig137

Beaver13

Colorado

3.35/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle. Pours a clear golden amber with a big frothy white head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is strong piney and peppery hops with a little charcoal and doughy malts underneath.

The flavor is kind of a mish-mash. There's some sweet bready malts, a little fruitiness (melon) and a good amount of hops (piney, peppery and floral). It ends with some harsh bitterness and a little sweetness and a weird aftertaste. The flavor profile is just not very smooth and the flavors don't blend well. The mouthfeel is medium with some harsh carbonation.

Overall, this was a bit of a let down. I like their IPA, so I was looking forward to this, but it was not as good.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2006 07:37:27 | More by Beaver13

DogFood11

California

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter it forms a fluffy white head that leaves some sliding lace. Orange outer shell and copper towards the core but fairly light overall. Pretty good lacing that is coat like and sticky.

Piney as a mu fucka. This is my third bomber out of the case and I admit I went into it thinking it would be a doubled up version of their west coast IPA. Kind of like when I and others have gone into Sierra Nevada IPA thinking it must be a hoppier version of the pale ale when they are completely different and independant of eachother. This is the same in that it doesn't reflect any of the attributes of its IPA. The verdict here is that its hop profile couldn't be farther from its smaller product. This offering is huge in RAW PINEY HOPS!! Its very raw and somewhat musky, but at the end of the day the pine needles take over. Wet towel malt profile is a complete afterthought but its hiding in the backdrop.

Notes: Love this brewery. I had to re-review this offering as it has grown on me and now I love this thing. My first impressions were that it was too raw but in the right mood this thing is a hop lovers dream. I can appreciate the quality of this. Double up that hop recipe for the west coast IPA and you'll have beer gold. For now though this brew has a time and a place where it fits perfectly. In typical Green Flash style the price is very reasonable.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2006 08:15:17 | More by DogFood11

Dukeofearl

California

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

$4.99 for a 22 oz. bomber at LaBodega, in Riverside, CA., December 2006. The label proudly proclaims 101 IBUs.

Pours a golden-amber color, much lighter than many DIPAs I've enjoyed; this holds a moderate, creamy head. Last night I tried the latest Yulesmith offering (2006) and it had a massive root-beer float head that defines a proper DIPA head- this one comes no where close.

Aroma is fresh tart hops that are piney and grassy and herbal. Usually not my favorite hop stype (I like citrus fruity better), but here it works.

Flavor is bitter hops, strong, piney but with a semi-sweet citrus undertone that keeps it from being too much. A nice balance. This isn't objective and descriptive, but it is unlike the DIPA flavors I have had before, but it works. I like it.

Mouthfeel and drinkability- this one is lighter and thinner than many/most/all other DIPAs that I've had, and that may be against style, but to tell you the truth, I really like it this way. Big and bold but not overpowering.

Of the several Green Flash beers I've tried, this is my favorite. Good work- keep it up!

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2006 01:26:28 | More by Dukeofearl

ElGordo

Oregon

4.2/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the 22oz bottle into a pint glass. Body is a bright orange color with golden highlights, topped by a creamy, bright white head. Awesome, huge, sharp aroma of hops, hops, and more hops. Assertive spicy notes of grapefruit, pine, grass, and dank cannabis. Really not sure I've smelled anything this hoppy that hasn't been passed through a Randall.
Palate is a bit more balanced, with the hops blending with lightly sweet caramel malt up front. The sharp, piney flavor of the hops comes through just before the swallow, with a flourish of grapefruit appearing right before the hoppy, fairly alcoholic finish. Almost like chewing on some Simcoe hops, I think.
Body is rich and a little syrupy, which tends to be the case with some of these DIPAs that verge on being hop wines. Still, very drinkable, although the 9% alcohol asserts itself about halfway through the bottle. Maybe find a friend to share this one with.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2006 04:49:30 | More by ElGordo

Ego

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

double IPAs are all the rage, stealing the covers of BeerQ and Vanity Lager magazines...

eyes...
light caramel color with an orange tinge, a nice, condensed white head, retention is good as well as the lacing. a nice looking beer but nothing "wows" you.

nose...
super pine, REALLY pine driven, to the point of almost smelling like a cleaning product and/or fresh cannabis (so I have heard), the malts really have to fight to be detected but some hints of sweetness escape this alcatraz of tree shaped car freshners. kind of a one trick pony, it lacks the depth of some other DIPAs

taste etc...
yep, it's bitter, the carbonation is a bit deceptive, almost prickly but a touch creamy and slick, once you get used to the bitterness it is a pretty mild ride, the alcohol is well hidden (not perfectly though). It's a bit thin but the hop oils help to smooth it out. The flavor is much like the smell, pine to the wazoo, it;s tasty enough, but doesn't distinguish itself too much from other DIPAs

verdict?
not bad, worth a try but don't expect to be blown away. unless you like to suck on pine needles all the live long day (you freak you)

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2006 03:34:44 | More by Ego

sacfly

Maryland

3.48/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22oz, no fresh date.
Pours a clear golden color with a huge head of small/medium off white bubbles. Sharp, perfume pine/herbal aroma. A touch of lemongrass and… chives(?). Taste is smooth and well balanced between the bitter hops and sweet malt. A touch of garlic(?) in the aftertaste with a lingering clean bitterness. The garlic and chives take over as it warms. I happen to like both, but I’m not sure that is what I would go for in a beer… Odd, but enjoyable for me. Not for everyone. The label states that Summit and Nugget hops were used. I am assuming the Summit hops are giving it the onion/garlic character. I never got that from Nugget. 22oz was enough. I almost got sick of it at the end.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2006 00:50:21 | More by sacfly

Terp96

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I have been wanting to try a six of the West Coast IPA for some time but recently spotted this bomber. Being the hophead that I am, I jumped right into this one instead.

Not much to the label. No dating but it does mention that it is a "San Diego-style IPA....It's all about the hops!" It also mentions that the beer weighs in at 9% ABV and 101 IBUs. Bring it on!

The pour is nice with the right amount of carbonation (not too much) and a decent head that was gone by mid glass. Color is a bright amber and suprisingly clear. Maybe not bottle conditioned.

Smell is fantastic. Very piney and almost gin-like. You can detect a small amount of citrusy aroma as well. The description on the bottle says that this beer has a "unique blend of Summit and Nugget hops." You get the feeling that this is a huge hop bomb.

Taste was fantastic at first. Very hoppy, peppery and bitter. Like the smell, the taste is very piney with a hint of citrus on the back. There is also a slight sweetness that lingers but not enough to balance out the hops. There is not enough of a malt presence.

Mouthfeel was decent. Very peppery on the tongue and very dry in the finish. However, the lack of a malt presence makes this beer seem thin and one dimensional. "It's all about the hops!" No kidding.

All in all, this beer is very drinkable if you love hops. I can get past the sub par malt presence because of the hop aroma and taste. The 9% ABV is masked rather nicely as well. I will go back for several of these.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2006 22:29:40 | More by Terp96