Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale - Green Flash Brewing Co.

supermanjace

California

5/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

You kidding me? I live this close to SD, have this much usual access to Green Flash, and I didn't know until now how amazing this beer is. What the holy hell is wrong with me. Tried last night at the Daily Pint (nice tap selection, by the by). After a couple of pulls from the engine and a Stone 12th (which deserves a review as well-- shocker is is amazing!) this was my fourth beer, but it was remarkable!

Pours a beautiful ruby color, with a thick, cloudy head. The nose is thick with oily hops. To look at this beer, to smell it and be in its presence is to be immediately aware of what you will taste. Pure perfection. Hoppy like an IPA but with a nice malt base. Not as sweet as some of the bigger IPAs can oft be, but still as bitter as they are.

I think getting a good beer from the tap is better than any other serving type, and so it goes that I would love this. Want to try it in bottle before I annoint it fully as my new favorite, but if you find this gem, but it, drink it and brag to your friends.

Serving type: on-tap

08-03-2008 04:53:11 | More by supermanjace

gau8a

Massachusetts

4.97/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

this was recommended to me by a sales associate at a local table & vine after i was looking for green flash west coast ipa, which was sold out. being somewhat reluctant to try this brew i'm glad i did! the smell alone told me that this was going to be a great ride. the taste was even better. it is hoppy...but not offensive. this is ,to me a masterpiece!

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2008 22:02:17 | More by gau8a

cysiam

District of Columbia

4.95/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is probably the best red ale I've ever had, but that's probably because it has more in common with an IPA than a typical red.

A- A deep red with just a slight touch of brown. A nice head that left a small amount of lace down the glass.

S- Hops. Grapefruit, citrus and a bit of pine.

T- The sweetness of the caramel comes through but it's not overwhelming. The hop notes are definitely around to balance things out.

D- Dry finish to compliment the sweetness. Quite drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2010 00:47:59 | More by cysiam

horshack7

Massachusetts

4.93/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: This one pours a dark mohogany with a light tan head about one finger thick. Upon thinning out it leaves behind nice lacing.

Aroma: A massive rush of citrusy hops quite possibly an explosion. Grapefruit notes similar to a double i.p.a. Sweet fruit notes along with simple syrup. The malts lay back nice and comfortably on the massive amounts of hops.

Taste: Incredibly citrusy a smooth mouthfeel. The hops are a force to be reckoned with. Grapfruit notes simple syrup sweet fruits. The malts have quite a sugary sweetness which nothing short of remarkable.

Notes: Wow what a hop bomb I am dam glad I picked this one up. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2010 01:52:36 | More by horshack7

MacQ32

South Carolina

4.93/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - Pours a nice amber red with a very dense finger + off cream colored head, fantastic lacing, great retention!

S - Oh my piney hops, maybe some citrus as well. This smells amazing.

T - Ohh damn, fresh piney hops up front, delicious lingering taste (citrusy flavors kick in a little here), some beady/spicy malt too.

M - Medium bodied, appropriate carbonation, bitter refreshingness.

O - I tend to make up words for awesome beer, sorry. Delicious, piney explosion. Just the way i like it...

Serving type: growler

03-11-2012 19:38:32 | More by MacQ32

klkatz

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I don't what it was... but this is quite possibly the best beer I've ever had.

Maybe it was the situation, or the moment, or the time of day... but it was like heaven. If I were Brian Adams, I'd write a cheesy rock-love-song-ballad about it. It was that good.

Color was a tremendous red - cloudy and thick.

The aroma had a rye/nutty sensation...

The beer was super-well balanced... it had a bitterness to it, but the drinkability was such that it was not overwhelming.... you'd drink 14 if you could.

A nice thick mouthfeel to top it all off...

can't wait to have this again, and again, and again....

I hope there's Hop Head in Heaven!

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2010 01:43:16 | More by klkatz

beereality

Illinois

4.88/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a dark cloudy almost ice tea color. Big frothy beige head that smells of hop and malt, yummy. I let the head disappear before drinking, and it left big sticky lacing all around. I let warm up pretty good before drinking, if its going to taste anything like it smells and looks, I want to taste it. Big hop up front, with some oily pine bitter finish. Wow, big floral hop with citrus and malt. Super good warmer, makes this a sipper, I don't want this to end. I think I could drink a few of these, if I could get it.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2008 23:06:53 | More by beereality

dondeez21

New Jersey

4.83/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Excellent beer. One of my favorites of the style.
Appearance: Nice amber/red with a foamy white head
Smell: Very nice hop aroma. Specifically the smaell of Amarillo hops
Taste: Upfront hop aroma with a nice malty backbone. Some yeast flavors can also be tasted.
Mouthfeel : Nice full sticky feeling.
Drinkability: Excellent beer. It would be my go to beer if it was easier to find and the price tag wasnt so high.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2008 01:13:26 | More by dondeez21

QuinnFam

Illinois

4.83/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

It has been a while since i have drank a red. It was a toss up between this red and their ipa. although i did rather enjoy this very much. the hops were nice and not overpowering. i hate it when a beer is what my mother-in-law calls perfumey! this hop head would definitely purchase this hop head red again!

