Green Flash Palate Wrecker - Green Flash Brewing Co.

ThickNStout

Georgia

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

12oz bottle from Whatsarezaf (thanks for the extra!). Served in a Sweetwater snifter. No bottling date noticed. 

Pours clear amber with 2 fingers of frothy cream head that quickly dissapates. Nice consistant lacing. 

Smells of big piney and citrusy hops. A faint sweetness behind those pleasant hops. 

As the nose foretold, the taste is powerful resiny pine and citrus hops. Orange, mango, tree sap and pepper. Good and bitter. I can tell there is a bit of sweet malt backing but the hops dominate. There is a touch of booze bite but not you might expect from a beer pushing 10% abv. 

Medium light feel with a pleasing slight carbonated zing that makes the sticky bitter aftertaste tingle on the tongue. Not what I typically look for but really well done in this brew. 

Another impressive offering from Green Flash. I'd really like to see them in GA (for now I have to trade or pick them up on my semi-regular trips to Asheville). Palate Wrecker is no misnomer- in my opinion this sticks on the tongue with a bitter potency that Stone's Ruination never quite achieves. Worth a try if you want a seriously bitter hop-forward DIPA without the typically biscuity malts. Thanks again for the great surprise, Reza!

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 03:49:33 | More by ThickNStout

DrFayhee

4.85/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Golden-orange with medium head and nice lacing.
S: Beautiful floral hops with lots of bright citrus and pine.
T: Amazing hop bomb with tropical fruits, herbs, and tart berries. Just a perfect, complex, west coast-style IPA.
M: Beautiful clean mouthfeel. Tingliness that come from the flavor rather than the carbonation.
O: This is one of the best west coast IPAs I've had. I love almost all of this brewer's offerings but this is really amazing. It doesn't so much wreck my palate as wreck my ability to enjoy other IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 02:16:55 | More by DrFayhee

Gobzilla

California

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

A: poured an amberish orange in color with yellow highlights when held up to the light with a good finger of head that left some frothy lacing sticking to the glass.

S: you could definitely catch the hops on this hop bomb accompanied by citrus, mango, traces of pineapple, fresh green grassy notes, and a bit of wood earthiness as well.

T: large hop punch throughout the whole palate process alongside caramel, citrus lemon grapefruit, earthy, little bit of pineapple flavor, mango accents and a good malty sweetness to balance out the hop bomb.

M: the brew was medium in color with a good amount of carbonation which had a citrusy, mild fruity, earthy, slight sweet but hoppy bitter crisp finish that lingered on the palate.

O: Couldn't ask for more from another great west coast DIPA that will for sure wreck your palate.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 01:58:12 | More by Gobzilla

TheHoppiest

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a tulip glass. Pours a ever-so-slightly hazy amber color with a two-inch off-white head that has great staying power, slowly reducing to leave sticky webbed lacing behind.

I think I just cracked open am evergreen bough and stuffed it up my nose. I may as well be rolling in the hemlock; this is one piney, resinous smelling brew! I've got to give it a few minutes to catch the hints of honey, pineapple and mango dancing just out of reach underneath this hop monster.

My tongue is curling as I start sipping this one; resinous, oily hops, tobacco, oak leaves and just a tease of sweet malt are curdling my mouth even before I get to the secondary bitter finish. The taste is intense enough to open the nasal passages and get that hop taste into my sinuses!

Medium to full bodied, I think my tongue is starting to go numb. The heat from this brew creeps down the throat and warms the belly.

Drinking this is like having a chile pepper eating contest; if you like spicy food, you'll jump at that challenge any time; if your idea of hot is a dash of tobasco sauce, then you'll bow out. Same here; serious hop-heads will like the challenge of this aptly names ale; everyone else will poo-poo this as over the top nonsense. I fall in the fire-breathing mouth wrecker category, and am enjoying this ale. Sadly, its intensity is making me regret that I've got all 22 ounces of this to myself.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 01:22:09 | More by TheHoppiest

dirtylou

Washington

4.05/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber, chucks

appearance: served in my ale asylum chalice, glowing orange-amber body, minimal white film.

smell: bright citrus - sugared grapefruit rind, pine resin, boozy caramel malt

taste: 150 ibu's : lots and lots of hops - bitter red grapefruit, pine resin, thick syrupy caramel malt, honey, spicy. I mean - I enjoyed this but hope it represents an outlier because we really don't need 150 ibu DIPA's. The bitterness is extreme and the hops stick to the palate for hours

mouthfeel: sticky sweet, high bitterness, spicy alcohol

overall: fierce and abrasive - worth a bomber

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 05:04:39 | More by dirtylou

magictacosinus

California

4.78/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 5

Poured into a tulip glass from a 650ml bottle.

