Green Flash Le Freak - Green Flash Brewing Co.

GossageBrewery

Missouri

3.23/5  rDev -20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured this Belgian IPA from a bottle into a pint glass. It pours a clear golden color, produced a thick, off white creamy head. Excellent Head Retention and thick rings of lacing were left on the pint glass. The aroma consisted of sourdough yeasty, spices , cracked pepper, citrus lemon peels and cloves. Medium in body, this Belgian IPA had a base of malted grain, a melody of fruit including pears, granny smith apples and citrus hops. This ale was more fruity then hoppy- not bad just not what i expected. The bottle says that is a mix of Belgian ale and an American Imperial IPA. I just dont find anything "Imperial" about this IPA. Overall, i think this is an excellent session beer- just don't go into it thinking your getting an aggressive hopped IPA- You will be disappointed.This beer failed my time honored IPA Test....I give my wife a sip and if her face doesn't pucker - its not up to par. Not only did she not pucker...she said mmmm this one is good. ....IPA Fail! ;) Prost!

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 16:39:07 | More by GossageBrewery

bnes09

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -20%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Looks promising in the beginning with a lemon, orange color and rich frothy head. Then the head completely disappears leaving and clear liquid with no lacing. Very disappointing.

Smell is the best part with pine and citrus hop notes, yeast and light malt.

First sip is excellent with fresh pine and citrus flavors, candied sugar, fresh yeast and bready malt. After a few sips the hops get rough with a medicinal character. Its like each sip builds on itself to create an undesirable beer. Ruins the balance too.

Medium bodied and coarse, grainy texture. Drying.

There are better Belgian IPA's out there.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 06:18:05 | More by bnes09

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Transcribed from undated notes.

The pour resulted in a big, yellowish-tan head with outstanding retention. Color was a very cloudy deep-apricot. Nose had an odd yeast-driven earthiness. Mouthfeel was medium with a strong sourness, undoubtedly borne of the yeast that wormed its way through the liquid. Extreme? No doubt! IIPA and Trippel? I would not have guessed without cheating up. It was quite sour, especially on the finish. I did not feel that it was the sume of its parts, although mine was definitely the minority opinion on this occasion. I even thought it compared to a saison.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2010 20:09:16 | More by woodychandler

mdfb79

New York

3.25/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Received this as an extra from Nugganooch; thanks Dane! Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into my Czechvar tall tulip.

a - Pours a somewhat dark golden orange color with two fingers of fluffy white head and moderate carbonation evident. Head lasts for several minutes and leaves some spotty lacing on the glass.

s - Smells of citrus hops, bready malts, sweet fruity malts, honey, Belgian style yeast, light tang/sourness. As it warms up some light floral notes. Pretty good.

t - Tastes of bready malts, sticky sweet fruity malts, honey, light must, yeast, floral notes. Light spice as well. Not bad, but a little off and too sweet for me. Average at best.

m - Medium body and low to moderate carbonation .

o - Overall a decent beer, but not my favorite. Some nice citrus hops in the nose, but a bit tangy and too sweet for me. Not something I'd probably seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 02:24:29 | More by mdfb79

themind

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a nice head, decent aroma and good taste. This beer is an interesting combination of a Belgium and American pale ale.

Green flash makes excellent beers and if your looking to try something a little different this is your beer. Not my favorite beer by any stretch of the imagination but worth a try.

Nothing comes to mind that I could compare it to.

bottom Line: worth a try

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 12:58:29 | More by themind

ncstateplaya

North Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I poured this into my new Ommegang flute while watching the 2008 Papa John's Bowl. Not a good game for me as my Wolfpack lost to Rutgers, but I tried to not let it show in my review of this beer.

Appearance: The head caught my attention more so than the actual color. It was extremely frothy and cream colored, measured at three fingers. The was a "mushroom cloud" in my glass that was very impressive, and stuck around for quite a while. It poured a hazy orange, I am assuming because of all of the yeast, with golden edges. There was a decent amount of lacing, however it did not stick around on the glass for long.

Smell: The alcohol esters were abundant as was a musty yeasty smell. There was definitely a caramel malty presence that went nicely with the subtle spicey hop aroma.

Taste: The alcohol was what caught my attention at first. Almost to the point of tasting more astringent like. This property mellows as the beer warms. It was very bitter and had tons of spice from the hops, as well as hints of apricots.

Mouthfeel: This is a medium bodied ale with plenty of hoppy spiciness and malts to keep your mouth interested. The carbonation keeps the tongue tingling and the alcohol definitely warms as it goes down. The malts led to an pretty smooth finish.