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2009 14:34:49 | More by QuinnFam

BlueBloodBrew

California

4.83/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

12 oz bottle served in an oversized wineglass. This is a terrific all around hopy beer. This beer has a great citrusy start followed by a distinctive bitter ending.

A - The beer poured a very clear dark amber almost caramel color with a two finger head. The beer is low carbonation with allows you to reap all of the liquid flavors.

S - On the nose there is an immediate sense of citrus, a bit of grapefruit, floral scents, and perhaps some herbal undertones.

T - The taste is citrus on the front end upon entry and a hard kick of bitterness at the ending. There is a very eclectic balance reached between the citrus and the bitterness of the enormous hops in this beer. Greenflash did an extraordinary job of reaching the right balance of citrusy flavors and the bitterness of the hops.

M - This beer has a good medium to light body that also provides a distinctive smooth quality.

D - This beer is very drinkable. I could down a sixer (or two) without even thinking much about it.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2009 06:49:30 | More by BlueBloodBrew

hrmhrm

California

4.83/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Red, nearly opaque. Nice tan foam.

Smell: Citrus and pine. I.E., hoppy.

Taste: Very hoppy.

Mouthfeel: Strong, bitter in a good way. Fluffs up on the tongue.

Drinkability: I don't know what this means.

Green Flash makes great beer. What is it about San Diego?

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2010 23:24:40 | More by hrmhrm

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A-Deep copper with a medium tan head that left ridiculous coating, not lacing.

S-Peaches and tangerines with a lovely sweetness. This is a scent that needs to be bottled as a Glade air freshener! I could sniff this all day!

T-Fantastic citrusy bitterness that is supported generously by the malt. This is an instant classic!

M-Medium body with a nice "zippy" carbonation. Well balanced. Great lingering hop aftertaste.

D- Crazy good. Could this be better than Nugget Nectar or Red's Rye....I would love to have a side by side showdown. I love you HH Red!

Serving type: on-tap

05-25-2008 09:54:58 | More by Deuane

TequilaSauer

Virginia

4.78/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Had this on tap a few months back and it blew my mind. This is my second six pack and I decided I'd review it. I know full well my review will be higher than that of the others who have tried it, but I just love this beer.

A - darker and thicker than I'd expect, very nice lacing

S - VERY fresh floral smells with pine, wet cement, and grapefruit coming through

T - incredible balance, attacks with grapefruit and orange peel and gives way to a pleasant bitter, vegetal finish

M - smooth and pleasant, but nothing to write home about

D - in terms of drinking beers, this would be top 5 easily, maybe even top 3. There are times when I've even preferred this over Nugget Nectar (I'm sure 99 percent of people here would disagree with that sentiment).

A great beer, one of my favorite go-tos. If this beer were about 30% lower in retail price, I would never be without it in my fridge.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2009 23:51:22 | More by TequilaSauer

YieldToNothing

New York

4.76/5  rDev +17%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

12 oz bottl into a duvel tulip
pours a reddish brown with a 1/2 inch head.
right away you're hit with the citrus smell. tastes of grapefruit and the hops are very present. carbonation is present but not at all overpowering
haven't had a bad green flash beer yet, and this one certainly is good.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 22:47:44 | More by YieldToNothing

danman83

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into a Weizen glass

Appearance - Absolutely beautiful. A deep crimson rust red which pours a moderately thick head with good retention. Leaves a nice lacing on the glass.

Smell - Mild citrus with subtle hop resin blended with almost a red wood odor possibly coming from the malts.

Taste - Starts off with some sweet malts before the heavy dose of Amarillo starts to bleed through with a very nice tart/citrussy finish.

Mouthfeel - Ideal for this style of beer. Thick but not overbearing with a nice level of carbonation.

Drinkability - Really glad I was talked into picking up a six pack of this because it's fantastic and will certainly be picking up more. It has a great amount of character and personality but low enough in abv to be enjoyed as a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2009 03:41:16 | More by danman83

mlazzaro

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I am an unfair judge as this is one of my faorite styles of beer. American hopped, malty sweet, high ABV red/amber ales. mmm.

solid red color. good carbonation. decent khaki colored head. ring on the glass from every sip.

Smells like American Ale yeast, and citrus grapefruit hop aroma.

tastes really fresh! I could have one, I could six. I like this beer a lot. Good bitterness paired with some nice sweet crystal malt. Decent ABV that is hardly knoticeable. this beer would age well, and changed quite a bit.

Heady brewing company. Like a hoppy Founders (who makes excelent similarly priced malty beers.)

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 02:02:00 | More by mlazzaro

mdagnew

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

4.75/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

355ml bottle bought online from Beermerchants.com

Poured a deep hazy amber red colour. Creamy head poured small but quite thick then faded very quickly to light wispy covering with thicker edging... light carbonation... some light lines of lacing...

Aroma - Lots of piney, peppery and grassy hops up front mixed with toasted caramel malts... lightly roasted nuts, spicy dried fruits (raisins, figs), citrus peel, light tobacco, some rubbery traces, toasted malty loaf, blood oranges, light liquorice, some wet hay...

