Green Flash Palate Wrecker - Green Flash Brewing Co.

dunit697

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hell yes, That's all I want to start off saying. I just tried this beast last night and was so glad I did. I found it at a home brew shop in orange and I coincidentally was going there to buy a bag of hops. I simply just love the smell of hops, nothing better. I have really grown to like IPA's as of recent because of the mix between different hops and aromas that really come out. This beer smelt like a true hop king. I wanted to sit there smelling it all night. The appearance was good, but with a smell like it had, i didn't much care what it looked like. The taste was great too, again, if your a hop lover, otherwise be prepared for a smack in the face. I am not going to say there is nothing else to the beer, but the hops are so prevalent it was hard for me to taste much else. Mouth feel was good, strong. Bitter enough u didn't want to let it sit there terribly long. Overall a must try for IPA fans!

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 15:48:09 | More by dunit697

brystmar

New York

2.3/5  rDev -45.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

On tap in Oceanside on the 18th, reviewed from notes.

Aroma is predominantly of fresh, piney hops with some citrus and booze characters too. Flavor profile is exactly what you should expect from the name: a hop bomb of the first order. Extremely biting, bitter, and alcoholic. No perceptible malt sweetness to balance out this beast. This beer embodies everything I dislike about IPAs.

Thank god we finished our bottle of Churchill's Finest Hour before touching this monster. A true palate wrecker.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2012 05:20:10 | More by brystmar

Mora2000

Texas

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

On tap at the Common Table in Dallas. The beer pours a clear gold/yellow-orange color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the hops. I get a lot of orange citrus and pine notes, as well as some caramel malt to keep things balanced. The flavor is definitely all about the hops. I get a ton of bitterness as well as some bitter oranges and pine notes. The caramel malt is hidden in the background and plays a secondary role. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2012 05:03:56 | More by Mora2000

SHODriver

California

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

A: pours a clear light gold with an ample white head and decent retention. slowly recedes to a quarter inch of remaining foam.
S: smells of citrus, mostly grapefruit and a bit of caramel sweetness
T: slowly building hoppy character with a little bit of breadiness. Faint hints of pine and grapefruit in the mouth but on the swallow it is all hops that coat the mouth with a burst of pine, citrus, and a slight floral flavor with plenty of oily hop goodness to go around
M: slightly thin with soft and slightly prickly at times carbonation.
O: This beer is a trickster. I let it sit in my mouth and it tastes like a bitter but on the swallow is a huge punch in the mouth of hop flavor. this beer went from 'why did I buy a four pack' to 'I'm glad there's more!'

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 02:52:07 | More by SHODriver

n2185

North Carolina

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

A: pours a clear yellow-gold with two fingers of white head that fades into a thin ring with decent lacing.

S: lots of citrusy hop aromas with grapefruit dominating. Strong pine and sticky weed aromas follow.

T: grapefruit and resiny pine dominate the flavor, though again with some dank weed notes. The finish is resiny and bitter, though just barely avoids being too much so.

M: medium body with mid-low carbonation, this beer feels resiny and sticky in the mouth.

O: a good IPA, overall. It manages to be sticky, earthy, and bitter without being too much so.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2012 00:35:05 | More by n2185

litheum94

California

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

No bottling dates. 2012 release.

Clear, dark amber body. A giant, billowing, light tan head pours out. Thick and foamy, it slowly collapses in on itself, leaving a scant cover with moderate lacing.

Tons of hop aromas on the nose: pine, citrus and cedar. Faint caramel malts and fruity esters.

First sip lives up to the name: caramel malts followed by a walloping hop bitterness. Whoa! Subsequent sips show a little more restraint. Caramel and biscuit malts peek their heads up. The hops are right there again, with flavors of pine, citrus, cedar and a spice from the alcohol. The bitterness stays in the mouth for a damn long time.

This is a good example of a beer that doesn't try to be balanced, but is still well done. This brewery knows what they're doing.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 21:32:08 | More by litheum94

PeprSprYoFace

California

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

Poured into a pint glass. Pours a very nice clear honey color. Nice white head pretty much stayed the whole time. Nice lacing too.