Drinkability: Not one of my favorites, but I can appreciate this craft brew. It is an enteresting extreme beer, but the alcohol-astringent flavor turns me away.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2008 18:21:22 | More by ncstateplaya

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.28/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bottle tried 2 Jan 2009.

Poured in a 0.4 L Steiner Pils snifter. Large foamy creamy off white head. Cloudy dark amber color. Aroma smells strongly of green bananas, cloves, resiny hops. A bit soapy at the start. Lots of yeast and banana. Astringent and puckery through the middle, finishes with a strong hop bite. Ethanol is warming.

Not really freaking out here.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2009 06:06:28 | More by htomsirveaux

froghop

Washington

3.3/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pours a semi-cloudy amber-orange with a medium size white head, and great lacing.

smell is of yeast, floral, some fruits, and malt in the back.

taste is smooth, bread dough, some caramel, malt, hops in the back, and some fruit, ends thick and a tad bitter.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2010 21:02:52 | More by froghop

champ103

Texas

3.3/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a semi hazy golden/yellow color. A dense two finger white head forms with good retention. Some sticky lace is left behind.
S: Yeast, sweet malt, and light fruity aromas up front. The hops come in strong towards the end. Mostly as citrus hops with a soapy dish water aroma.
T: Yeast, peppery spice, and fruit. A light sweetness, and a light hop presents. Mostly a soapy flavor.
M/D: A medium body and carbonation. Dry and crisp. Some alcohol is noticeable. Though a good beer to sip on.

Not bad at all. Though this is more of a one and done for me. This tries to be a Tripple and a Belgian IPA. It comes up short on both ends. There are much better examples of both.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2010 03:39:01 | More by champ103

LtCracker20

Connecticut

3.3/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Taken from notes.

A- Pours an almost clear golden color with a 2 finger off white head. The head doesn't hold up too long, but leaves a nice cap with nice spider web looking lace.

S- Sweet malt, bready, and a little bubblegum. Very little hop presence.

T- A bad tasting metallic bitterness up front. Some more sweetness, and again, not too much from the hops. The alchohol is hidden very well.

MF/D- Medium/Full body without being syrupy. Nice dryness. I know this is highly rated, but I wouldn't buy it again. Was expecting more from this. Again, in no way is this a bad beer, but I've had much better Belgian IPAs

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 21:13:45 | More by LtCracker20

TheBone

Wisconsin

3.31/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Well, this is my first ever review. I am going to be myself and honest. So take it for what it's worth...A: I love the light- fluffy foamy head but prefer more color. But I appreciate that the suds floated for the whole session.

S: I'm not a huge fan of Belgian yeast smell, but appreciate the Belgian IPA mix, although the hops are not exposed enough in this beer, however - I am partial to hops.

T: Very smooth and easy to gulp. For a 9.2, it was somewhat tart but very drinkable.

M: seemed to be dry. Probably couldn't drink more than two, I think it drank nicely but the higher alcohol was disguised and caught up with me.

O: I actually liked the beer for a couple of reasons and didn't like it for a couple also. Liked: 9.2 ABV. - gave me a good-beer-buzz. & was disappointed when the bottle was empty, which happened before I realized. Not liked: Price, the most I ever paid for a 4 pack - $14.00. A little too much. &. The Belgian yeast was a little too strong for the mix, I desire a more fresh-hoppy flavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 05:31:51 | More by TheBone

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark cloudy amber/orange color with dark golden orange hues when held to a light source and a thick 1.5 finger foamy yellowish head that slowly fades into a lasting ring. Sporadic spots of lacing left behind.

Earthy hop aroma with hints of soil and pine needle as well as some slight citrus fruit notes, mainly grapefruit. There's also some crisp , light apple and pear notes along with subtle peppery/coriander spice.

This beer tastes and feels much more like a DIPA than an Belgian IPA. Very hop forward with lots of earthy pine and citrus fruit notes. Hints of grapefruit, mango and pineapple with a decent malt back bone that provides nice balance. Very bitter throughout with a slight alcohol warmth and bone dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2010 07:20:04 | More by corby112

LittleDon

Texas

3.35/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Deep golden with a slight amber tinge. Creates virtually no head. Honey sweetness with some allspice like spiciness. Very slight hop oiliness is also present in the aroma. I also get bananas as it warms. Very foamy on the first sip (without a carbonation bite). No noticeable sign of high ABV. Typical Belgian-style aromatic esters up front, but very muted and hard to determine any overriding characteristics. Very bitter back end without the pine or citrus from a West Coast IPA. IMO, a good example of combining two styles with results substantially below the sum of the parts.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 20:11:48 | More by LittleDon

stercomm

Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber into a regular pint glass

A - lighty coppery color with a massive 3 finger, frothy, creamy off white head that recedes slowly and coats the glass with nice lacing

S - Getting cloves, some pepper and lemon, there is a slight funkiness in the scents as well.

