Green Flash Palate Wrecker - Green Flash Brewing Co.

Neorebel

New Jersey

4.48/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Palate Wrecker certainly lives up to its namesake! Let's start with the color - it's a murky, yet sediment-free burnt orange, with a billowy cap of white suds. It looks rich and full of flavor... almost overflowing with it. The aroma is very bright and bursting with fruit esters - kiwi, pineapple, grapefruit, tangerine, and a little dash of brown sugar. Getting to the actual flavor - it's got a good amount of malt sweetness that I did not expect, and the hop aspects start off with that grapefruit juiciness, then it evolves to"resinous," to a final super piny, drying bitterness. I welcome the harshness of the finish. It's amazing how one beverage goes from juicyfruit to such a sharp dryness. I love it. It's a heavy beer too, beware. I will absolutely be buying this masterpiece again!

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2013 23:01:03 | More by Neorebel

JG-90

New Jersey

4.7/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Pours a large light beige head that becomes rocky as it recedes. Head has good retention and leaves heavy lacing. Beer is a copper/orange/golden color. Smells of citrus, most noticably grapefruit and orange, but also with a bit of lemon. Also smells very resiny with a bit of pine. Just a hint of caramel malt.

Taste starts with hop resin, moves on to pine, ends with piney, grapefruit and orange. Has a sticky, resiny, piney, slightly caramel malty finish. Mouthfeel is just less than heavy with moderate carbonation, a little creamy/bready. I love this beer, the great hop flavors along with just the right (but very small) amount of malt. Also, some hops bombs have an oppressive aftertaste, this one does not at all.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 21:53:24 | More by JG-90

RobM77

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 12 oz bottle. Nice copper color, but lost me beyond that. I enjoy a good IPA, but I guess I don't understand absolutely killing a beer by overpowering it completely to one side or the other - too much malt or too much hops.

To me, the true craft of brewing a solid beer is balance and learning to meld flavors. This is flat out in your face hops - but as it's name goes, that is the intention of this beer, so it succeeds to that end. How hard it is to brew a beer like this though - probably not so hard.

Not a big fan, but I can understand how a true over the top hop head would be. To me, this beer doesn't even compare to Green Flash's excellent West Coast IPA, which shows a good balance of malt and hops.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 05:50:40 | More by RobM77

Beaver13

Colorado

3.8/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle. Pours hazy copper orange with a medium pillowy white head that retains well and leaves some lacing.

The aroma is a little subdued - piney, resiny, dank hops with some sweet caramel malt and a little melon.

The flavor is a little caramel malt and fruit with a ton of resiny, piney, very bitter hops that linger in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, a monster hop bomb. Tons of bitterness, but not a lot of good hop flavors.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 04:43:54 | More by Beaver13

CAMRAhardliner

Ontario (Canada)

4.83/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Pours glowing peach with a dense, pillowy white head that lasts forever. Enormous patches of laces stick to the glass on the way down. Hops fill the air when I pop the cap of the beer, huge citrus and orange hop flavors and some pine and cookie dough in the background. The taste is immensely hoppy with an immediate mouthcoating intense bitterness that pervades the whole glass. Grapefruit and lemon notes mix with a resinous pine bitterness. The timid malt profile is doughy and light. The mouthfeel is full bodied with a sparse carbonation - intense hop resin mouthcoating makes for a lot of numbing. The finish is infinitely long and bitter. Delicious. Alcohol isn't prominent for the strenghth and is only complimentary to the bitterness attack.

This is one of my favorite DIPAs ever. Super hoppy and also very multi-faceted. I will say it will probably put off anyone who isn't into hops, it's pretty intense. Still one of the best. Green Flash rocks.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2013 02:31:35 | More by CAMRAhardliner

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.96/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: Pours a slightly hazy deep golden orange in color with light amounts of visible carbonation and some burnt orange + copper highlights. The beer has a finger tall dense foamy off-white head that very slowly reduces to a large patch of very thin film and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of citrus/orange rind hops along with some much lighter notes of pine hops and just a hint of caramel malts.

T: Light amounts of caramel malt sweetness initially but that is quickly overtaken by the flavors of the hops - citrus/orange rind and Light hints of alcohol are present in the finish along with the moderate to strong amounts of bitterness.

M: Slightly heavier than medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Light to moderate amounts of dryness in the finish.

O: As the name would indicate, this is a seriously hop heavy beer and slightly out of balance (tons of bitterness compared with just a light hint of sweetness). This is not the easiest of beers to drink both from the hop intensity and the not so hidden alcohol. Not sure I would have another of these but glad to have tried it.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 00:28:10 | More by dbrauneis

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

edit: I now see this brew has been bottled 12/17/12 making this over 5 months old. Guess that really does make the difference for an IPA...