Aroma is nice and hoppy. Very citrusy. Bit of maybe pineapple. Reminds me of knuckle sandwitch.

Tastes great. Very hoppy. Guess that's why they call it palate wrecker. Nice maltyness to it though. After a few sips the bitterness really destroys your tongue. Bit of honey sweetness. It's kinda knuckle sandwitch-ish but a lot more bitter.

Mouthfeel is nice. Nice balance. Nice carb.

Overall a tasty beer. So bitter. Wouldn't drink a ton of it but it's a good beer for sure

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 05:55:44 | More by PeprSprYoFace

drabmuh

Maryland

4.08/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at CK. Beer is amber and clear with a soft white cap of medium and small bubbles, nice retention but low carbonation, looks nice.

Aroma is strong in my face with some nice earthy CTZ hop aromas. Not sure what hops exactly but it has that sense, mild malt sweetness cuts through as well.

This beer is bitter, the finish isn't too dry but it is quite bitter. Mildly dry I suppose, medium in body to start out with, beer is chewy with resinous hops, nice throughout, if you like your IPAs big and hoppy, this is a good one.

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2012 03:52:43 | More by drabmuh

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

12oz bottle into tulip.

A: clear and orange. bright orange. big sticky white head has great retention and tons of sticky lacing.

S: this thing is bursting with spruce trees and pine sap. definitely a solid honey aroma as well. certainly a hop-centric aroma.

T: similar to the nose, a big dose of piney, sap-like flavor to start things off. pine flavor remains throughout the palate. finish is nice and bitter, but definitely not overwhelming or cloying. there is some pineapple in there too.

M: carbonation is fine bubbled and zesty. full-bodied.

D: i have to disagree with the name of this beer. my palate is not wreaked. it is happy. very happy. super hoppy brew is not overwhelmed with a massive malt body. to be honest, i couldnt even detect much malt at all. hard to believe this is 9.5%abv. really tasty stuff from green flash.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 01:41:07 | More by Jimmys

avalon07

South Carolina

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

A: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had an amber color and a clear consistency. There was a huge, foamy, long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: The smell hits you the moment you open the bottle: A massive shot of hops, along with a lot of citrus as well.

T: Tasted exactly like a West Coast DIPA should taste: Massive amounts of hops, citrus (grapefruit), a little malt, and piney quality. ABV% is barely noticeable. A complex and enjoyable flavor.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth, yet bitter finish. Medium-bodied.

O: An excellent, well made, easy to drink beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 12:05:52 | More by avalon07

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

4.08/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Consumed 3/25/12

Appearance: Clear, copper orange - moderately-sized, foamy white head, fades to a nice ring that leaves spotty lacing

Smell: Aggressively hopped, as promised by the name - tons of citrus, pine, and weed - wet, dank, and oily - ripe orange and grapefruit flesh, pine resin, weed, and some herbal spiciness - some pale malts and booze underneath

Taste: Pleasantly brutal - fleshy orange and grapefruit, along with zest and some serious pith - oily, resiny pine - very bitter, with a lingering bitterness - a nice malt base underneath, biscuity, somewhat boozy

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body, intensely sticky, oily, and with pithy dryness - harsh, far from endearing

Overall: Certifiably destructive

This is as aggressive as the phrase "Palate Wrecker" suggests. I appreciate aggressive hops, but this is borderline ridiculous. That being said, this is a must-try.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 06:49:29 | More by angrybabboon

cbutova

Massachusetts

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

Didn't make it to Hamilton's when I was out there but I will next time. Always good to try a fresh, new Double IPA.

A- Orange-amber beer poured into a snifter. Frothy white head forms to around a finger in size and retains decently. Some webs of lace around the glass.

S- Hop bomb. Big notes of citrus fruit, pine resin, berries, tropical fruit like peach and cantaloupe. "West Coast Style"

T- Fresh bag'o'hops from the homebrew store. Hop leaf flavor with notes of big pine resin, citrus zest and fruit. Also has an herbal and floral feel here that isn't quite as present in the nose.