T - Agree with some of the other reviews, a rather different taste profile that candied sweetness of a Belgium ale and the bitter hops of an American pale ale. Starts out like a Belgium ale but ends with a combination of hops and Belgium funkiness.

M - Medium bodied, medium carbonation

O - Not sure I'm into this flavor profile, great smells, taste is a bit harsh

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 23:00:01 | More by stercomm

FickleBeast

New Jersey

3.35/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter.

Pours cloudy orange with a finger of sticky foam. Aroma is full of spicy yeast flavors, phenols, clove. Certainly smells Belgian.

First sip is... thick, viscous, extremely hot, spicy, with a big bitter finish. This is like a Belgian barleywine. Yeast dominates the front, but there is a substantial hop presence. Unfortunately, it is washed away by the harsh alcoholic flavors, and the strong lingering bitterness.

This is an ok beer, but it is just too hot and spicy right now... needs some serious time to mellow out.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 00:47:01 | More by FickleBeast

maddogruss

New Jersey

3.38/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Got a bottle of this from the Cloverleaf Tavern.

A: Pours a dark gold body with a thick, two to three finger head with excellent retention and very nice lacing until the finish.

S: An interestingly sweet, banana ester smell which is akin to most Belgian beers. There were some alcoholic undertones, but no bitterness really noted.

T: A strong, bitter, earthy taste that was not what I was expecting from the smell; only from the style description. A slightly alcoholic aftertaste that burns the tongue and hinders the ever so slight malt background. As the beer warms up and your palette becomes more akin to it, the bitterness receds, allowing the sweet malts to protrude with some of that banana ester. Still, the alcohol does impede to full effect of the malts.

M: A surprisingly light mouthfeel that seemed to be a bit overcarbonated. I was expecting a bit smoother.

D: A decently drinkable beet. Typical of the style, which does not seem to really have a set plan. I was hoping for a little bit more smoothness to the mouthfeel, which would have complimented the taste better. As the taste mellowed out, it became a bit bitter as the hops and malts began to complement each other better. While I understand the high ABV was important to the character of this beer, I felt that it took jsut a little bit away from it due to the hindering of the malts. Either way, worth a try if you can get one.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2008 20:57:47 | More by maddogruss

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.38/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed on 9/9/08. Bottle. Pours a deep orange with a hazy ring of white head. Aroma of lots of sweet melon rind. Flavor of more melon rind and light fruits with a bitter rind finish. Heavy mouthfeel. More of a Belgian strong ale than an IIPA...I'm not very impressed by this beer. There are much better hoppy Belgians, this one is a little boring and bland.
7/4/7/3/14 (3.5/5)

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2008 17:10:59 | More by LilBeerDoctor

MikeGill

New York

3.38/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I am big fan of Green Flash and I was intrigued by the idea of this blend. 22oz bottle poured into a large snifter. Orange yellow color with minimal head.

Alcohol and yeast dominate the nose with some earthiness poking through. The beer is kind of aggressive at first, it needed some time to open up in the glass. Warm and clumsy was my first impression but this gave way as it mellowed.

Fruity, yeasty and bitter with some spice. I felt like the hops punched through but are covered in syrup so they play nicely with the belgium half of this brew but unfortunatly are striped to the point of only imparting bitterness, which dominates the aftertaste. A very interesting beer but not my favorite example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2010 16:33:05 | More by MikeGill

Penguin3200

Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to my Cali trading trustee for this one. pours orange amber with a thin head into pint mug. Smell is great on this one with loads of breast yeast and bananas. Taste is bold and bitter but malty and the bananas continue to come through.

Bit alcoholic and metallic taste lingers on the finish. Overall a nice quaffable brew that hits the spot.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2011 00:48:47 | More by Penguin3200

StlHopHead77

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A-Pours out a nearly transparent,bronze body fitted with 3 inches of super,creamy,slightly off white froth that diminished slowly from the sides of the glass leaving a tall,center island of foam.Thick and clingy deposits of lacing were left.

S-Undeniable Belgian spice initially with scents of clove,white pepper and cardamom followed by fruity notes of pear,lemon and sweet citrus and finishing with doughy yeast and stick bubblegum
on the nose.