A - An impressive 1/2 inch of sticky rocky head atop of a quite hazy colored amber brown beer. Not bad.
S - Not as piney as I figured which is kind of a relief, citrus and melon hops dominate with a mild bit of sweet malts to the balance.
T - Ok this has to be old because it's hardly bitter. In fact I am kind of digging it since it has a nice bittering hop to woody sweeter malt bill. I want to say it's like a barleywine but that's simply not true. It does have some hops clinging to the palate so it does have some edge. Reminds me of ruination...
M - Light to medium dangerously drinkable despite the age. Not bad.

Overall not that I regret picking up a whole six pack for 10 bucks this is one drinkable old DIPA. Not notable alcohol taste and great balance of hops to malt make for a very drink able brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2013 23:52:29 | More by DrDemento456

CloudStrife

New York

4.18/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle poured into a tulip.

A: Pours a clear amber with a one finger slightly yellowed head. Not much visible carbonation in the body. Leaves some spots of lacing on the glass.

S: Loads of fresh hop are the first thing you smell, reminds me of a brewhouse. A blend of resinous pine, earthiness and citrus. Solid malt backing on this baby, can tell this is going to be a heavy brew.

T: As the name hints, this is one hop bomb of a palate wrecker. Dominant hops and strong bitterness permeate this brew. Malts make an attempt to back it up but hops win over. Pinyness and earthiness come from the hop. Quite a bitter beer.

M: Full body with a nectar like feel, a bit sticky from the abundance of hops. Low carbonation. Booze is warming but doesnt show up too much on the tongue.

Overall this is a tasty beer for serious hop heads only. Great hop profile that nails the double IPA category.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2013 19:35:43 | More by CloudStrife

adam42381

Florida

4.18/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a goblet. Bottled on 3/13/13 printed on bottle.

Appearance: Pours a medium golden color with yellow-orange highlights and a 2 finger fluffy off-white head. Very good lacing throughout.

Smell: Sweet candied fruit, pineapple, bitter citrus, a touch of pine. Extremely hoppy with just a touch of malty sweetness in the background.

Taste: Lemon zest up front followed by pine in the middle before ending with a blast of grapefruit rind at the finish. The alcohol comes through a little as it warms up. Aftertaste is extremely bitter and long-lasting. The name definitely rings true on this one.

Mouthfeel: Medium-to-full-bodied with a good amount of carbonation. The hop oils really coat the entire mouth.

Drinkability: Decent drinkability. You probably wouldn't want multiples due to the fact that your palate probably can't handle more than one bottle.

Overall: Very good beer overall. Quite possibly the most bitter beer I've tried to date with the possible exception of Moylan's Hopsickle. I'd recommend this one to the true hopheads out there.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 23:42:07 | More by adam42381

joeseppy

Illinois

4.06/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Aggressive pour yields a one inch head that is dense and has some staying power. Cloudy golden amber and scattered lacing.

Tropical fruit nose dominated by melons and papaya. Pine nuts and light malt playing second fiddle.

Extreme hop front followed by intense sweet malt to the back. Pretty straight forward; hop and sweet.

Mouthfeel is chewy in a sweet danish fashion and carbonation holds.

Aggressive sweetness from the malt is distracting; love the bitterness though. Tastes more like a barleywine. Not going to purchase again but worth a try if you are curious enough.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 04:17:40 | More by joeseppy

Somebody_Else

California

4.78/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Why I love this beer:

I love how the beer slowly changes character as you drink it and it starts warming slightly. How it goes from a crisp, almost unbalanced hoppiness only to evolve into a delicious biscuity presence toward the end. And how I can continue to recycle the sticky hops flavor from tongue to nose long after the liquid has been swallowed. I have fallen in love with this beer. Most definitely on my top 5 list.

Thank you, Green Flash!
___

Amendment:
I like this beer better than just about anything. I really Really REALLY like this beer. That is all.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 00:32:47 | More by Somebody_Else

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

4.01/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: It has a nice deep hazy/orange color to it. It has a nice off-white head that dies down moderately and leaves very nice lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of resiny pine, citrus, grapefruit and sweet caramelly malts.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a some resiny pine, grapefruit, faint citrus, caramel and bready malts.