MF- Creamy body with a moderately thick feel overall. Pretty big bitterness in the finish, crisp.

Solid Double IPA but doesn't really hit me as a great one. I don't wanna call it one dimensional but it just doesn't drink as nicely as others.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 03:56:13 | More by cbutova

argock

Virginia

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

Poured from 12oz brown bottle into a Duvel tulip. No freshness date. 4-pack purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA) for $13.99.

A: Burnished amber with thick, rocky off-white 2-3 finger head with decent retention and spotty formations of lace.

S: The hops aroma is raw and explosive with tons of resin, pine, and grapefruit rind finishing with some wet hops herbal notes. The maltiness is provides some caramel and burned sugar notes.

T: The flavor is very bitter but very complex from a hops standpoint with resin, wet hops earthy herbal notes, and intense grapefruit rind. It is hefty but really well done without puckering bitterness -- there are layers of flavor that come through with intensity but without being overwhelming or overbearing. The maltiness is mostly sticky without being overly sweet. It provides the backing this kind of big hops blast needs.

M: The body is medium-to-full with low carbonation giving it a layering, slightly sticky feel. The aftertaste is herbal, wet hops with resin and grapefruit rind.

O: I was really surprised at how good this beer was. Green Flash WC IPA is a really good beer, but I have had some dogs from them (Barleywine for the worst example). This beer is upper tier for DIPAs -- intense, complex, hops-forward, with huge aroma and flavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 01:57:27 | More by argock

lurpy1

Minnesota

4.65/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Palate Wrecker doesn't do this beer. Mother Fucker would be more like it. One of the most unrepentant, aggressive beers I've ever had, and I mean that as a compliment. Smells like pot. Tastes like hops, pine, a little bit of mint. Deadly high ABV too. Really does throw your palate off. Summed up best by the guy next to me at the bar: "Shit, man".

Still regard Green Flash as one of the most underrated breweries in the country. They were not messing around with this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2012 20:36:38 | More by lurpy1

capeannbass36

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a crystal clear, coppery gold, topped with a one and one half finger off white head. Decent fine lacing left behind.

S- Smells pretty good. Not great. Some citrus. Hops. Pine.

T- Expected more due to aroma. But...it is not there for me. Bitter hops and pine resin.

M- O.k. carbonation. Feels clean.

O- Guess I am missing something on this one, based on others reviews. Maybe it wasn't stored correctly. No date on bottle, so no idea regarding freshness.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 16:58:41 | More by capeannbass36

largadeer

California

4.19/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a golden peach skin hue. Clarity and head retention are excellent.

Very dank, resinous marijuana-like aroma. Lighter notes of tropical fruit, and a trace of bubblegum (not sure where that's coming from). A bit of malt, but that's not unexpected for a DIPA approaching 10%. Smells excellent.

This lives up to its name. Sticky, coating, attacking bitterness hits the palate almost immediately, but it (narrowly) avoids astringency. Resinous, herbal, oniony hop flavors are dominant, but there's just enough fruitiness to keep things interesting. There's a trace of malt up front, but the obliterating bitterness soon destroys any trace of sweetness.

Overall, another great hoppy beer from Green Flash; go figure.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 01:22:26 | More by largadeer

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.48/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a glowing sunset bronze color, with a just off-white head that is creamy and foamy and quite something to look at. As it slowly dies down, it leaves a good bit of lace dotting on the glass.

Huge nose overall, and hugely herbal. Definite qualities of rye, with that grain's spicy sort of flair, spruce-like, and also resembling marijuana (not that I would know what that smells like, but from what I've been told...okay, I totally know what it smells like). The alcohol nudges in proudly and underscores everything. For hop heads (and hop noses) but definitely also having its own personality.