Fantastic appearance, considering this one of the allegedly most hoppy beers conceived, as the alcohol seems to "mask" the reddish-orange appearance, and that the excessive hop oil adds extra shine and jewel-like appearance. There's plenty of carbonation as well, and it's fantastic that a 9.5 ABV beer has this long lasting of a head. Granted it could be the Duvel glass, but another person I was with had it in a standard pint and it lasted forever as well. Heavenly, in short.

There's a colossal hop and alcohol aroma that seems to punch you in the face upon a whiff. However, these notes soon materialize and become sweetened like candied fruit, and contain a citrus, tropical flavor that is refreshing. There's no malty smell to speak of, and the yeast seems well blended with the hops. Perhaps there's too much of an alcohol drop, but it's expected here.

To me, the flavor is pretty much the opposite experience, as all you seem to get are extreme citrus and floral hops, and syrupy, caramel malts. Astonishingly, this beer has pretty much no alcohol in its flavor, and it's only noticeable at the back of the throat seconds after each gulp. The hops indeed dangle on the tongue as advertised (as it has over 150 IBUs) but instead of "wrecking" the palate, it seems to enhance the palate with wonderful spiciness. This is thick and smooth as hell, and provides an extremely juicy and pleasant experience with the lack of any carbonation on the mouth, as well as alcohol. This is closer to a spiced fruit drink than an actual beer!

Truly fantastic, especially considering how smooth it is for an over-the-top beer that it is advertised as. Rather than wrecking my palate, I don't think I'd be able to drink one bottle alone of this and end up merely buzzed. This will appeal to all fans of DIPAs as well as California pale ales, but may also work for fans of cocktales and barleywines. Wish it wasn't so expensive (8 dollars), or I'd definitely pick it up more at my local store than cheaper, harder-to-find beers of its kind such as Pliny.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 23:14:22 | More by magictacosinus

sevenarts

New York

4.1/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Clear reddish gold. Modest head, strong lacing.

S: Lots of grapefruit and piney hops.

T/M: Bitter hops up front: grapefruit, citrus, some pine. The hops are layered and linger for quite a while, leaving behind a slightly bitter aftertaste. As the name suggests, this is big and bold, and very tasty.

O: Nice strong double IPA, as intense as you'd expect.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 22:48:00 | More by sevenarts

Monkeyknife

Missouri

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

Poured from the bottle a clear copper color with two fingers of light beige head. Creamy lacing left behind.

Bright, juicy aroma of grapefruit and pine resin.

The taste was no surprise after the aroma. A big juicy bite of grapefruit and pine along with a nice backbone of caramel malts for balance. Finish had a bitter bite to it.

Medium bodied with a moderate carbonation.

This one gives Hopslam a run for it's IIPA money. Big, bold, and full of flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 22:51:05 | More by Monkeyknife

Philousa

California

3.93/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sits a clear, pale gold with a full one inch head. Even lacing the whole ride. Surprise, surprise, strong hop presence. Piney, resinous, earthy. Some flowery nectar aromas. Some hearty bread malt lies behind the hops. Detected something somewhat spicy after a while, like tarragon. Solid wheat bread malt presence makes itself known to the tastebuds along with some chewy biscuit. Some nectar/honey in the transition to bitterness, which is strong: earthy, somewhat piney. Affects your palate over time. A numbing effect is observed. Earns the name.

This is a pretty damn good beer. I feel like it's reaching a bit too hard for the highest IBUs possible title, but it's still great with a noticeably good malt to back up the hops. Hops are done very well. You can tell many types were used and they all got along with one another. Love the nectar flavor brought out by both the malt and hops.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 03:57:59 | More by Philousa

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a nice looking copper color with a foamy thick white head on top. the smell of this beer was hoppy, lots of piney citrus with some grapefruit notes in there too. The taste of the beer got a little better as it warmed up but wasn't quite what I was hoping for in the beer. The mouthfeel was well carbonated, medium bodied and a little oily. Overall this beer was good, it's bound to please just about any hop head out there but I feel that I've had much better IIPA's.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 02:57:41 | More by Knapp85

VaTechHopHead

California

3.23/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass, couldn't find a bottling date/code

A - Deep orange/light brown and crystal clear. Quick fading head and little lacing.

S - Semi-fresh hops but a nice Earthy and floral aroma. Quite fragrant but not too over the top like many beers of this style.

T - Mirrors the aroma with semi-fresh hops that are sticky, taste of pine, sap and fresh cut flowers. Flavor sticks to the palate well and has a chewy feel to it. Aftertaste is very Earthy and piney and lasts.