Mouthfeel: It has a medium carbonation with a nice overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavors and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 20:46:56 | More by SebD

SpruceMoose

Australia

4.23/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

It's bollocks-freezing weather down here in Oz, and thus it was inevitable that I'd make the trek to one of my favourite locals, Acland Cellars, to acquire some super-strong crafts for the evening that awaited me. Something dense, I said, like a barley wine or an imperial stout. The clerk grimaces as he hands me the bottle; the title "Palate Wrecker" staring menacingly into me. At first I'm perplexed as to whether I should fear or admire this creation by notorious San Diego brewers Green Flash, but curiosity meant that I knew this beer would certainly need to be reviewed.

Good luck, the clerk tells me as I walk out into the frostbitten streets. Keep calm. Relax. Deep breaths. Here we go.

Serving Type: 12 oz bottle poured slowly into a 500ml Hobgoblin tall pint glass.

Appearance: The pour generates a modest head with a cloudy golden body, similar in shade to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale with the intriguing density of a Belgian ale. Bubbles race frantically up the glass and contribute to the head, which laces evenly as it lowers itself deeper into the glass.

Smell: A hophead's paradise; intense aromas of citra and cascade (and perhaps even Goldings?) hops are immediately noticeable, and serve as a signal of what is to come.

Taste: The first swallow produces an intense bitterness that lingers not only on the tongue but all around the mouth. It sits there right after your first sip and stays around until the second. As a hophead, I'm naturally in heaven. Some booziness is noticeable after the first few sips.

Mouthfeel: Denser than your average IPA. Carbonation is moderate and the body is gentle despite the intense flavour. Overall very pleasant.

Overall: Hopheads would love it, maltists would scoff at it and lagerboys will run hysterically from it. Green Flash Palate Wrecker is a unique beer with plenty of character and much to offer the hop connoisseur. This is indeed an intense double IPA, and chances are you'd either fall head over heels for it or dismiss it as another overhopped generic American IPA. Regardless, my palate has been wrecked.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 10:31:52 | More by SpruceMoose

Moose90

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottled on 12/17/12
Tasted on 05/17/13
Shit, this is old...Hope for the best.

A – Dark copper orange color. Head is tall initially, but fades to the anticipated thin layer. Lacing is rocky and sticky. Carbonation is adequate, not too high, nor too low.

S – Holy cow, big, sweet, dank, piney, resinous, malty, caramel, bright. Lots going on here. Citrus fruits, orange, lemon juice. Cannot wait to take a gulp of this.

T – Quite sweet, and the hops have faded for sure. The hop notes are here somewhat, they are peppery, white onion, and fresh pine. Interesting. Sweet overall, quite viscous, some more notes of orange and lemon come through, like a lemon curd, or orange marmalade. Balance here is what makes this great, with all the complexities, it is very smooth, drinkable and great.

M – A big beer, for sure, though it remains crisp. It is undoubtedly sweet, but not so much so that it kills you. Just short of a BW. For a IIPA, wow, just wow.

O – I grabbed this at the first chance I could. Too bad it wasn't very fresh, but hey, this is still a great beer. Will seek it out again to try it fresh. With some age it develops a big caramel sweetness, but the peppery, piney hops are still there to cut through it all.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 04:22:35 | More by Moose90

BarryMFBurton

Indiana

4.43/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Part two in my Green Flash excursion this evening: next up is Palate Wrecker.

Finally, a bottle date: “Bottled on 12/18/12.” Damn, that’s old. Ah well, so was Le Freak, and it was still alright. To beer with a high life expectancy!

A: Deep hazy orange with a hefty head of beige bubbles. The foam is thick and fizzy, popping at every opportunity, though falling pretty slowly. Low amounts of retention but high amounts of lacing, climbing everywhere in a chunky web.

S: A magnificent testament to the glorious, aromatic hop – a noseful of pine, lemon juice, orange pulp, and sweet wildflower that promises to wreck your palate upon first sip. Smells hoppy enough to peel paint. Not much else can be found under the cloud of hop oils other than a straw-like, barnyard graininess, a rustic quality that grounds this huge IPA in a place of natural, homegrown sentiment.

T: Rides in bright with a swift metallic tinge as puckering hop notes of citrus oil and grapefruit rind send fire across the taste buds – a spicy, peppery bitterness, but bright and fruity nonetheless. It has a certain bright air to it, a charm that only juxtaposition can bring: that is, bright hops over an orange marmalade and lemon drop not-so-thick-but-still-pretty-viscous sweetness. There’s something to this beer that other DIPAs don’t have…Ruination is set apart by its crispness, Hopslam by its thick honey/resin combo, Dreadnaught by its syrupy residual sugars. It seems that Palate Wrecker is unique because of its extremely drinkable balance; it has a certain mixture of stinging hops and grainy afterbite, a bready wheat flavor that gives this a finish that is unbelievably mild.