Take the spruce, rye, alcohol and kind-bud qualities of the nose, add a slight trace of mint and a ton of caramel, and you have the main components of palate wrecker's flavor. Although it's hugely hopped, it wouldn't make my Top 10 list of true hop-loaded palate wreckers (Hopsickle and Gubna are #1 and #2). Some salt and citrus rind, more in the finish than anything. It's definitely a little bit hot right now, so I'd say this is one of the rare hop-heavy beers that could actually be better with a couple months' age on it. But that would be the max. It's killer fresh, especially if you love a seriously good hop-centric beer.

The feel is as smooth and creamy, yet just bubble-energized enough, as you'd want your Double IPAs. Or, I shouldn't speak for you...but I know it's how I want my double IPAs to feel.

Off-the-chain excellence here from what I still think is the best brewery in the U.S. And if not the best, they're at least the most consistently excellent at what they do. I'd like to see Green Flash expand their style boundaries just a tad more, but still, they're kicking ass like crazy, every single time. Hell yeah.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 22:46:56 | More by Metalmonk

notchucknorris

California

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

A: Clear copper color with a huge 2 finger fluffy white head that leaves massive lacing down the glass with each sip.

S: Big citrus and pine hops, orange peel, caramel malt and a lot of hop resin.

T: Tons of hops here. A big growing pine hop bite with a lingering bitterness throughout. A slight hint of biscuity malt in the background, but the balance is definitely not quite there. Finish leaves some dry and bitter aspirin flavors on the tongue, which I wasn't crazy about. A hop monster, but the flavors are a tad off. A good DIPA, but not fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 19:49:36 | More by notchucknorris

jeonseh

Indiana

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

Bottle poured into my GI tulip

A - Copper with a golden hue. Very clean looking and slightly reflective. Poured with a big two finger head that settled down to about a quarter inch white head. Leaves some light lacing on the glass as you drink

S - Smells of orange,caramel malt, pine and slight lemon peel. Has a good balance between sweet and bitter in the nose.

T - Wow, on the fist sip you know why this is called Palate Wrecker. There is a big, kick of bitter piney hops that hits strong up front. There is some orange sweetness that comes through but only serves as a slight respite for your mouth from the hops onslaught. There is a slight lemon peel that also comes through. The finish is more piney hops that leave a slight lingering bitterness that hangs on the tongue.

MF - Good medium body that has a nice balance and fits the beer just right. Slight carbonation comes through in the mouth. Despite all the hops, the finish is rather clean with only a slight resin lingering on the tongue

O - This is a beer whose name is not false advertising. It is one hoppy beer that really beings along the pine and bitter flavors. Nice to see a DIPA that doubles the hops instead of loading up on sweet malts. Reminds me of a West Coast version of Furious but with a thinner body.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 17:56:44 | More by jeonseh

nrs207

Pennsylvania

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

Thanks NoLeafClover44 for the unexpected extra.

A - Pours golden orange. Little on the darker side for a DIPA. Crystal clear, with about a 1.5 finger head. Head sticks around for a while and leaves a pretty nice lacing down the glass.

S - Some citrus and pine. It's a nice smelling DIPA. There's some malt there, but the smell is definitely dominated by pungent hops. Not getting much tropical fruit, more of an earthy DIPA.

T - The name is appropriate. The taste is dominated by bitterness, which is all well and good, but there's not a lot of hop flavor. The malt backbone is broken essentially. Completely unbalanced. I love my DIPAs to be hop bombs, but I don't just want to taste bitterness. This is why I love Heady Topper. Not many beers can pull off extreme bitterness and extreme hop aromatics and flavors. I give this a 4 because they weren't afraid to just wreck your palate, and I love a beer like that occasionally. I love bitterness. Someone who doesn't might have issues.

M - Not much alcohol present. It's well carbonated. It could be a little heavier or thicker. The carbonation just seemed to rush it across the tongue without really coating the mouth, which I like out of big DIPAs. So perhaps a mix of a little too much carbonation and a thinner body. Overall, still very good for a 9.5% DIPA.