M/O - Medium body that is well carbonated and nice viscosity. Easy to drink but not a sipper. The floral taste lingers for a while. Overall I was honestly expecting more but I prefer the West Coast IPA over this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 00:00:12 | More by VaTechHopHead

russwbeck

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer pours out of the bottle a nice orange brown color with a billowing white head. Fluffy and thick, the head lasts forever and coats the side of my glass.

S: A big citrus aroma attacks the nostrils as you delve your nose into this one. It almost smells like you're holding a fresh hop in your hand. There is some light malt coming out as well. Hop bomb all the way, but nicely thought out.

T: I have to say this is pretty good. The hop resins really hang out on the back of the mouth as the citrus and grapefruit rules the taste. Bitter and piney, the hops provide a nice secondary taste to the fruits. This is a well executed beer, and the results live up to its name. You won't be able to taste much else for the rest of the night! (Not that that's a bad thing)

MF: The body is so light and crisp I can't believe how much flavor it has. The dry finish puts the cap on a wonderful beer that is just so easy to drink.

O: I enjoyed this even more than I did when I had it on-tap. Just a really outstanding Imperial IPA. Hope Green Flash keeps making this bad boy. Sit back, pop the bottle open, and relax. Perfect IPA for enjoying the warm weather.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 01:18:10 | More by russwbeck

nimrod979

Maryland

4.13/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance - Glowing bright orange with a thick pillowy white head. Long retention and moderate lacing going on.

Aroma - Very inviting. Lots of tropical fruits, mango, grapefruit, orange citrusy hops to go with some dank piney resin. Hint of malts.

Taste - The citrus aroma doesn't carry much to the flavor. Mostly bitter, piney resin hops. Quick hint of malts for some balance and sweetness before being overtaken by a bone dry bitter finish. The citrus notes surface a little more towards the end.

Mouthfeel - Smooth, creamy, oily mouthfeel. Medium bodied. Medium carbonation. Exceedingly long bitter hoppy finish.

Pretty good hop bomb, This beer has a lot of hype around it but I've had better DIPA's. Still a solid brew. I'd get it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 21:52:46 | More by nimrod979

duceswild

Maryland

3.88/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Received in a trade from whatsarezaf.

Live review:
12oz bottle pours a nice golden orange with about a half finger of head. Upon opening the bottle you can smell the hops. I knew to expect a lot of hops, but WOW.

During drinking it leaves a Leaves a good lacing throughout the glass. Taste is of hops and pine. Even at 9.5% I don't get a lot of alcohol taste from this beer.

Not sure that I could correctly taste a beer properly after this one as it is a palate wrecker for sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 21:22:55 | More by duceswild

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle from a four pack that cost $12. I was excited to try this and while it was a decent DIPA it just really wasn't my bag. Nice orange color, thick head, thick lacing. Smells like a bit of pine, strong hops which I like but I wasn't quite wowed. The flavor is extremely bitter but also has a strong caramel flavor from the malts. Kind of sweet too which I did not care for. Overall, above average but I won't be buying any more.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 00:28:30 | More by ArrogantB

Amalak

New York

4.4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A. It has a beautifully thick, off-white foamy head. Streams of small bubbles running up the side. Good lacing. Copper color. Semi-opaque.

S. Has a weed-like scent to it.

T. Very, very intense bitter bite that almost has an electric shock effect. Quite unique. Has a rye-ish undertone. Someone said it has a pine-like hoppiness, and I would have to agree. A slight sweetness of caramel.

M. Very odd (but good) taste in back of the mouth. That's probably the pine. The aftertaste lingers for a while.

O. Very unique and interesting. The taste is vastly different from when it first hits the palate to the aftertaste that comes at the end. Complex.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 19:21:16 | More by Amalak

nrbw23

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a dark golden amber color with a off white head. Head has good retention and leaves some solid lacing.

S- A pretty strong smell here. Quite a bit of tropical fruits and pine leading the way. Pretty much a hop bomb and I'm not really picking up any malts.

T - I'm digging this one at the first sip. Quite a bit of hops here a lot of tropical fruits and pine. Not really picking up any malts.

M- Medium in body with a good amount of carbonation.

O- If you're a hop head this one's for you. I really enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 09:33:18 | More by nrbw23

Teleweizen2

New Jersey

3.28/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - pours a hazy light orange with some yellow highlights towards the bottom of the glass. Only a sliver of white foam yet leaves some spotty lacing from swirling.

S - strong and interesting aroma. Very dank. Lots of candied orange peel, pine needles and green leaves. Hints of tropical fruit as well such as pineapple and possibly even some bananna peel.

T - sweet caramel notes up front. The crisp hop bitterness comes quickly and melds with the sweet notes for a very intense candied orange peel flavor. Sweet and bitter notes mingle and consume the palate well past the finish.