M: In all the right ways, this beer is crisp: a bit of bubble to its dryness, but not enough to overwhelm. And in all the right ways, this beer is sweet: a meaty thickness, but not enough weigh it down. Let’s just tell is like it is: truth be told, I drank half the bottle before I realized I was doing it. This is one hell of a drinkable DIPA.

O: One of my favorite IPAs of recent memory – and that’s not just because I’ve wiped out my recent memory with beer. Green Flash has bottled pure hop essence in a container that can barely hold it, as I found out with just a single whiff. I can honestly say that this is one of the hoppiest beers I’ve ever had, which is a distinction I don’t take lightly. I think the last time I awarded that was for Stone’s Ruination…and this is even hoppier. If this were available without a huge drive, I’d be drinking this All. The. Time.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 00:52:43 | More by BarryMFBurton

RickS95

Indiana

3.69/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bomber

Pours a light copper orange, a soft apricot color. There's little head in the pour, unless you give it a bit of a swirl, and then you're left with a finger of dingy white head and a spotty lace.

It's got the style down pat in the nose. A combination of pine, grapefruit and pineapple. In the nose there seems to be enough malt in the background to hold up to the hops. There are layers and complexity because you can smell the citrus, as well as sweetness.

The taste falls a bit flat. The complexity is gone, the layers nowhere to be found. There's a biscuit, malty taste, but all is overshadowed by the hops. Unfortunately, I don't taste much West Coast influence. There's some pine, some earthiness, but no citrus...nothing for balance.

I don't have a problem with hop bombs, but there needs to be some complexity and balance or the beer is simply uneven and not all the good to drink. This is all hops, and not really in a good way. While I appreciate the name, it's a bit hard to drink because it's just all hops. The malt in the nose doesn't come through and the beer is just bitter from beginning to end, with a dry finish. Your tongue/palate never get a break.

Not all the easy to drink. After a few sips, you can't feel anything and your taste buds are shot for the immediate future. I like the ABV, but it's not an easy sipper

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 02:31:49 | More by RickS95

Bosoxfan20

Missouri

3.31/5  rDev -21%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Speigelau IPA glass. Hazy dark copper/light amber. Vigorous side pour gives way to a foamy 2 finger white head. Decent retention and lacing.

S- Big citrus and floral hops. Grapefruit, tangerine. Sweet caramelized/honey comes though.

T- hop forward as expected. Borders on acidic, green apple type flavor. Very bitter. Name makes total sense. Could have used a lil more malt that I smelled. Some astringency, and a lack of continuity with the flavor.

M- Mid body, very dry. A little too dry maybe. Alcohol present. Creamy only for a second, then goes back to super dry.

O- Name make sense. Nice look/smell, but failed to come together in the end. Thought this would be more like Ruination, but its not. I enjoy a really hoppy beer, but this one missed the mark.

Bottled on 12/17/12
Consumed on 5/11/13

$11 for a 4 pk

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 06:28:11 | More by Bosoxfan20

nataku00

California

3.75/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottle poured into a tulip glass. Beer pours a dark copper with a finger of loose off white foam. Head dissipates quickly to a thin collar along the edges with minimal lacing. Not much carbonation visible.

Nose is pine and grapefruit, caramel, and a bit of alcohol.

Taste follows the nose, big hit of pine and grapefruit bitterness, mellowing into a caramel malt sweetness and alcohol. Lingering grapefruit bitterness on the tongue with some malt sweetness.

Medium body, a little syrupy with low carbonation that lightly tickles the tongue. A bit of alcohol warmth in the back of the throat that lingers after a couple of sips. Not exceptionally bitter, mostly a decent DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 03:50:28 | More by nataku00

rangerred

Tennessee

3.99/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter out of a 22oz bomber.

Pours a hazy dark orange with a one finger white head. Head fades to a thin wispy cap with some thin lacing on the sides of the glass.

Aroma is full of pine with a hint of tropical fruit along with some apple and peach. Malt is pretty much absent with only the faintest hint of bread.

The taste and mouthfeel is where this beer really begins to impress. A huge punch of resiny pine along with a very impressive palate stripping bitterness. A very tiny amount of bready malt is in the background but is completely buried by all the hops. A very dry mouthfeel for a IIPA which is a wonderful change from the usual.