O - I like this beer for what it is, but I wouldn't seek it out often. I love the bitterness, and could even deal with much more, but I like hop bitterness to come with hop flavor. I know it's possible, but it's clearly not the easiest thing to pull off. Props for making a beer like this. All too often I don't get enough bitterness from (D)IPAs, but this was nice. If you like bitter beers, search this out. If you don't, don't.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 02:36:19 | More by nrs207

Billolick

New York

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

12 ounce bottle, from DeCicco's in Ardsley, NY. Part of a four pack for $14 and change...no bargain here...and no freshness info that I can find, c'mon GF great beer but this style cries out for some consumer friendly information...anyway..pours clear, medium amber, lite tan head, that stays, froths and leaves nice, fine and scattered lacing. Nose is the expected blast of fresh and gooey hop goodness, with resins, citrus and pine infused hop cones coming to mind.

Full flavor, full and again fresh tasting hop crunch. Malty and quite smooth and soft under coating. Hop lovers rejoice go get and enjoy.

Close your eyes and you are in San Diego, enjoying a fine example of the local nectar. Well done and worth the price of admission.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 02:30:38 | More by Billolick

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -32%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle from Rick's in Alexandria. Served in a Green Flash pint glass.

Pours a clear light copper color with a very nice off-white head. Tons of ringy lacing on the way down.

The nose carried a bit of light bready malt and some resinous hops. Very light citrus peel in the background. This is surprisingly malty. Not in the sense thy there is a strong malt presence, but just in the overall balance as there really isn't that much hop aroma there.

The flavor continues down this path. Some amber and bready malt with a heavy bitterness though not much hop flavor at all. Very unfortunate. A bit of alcohol there as well. Body is light-medium with good carbonation and pretty heavy bitterness.

I really just couldn't get into this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 02:03:05 | More by Thorpe429

Rhettroactive

Virginia

3.7/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

From 12oz bottle to Bruges hybrid glass on 3/19/12
*From notes

-- Bottled 3/6/12 --

A: A standard pour yields a sticky two finger head. It hangs out for some time, and there's plenty of lacing and a thick collar that follows. The hue is clean orange-amber.

S: A bit muted for what eventually comes off like a Triple IPA. Spicy, with lot of bite in the nostrils.

T: Extremely intense. I can't stress this enough: they got the name right. It's brutal - searing my tongue with enough hop oil that it feels like I'm eating a hop pellet. There's that onion-like quality here that begins to overwhelm everything else, kind of like a baby Founders Devil Dancer.

M: Not nearly thick and dense enough to carry all the hurt. This beer cries out for weight and complexity. As it stands, the mouthfeel is average at best.

O: Tell your Mama to forget the soap - she'll be using Green Flash's Palate Wrecker to wash your mouth. It's like an S&M porno for your taste buds. This is for the biggest of hop fiends who simply can't get enough of the green stuff. I'd recommend grabbing a single first, as I don't know if I could kill a four-pack, even with a few days to do so. Absolutely bruising, packs a wallop from beginning to end.

You've been warned.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 22:30:12 | More by Rhettroactive

DovaliHops

California

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

Very fresh bottle...pretty sure this was released on March 12th...So bout 9 days old. Pours an almost clear, copper color with a large white head that takes some time to diminish. Scent is very fresh with intense hoppiness and some lovely grapefruit character. Hints of mango and pineapple as well. Very little malt characteristics, as the nose would lead. Taste is initially sweet citrus flavors with just a bit of malt...but that doesn't last very long. You immediately get slapped in the face with intense bitterness and grapefruit. This beer definitely has a lingering bitter finish. Nice blend of tropical and citrus fruits with an immense amount of pine and a bit of earthy flavors. I wonder how long it will take before this lingering bitterness on the back of my tongue goes away. Mouthfeel is a bit sticky with a bit of crispness...more sticky though. Drinkability is high...if you can handle the bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 06:07:47 | More by DovaliHops

noahfree

California

4.68/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

$11.95 for a 4 pack. One of my favorites right now. Much like Stones Ruination but takes it to a whole different level. I've read it compares to Hopslam but haven't had the slam, so I can't compare the 2. If you enjoy anything with hops, procure this brew as soon as possible. Lives up to its name to, gotta love it...

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 03:55:22 | More by noahfree