Taste - Good blast of grassy and spicy hop bitterness, piney resin traces, overripe fruits (bitter oranges, apples, bananas), also some dried fruits (prunes, dates, raisins), warming alcohol, brown sugar, crystal malt, toffee, rubbery traces, light smokiness, soapy...

M&D - Fairly sharp and dry initially then smooths out... full bodied... very very quaffable for a 6% brew...

Overall - An exceptional Amber Ale and one of my favourite US beers...

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 10:08:52 | More by mdagnew

flydudehsv

California

4.75/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

12 ounce 4 pack. Nice red pour with a big tan head that sticks and laces a ton. Fresh hop kick in the aroma right away with citrus and bubblegum and follows with a touch if deep caramel and roast. The flavor shows more hops and bubblegum, slightly sweet, with some citrus and bitterness. There’s also caramel and a touch of chocolate. Nice!

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 08:11:42 | More by flydudehsv

meschaefer

New York

4.7/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This was an excellent beer that pushed the boundaries of style.

It came to me from a tap, with a nice creamy head that showed great retention and left a web of lacing down the side of the pint glass.

A dark read mahogany color, and a fruity and very hoppy aroma. It had a full thick body, and up front the Hop flavor was overpowering and bitter which was then nicely balanced with a rich malt back flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

05-26-2009 12:27:21 | More by meschaefer

mckajd03

Illinois

4.7/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wow. This beer redefines the red category for me. First, it is an immaculately crisp red color- quite impressive under the light. The nose has a little to be desired, but that's not really a high point of the style anyway. After that, though, it's phenomenal. The sweet malt comes through just enough to be a perfect complement to the Amarillo hops. Having homebrewed with Amarillo before, I was excited to see how they came through in this Red, and they did not disappoint. Do yourself a huge favor and buy a bottle (or six).

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2010 03:47:48 | More by mckajd03

PDXHops

South Carolina

4.7/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap in a shaker pint. Based on the excellent retention and plentiful sheets of lace, I can only assume that the smallish head can be blamed on the pour, not the beer itself. Body is a deep caramel amber.

Citrus and pine cut through a robust caramel nose. It smells great, but that caramel is almost a smokescreen for the bitter assault that’s about to follow. Ample malt and carbonation lend a thick and fluffy feel, but the hops are relentless in cutting through it. The pine almost becomes cedarish and digs in for a scorching, lingering finish. Juicy grapefruit is a great match for the caramel, but it’s toasted grains that stick around after the swallow. At once raw but quaffable. Great stuff.

Overall impression: An aptly named beer. Bests Nugget Nectar in the “this is basically a red IPA” category.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2011 14:24:30 | More by PDXHops

xraided81

California

4.68/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into and 8oz, sampling glass. Pours a nice orange -redish color. clarity is great considering its a bottle conditioned beer. Head retention is great a 1/4 inch he is still present 5 minutes after pouring in glass. Smell is of piney, grassy, hops with a hint of earthiness. thinking citrussy hops such as amarillo and simcoe. First sip i get a strong bittering hops, get more of the citrus hop present in the back of the palate, caramel notes are present at the end of the drink, very little malt character is present in this beer. The bitterness does not linger in the mouthfeel as does an ipa. Overall this is a great example of a west coast red ale. I would buy this on a regular basis if i could have access to this beer more often.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2010 05:49:14 | More by xraided81

YankChef

Louisiana

4.65/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

12 oz bottle no freshness date

appearance: slightly hazy dark bronze with big time coppery red/ 1/3 inch fluffy white head that loos menacing and nice lacing.

smell: bright and crisp, smells of citrus, grapefruit and pine. resiny hop greatness. a bit of maple as well. the amarillos give this beer an amazing aroma, i dont care if dry-hopping is expensive its worth it

taste: this one is pretty much all hops, the malt does show up, it has a sort of maply, rooty kind of sweetness but this one is as advertised. Citrusy, bitter and oh so hoppy.

overall: the more green flash i try the more i like. I believe this is another elite micro brewer in this great country of so many of them. Easily one of my favorite session beers and just o so good if you like hops of course, if not why are you trying a beer called hop head red?

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2008 03:19:38 | More by YankChef

EnojysAnyBeer

Colorado

4.65/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A- Clouds of yeast hang in a red-orange suspension. Sticky, off-white head with great retention and plenty of lacing. Would be a 5 with a bit more clarity

S- Sweet honey, fragrant flowers and a bitter herbal scent.

T- This beer has layers of malt and hop complexity creating a mesh of delectable flavors. Mostly bitter along with some bread and sweetness

M- Very smooth with a silky carbonation. Perfect?

D- Hoppy American red ales rock my world and this is no exception

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2009 21:05:51 | More by EnojysAnyBeer

cjgator3

Florida

4.63/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle. Pours a dark amber color with a very nice off-white head. The aroma is sweet malt with a ton of resinous citrus and piney hops, tons of grapefruit! The taste is amazing, I have had very few beers as smooth. Extremely well balanced, with a good malt backbone supporting a delicious hop profile. Overall, Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale is a delicious beer that is highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2008 02:27:59 | More by cjgator3