Overall, this is a pretty delicious IIPA. While it is not something I would drink on a regular basis, it is a nice change up and one of my favorites in the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 00:20:12 | More by rangerred

Vec2267

Florida

3.45/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - orange / gold, clear, white head, great retention and lacing

S - pine resin, some sweet citrus/floral notes

T - pine resin, citrus pith, bitterness

M - medium, rich because of the blast of flavors, not syrupy

O - not enough balance, tons of hop bitterness without anything interesting/enjoyable

If you buy this expecting a balanced, enjoyable beer you will be disappointed. There are better hop bombs that manage to provide a more balanced, enjoyable experience. The best part of this beer is the smell.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 02:33:24 | More by Vec2267

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I poured this one into a glass. It has a amber color body with a 2' finger of white head. The smell has a carmel note, with a great blast of citrus hops. The taste has a great hop bit up front then a little malt on the back of the tongue. i love the bite from the hops it hits your tongue like a rocket. The moutfeel is great, leaves a nice little after taste on the tongue. Over all this is a great DIPA

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 19:34:34 | More by chefhatt

macrosmatic

Florida

3.95/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a Russian River pint glass.

A: Pours a hazy, brownish copper with moderate carbonation and a two-finger white head.

S: Sweet and mild caramel malts, citrus rind, as well as some grassy and flowery hops.

T: Bready and slight caramel malts, bitter hops with hints of citrus rind, resin and spices - but bitterness is the overwhelming hop impression, and it lasts into the hang.

M: Chewy mouthfeel, somewhat heavy body, moderate alcohol presence, relatively low carbonation sensation.

O: This was solid, but the amount of bitterness from the hops was quite high without having much in the way of other flavors the hops should have imparted. I'll probably drink another but I'm not going to run out to grab it.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 22:49:49 | More by macrosmatic

Rcraft

Maryland

4.09/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Quickly foams to a 1-2 finger head, but recedes to a thin layer around the edges with slight lacing. Orange-amber in appearance, a bit transparent in good light.

S: While you can definitely smell the piney hops, it's not the most pungent aroma. I had to get a few whiffs in a snifter to really gather the variety this brew presented (but that might just be my nose?). Definitely more piney than fruity, I would say - with some citrus mixed in, of course. The longer I try to smell it, though, the more I can pick up.

T: Solid through all temperatures. You can start this one out very cold and get good flavors, and finish your glass a while later a bit warmer and it still has an enjoyable taste. Good balance.

M: The hops/bitter sticks with your mouth for a while if you aren't eating anything. Very pleasant to me. Nothing extraordinary but definitely present.

O: You're looking to pay ~$14 for a 4-12oz pack. For the price, it offers a decent experience. I'll probably have it again for occasions but I'm not going to go out of my way to find this. Solid DIPA!

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 09:05:06 | More by Rcraft

Zach225

Arizona

4.7/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Appearance: Poured into a tulip glass. Pours a burnt orange/amber with a hefty, fluffy head of about 2-1/2 fingers. As it settles it displays respectable head retention for 9.5% as well as some lacing. Swirling in the glass as it goes down it displays some mild alcohol legs.

Nose: It's like walking into a hop store. An army of different hop aromas surround your nostrils like an assault. Leading the pack are huge notes of ripe pineapple, grapefruit, papaya, orange, garlic, and onion skin. More subtle notes of earth, spice, and sweet flora are present within the onslaught.

Taste: A more full-bodied, "sticky" IPA. Upfront, a rush of bittersweet. Massive hop bitterness attacks your taste buds with just enough mild, caramelly-sweet malt balance to keep it in check. Mid-palate the hop flavors start to dig through the initial slam of bitterness, which remains all too present, to keep you from getting too comfortable. Big, juicy tropical fruit and citrus rush over your mouth as you start to swallow. There is a comfortable amount of warmth in the throat from alcohol, and the beer finishes long and ornery and refuses to let go. It doesn't clean up and refresh you (that would not serve its purpose), it lingers with bitterness that doesn't give in and dank, garlicky citrus.

Overall: I have returned to this beer on several occasions both on tap and by the bottle because I do truly enjoy it. As a beer lover who can't say no to the hop-head inside this beer is irresistible. If you are looking for a relentlessly bitter, but still well constructed Double IPA then look no further. It is like being taken on a tour of a hop factory. It is quite respectably well accomplished for a beer of such aggressive characteristics. A word of advice to those who truly want to explore this IPA's complexities; be weary of temperature. Do not drink Palate Wrecker too chilled, enjoy it in the 52-56 range to really go for a gnarly, roller coaster of a hop ride.

- Cheers!

Zach

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 06:50:22 | More by Zach225

ProudBeerSnob

New York

4.51/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Finally found this bad boy at Hegedorn's (a local indie grocery store). Poured from a 22 into a tulip glass. Nice light copper color, but head is sort of sparse.

Aroma is wonderful. Piney citrus notes as expected. Tastes good as well.

Overall, a quality brew. I will seek it out again.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 01:32:44 | More by ProudBeerSnob