M - medium bodied. Creamy texture. Carbonation is mediumand.very crisp.

O - personally I felt this was a bit too sweet and not quite balanced. Yet an interesting DIPA overall.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 04:56:45 | More by Teleweizen2

srandycarter

California

4.3/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Somewhat murky dark apricot, big white head, tons of cling. Looking good.

S - Nice malt center but completely dominated by citrus and pine.

T - Nice. Meat thick caramel center splashed heavily with hop juice.

M - Medium to heavy body, great carb and balance.

D - I really like this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 04:24:32 | More by srandycarter

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

4.23/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle served in a snifter.

L - lightly hazed blazing copper color with a white head that thinned to a ring of bubbles leaving a delicate coating of lacing behind.

S - burst of citrus fruit mix.

T - biting grapefruit rind bitterness lets just a hint or two of sweetness show up before going tart, dry and bitter on the finish, a very nice drink here.

F - medium bodied with a tart but enjoyable feel.

O - one of the better tasting Dub/Imp IPA's around.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 23:48:26 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

bluejacket74

Ohio

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

22 ounce bottle. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a cloudy amber/orange color with an inch off-white frothy head that sticks around for a long time. There's also a good amount of lacing. The brew smells mostly like citrusy (tangerine, orange, grapefruit) and pine hops, and a bit of caramel malt. However, I don't pick up quite as much citrus in the taste (as compared to the aroma). Mostly I taste a lot of bitter pine hops, along with some citrusy hops (mango, grapefruit) and a little caramel malt. There's a good lingering bitter hoppy finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's lick and creamy with good carbonation. Overall I think this is a good brew and I'd buy it again in the future. $8.99 a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 21:38:42 | More by bluejacket74

Hophead717

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A: Deep, golden brown, with a foamy one-finger head that hangs around. A very pretty beer.

S: Equal parts orange citrus and fresh hops. Light, but serious. Some light caramel underneath, hinting that the beer might be more balanced than the name would imply.

T: Strong citrus hops upfront, namely grapefruit and light tangerine, with the most fleeting moment of caramel malt, before an all-out onslaught of bitterness from the hops hits the tongue. I love the intense bitterness, but the flavor in the finish is a bit sub-par for an ipa. Fine overall, but the finish is a letdown.

M: Smooth, medium-bodied, well-carbonated. Excellent mouthfeel.

O: Great, except for the overly bitter finish. Overall, a good beer, but not the best.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 00:34:11 | More by Hophead717

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.13/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into snifter

Appearance – Pours a deep amber color with hints of deep orange and some red. Upon pouring a nice just off white head forms on the brew. It has a decent amount of persistence before fading to give a nice level of lacing.

Smell –Pine is huge, dominating the aroma. There are slighter aromas of a breadiness as well as some light citrus and woody aromas.

Taste – This is one bitter pine hopped brew throughout. There are transitions however, in the intensity of the bitter pine hop flavor. At the start of the taste, the bitter pine is more mild (at least comparatively to the end of the taste) and there is a little bit of sweeter citrus (tangerine and orange). Toward the middle it becomes a bit more bready in body with the sweetness fading and the bitter pine getting even stronger. At the end the bitter really takes hold and leaves an intense bitterness on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – Smooth and creamy with the carbonation is on the lighter side. These characteristic really accentuate the bitter pine flavor giving the tongue some wicked intense flavors.

Overall – This was a bitter pine IPA if I have ever had one. With its intense nature, its potent flavors overload the bitter taste buds on the tongue. A bitter IPA’s lover’s kind of beer, and one I actually found quite pleasurable (even though I would consider myself a sweeter IPA kind of guy).

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 23:16:24 | More by Darkmagus82

sukwonee

Washington

3.2/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

A: Looks great. Lots of lacing, 2 finger head, burnt orange color.

S: Very typical west coast DIPA smell. Piney, grapefruit, citrus, but I smell some onion?

T: Man... too much hops... it does wreck my palate... (in a not-very-flattering manner). Not a fan of how this beer tastes. Yucky after taste too.

M: Good amount of carbonation, medium thickness.

O: man... this beer doesn't taste very good. I love hoppy beers, but man... this isn't good much at all. It's painful as you're swallowing it. Give it a try, but I bet you won't keep seeking for this (like me).

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 05:48:45 | More by sukwonee

ucsbmullet

Colorado

4.03/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz bomber.

Super-hop bomb. One of the hoppier beers I've had.

A medium color gold. Two finger head upon first pour.

Pine on the nose. Pine on the tongue. This DIPAs more bitter than sweet.

Not my favorite DIPA but drinkable. If you like your IPAs on the bitter side, this one is for you. Not much grapefruit notes if any.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 01:52:11 | More by ucsbmullet