T-Things kind of went south for me here.There were some bright orchard fruit flavors of green apple and pear followed by bitter,grapefruit rind and bubblegum.The beer seemed jumbled and these flavors didn't mesh for me.The finish consisted of
a forced bitterness and an unappealing tinny/metallic note.

M-Light/medium body with a lasting bitterness and lively carbonation.The bitterness and overall mouthfeel here just didn't seem well calculated.This is the first Green Flash beer that left me disappointed.

O-I had pretty high expectations for this one but unfortunately they fell short.Nice looking beer with a good nose but something didn't quite work for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 12:38:54 | More by StlHopHead77

scottfrie

California

3.4/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle into Delirium tremens glass.

A: Pours a citrusy-honey color with a quarter inch of fizzy head that quickly faded into a thin film that left some sticky soapy lacing after each sip.
S: Sweet fruit, peppery spices and faint hop and yeast notes. Also pick up medicinal notes.
T: Sweet fruits that are balanced by some spicy, bitter hops in the finish with a slight cough syrup aftertaste. Citrus notes, orange peel, white pepper, yeast and faint pine. As the beer warms the citrus peel really starts to dominate along with the syrupy flavors in a bad way.
M: Feel is on the syrupy bitter side. Carbonation is soft and creamy, and alcohol is completely hidden except for some slight warmth in the finish.
D: Out of this and Piraat, the only two Belgium IPA's I've tried, I like Piraat better. This is a fairly drinkable beer, it's just a tad syrupy and medicinal for my tastes. Probably won't buy again.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 23:19:06 | More by scottfrie

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.43/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bright orange golden hue with a fine bubbled off white head forming thick, fine speckled lacing lines the sides of my glass.

A brash collision of Belgian yeast and American alpha hops going on. Citric/pineapple tropical fruit explosion with hints of spicy yeast and slight band aid phenolics.

Flavor can't make up it's mind, the roughness of the two flavors colliding, harsh herbal/citric/dank mary jane colliding with the fruity phenolic spicy yeast characteristics. It just doesn't work for me as a whole the flavors don't complement each other.

Mouthfeel is oily slick with hops, carbonation is lively from the Belgian yeast fermentation. Body is medium to full a bit cloying from the harsh hops and spicy yeast hitting me at once.

Drinkability overall isn't what I want from the style, most versions are their own worst enemy this is a perfect example of that. American hops and Belgian yeast are hard to harmonize.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2010 04:24:17 | More by WVbeergeek

pinotboy007

Virginia

3.45/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Beautiful deep gold/amber and nice, puffy head that descended slowly to a collar. Nice lacing and a strong carbo-stream.

S - Raw honey with freshly cut, wet grass.

T - The bitterness detracts from what might have been a superior offering. It's hard to get past the artichoke stem-like bitterness. That said, there's some alluring spices and a nice raw honey element in the mix but the alcohol on the back end subdues it. Pity.

M - Nice carbonation and decent creaminess make you strive for more but . . . .

D - The alcohol is over the top but I can see swirling this down with hop heads on a warm, sunny deck somewhere. This might work with mussels.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2009 22:35:12 | More by pinotboy007

callmescraps

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Seen this around forever, but never bothered to try. Just felt like something different tonight, so this qualifies.

Appearance- Really nice. A deep, rich copper color. Full two inches of thick, rocky head. It laces beautifully. It's a really good looking beer.

Smell- Interesting. Plenty of hops. Quite grassy. Nice hints of spice and clove on the nose. There's a little barnyard. Coriander. Interesting.

Taste- Follows the nose, and then some. Lots of grassiness. Very green. There is some biscuity malt. The spice disappears. It's mostly a DIPA, with more grass than I prefer. Some pale malt also comes through. Boozier than expected. Very bitter on the finish.

Mouthfeel- Pretty decent. It gets a little syrupy. Would like a bit more bubbles.

Drinkability- More booze and more grass than I'd prefer.

Eh. I thought this was going to be a unique beverage. Instead it's just a grassy, boozy DIPA. Oh well, not for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2010 03:23:29 | More by callmescraps

eric5bellies

Australia

3.45/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Drank on tap at Monk, Fremantle

A - Pours a greyish golden colour with a very slight Hazy colour, fluffy white head that laces.

S - A little sweet on the nose, apple and spice present.

T - Quite large malt flavours but a dominant sickly sweetness to it that dominates the flavour too much. Not enough pine for a Belgian IPA.

M - Little light on the body and carbonation

O - A long way behind the Belgian versions of this style

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2011 13:18:38 | More by eric5bellies