Green Flash Palate Wrecker - Green Flash Brewing Co.

kylehay2004

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: two finger frothy head, minimal retention but nice lacing on a crystal clear amber with crimson hues. one of the most attractive beers I have seen.

S: very nice pine notes are foremost with citrus, floral and herbal notes as well. Very hoppy. The aroma is just a little understated but is very good.

T: lots of pine, medicinal and herbal hops. The citrus is mild. This one is particularly bitter but it doesn't offend. nice strong malt backbone.

M: fairly thick body and moderate carbonation. sharp bite to the finish.

Overall: This beer is very well made and one of the more attractive beers I have ever seen. The hops are strong but well balanced by the malt. Booze are well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 02:33:52 | More by kylehay2004

DefenCorps

Oregon

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

The first time I had this beer was in the parking lot of Captain Lawrence a few years back, when Green Flash sent a keg of this to NY by mistake. I remember being pretty impressed with it then, let's see what I think of it now. $8.99/bomber (ouch), hopefully it's fresh.

A clear copper with a dense, creamy off-white head with excellent retention and nice lacing, this is a great looking DIPA. The nose is nice and aggressively hoppy, dank, resiny, weed-like with pine aromatics. A little alcohol is noticeable, along with a mild caramel presence. A moderate bitterness is perceived as well. There is some candied citrus character as well, particularly oranges? Very nice.

The palate is pretty excellent. Big, bold, resiny and mildly sweet, this does make a strong case for its name. Bold pine and grapefruit, with less weed than the nose would suggest, this is wonderfully resiny and bitter, juicy, mildly fruity and nicely palate-coating. Some sweetness is present, but really, this is a wonderful example what a mindfully bitter DIPA should be. The sweetness is a little more than I like, though. Medium-light in body with mild-moderate carbonation, this feels pretty great on the palate. Bitter, resiny, hoppy finish with a mildly green hop character, this is pretty excellent. The sweetness is increasingly noticeable as I work through the bomber, not enough to make me slow down, but enough to be noticed. Recommended, especially if you can find (more reasonably priced) 12oz bottles.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 01:56:34 | More by DefenCorps

nickfl

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours with two fingers of white foam on top of a perfectly clear, amber colored body. The head settles at a moderate pace and leaves nice, thick lace on the glass.

S - A pungent, sweaty pine hop aroma with some thick caramel malt in the background.

T - Pine hops and thick, bready malt up front. Some more pine and sweaty hop character in the middle with a touch of darker sugar. Finishes with pine, grapefruit, and strong bitterness that just manages to balance out the rich malt.

M - A fairly thick body, moderate carbonation, and a balanced finish.

D - This is a really well made, slightly dark and straight forward DIPA. The hops are pungently aromatic, but also strongly bitter which is good, since anything less would leave the thick malt cloyingly unbalanced. Nicely done, and quite drinkable for such a big beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 02:34:37 | More by nickfl

FosterJM

California

4.08/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

1115th Review on BA
Cask to stemmed cup

@Hamiltons San Diego, CA

App- A dark orange color with some yellow bottom highlights and a very fast receding 1/2 in head. Left great sticky cling all the way down the glass.

Smell- A great mix of deeper citrus and hops. Very tropical in the nose and lends itself to a layer of supporting malts. A little oily at points but the cask and the temp I expected that.

Taste- The primary layer I got on this was deep damp tropical fruits. A bit of tangerine and a bit of orange. Mixed in come the hop oils and ABV boozy flavors. A bit creamy from the cask and a bit warm. All the flavors meshed well. Its a good beer but not a great DIPA.

Mouth- A thicker medium body with touches of warming booze and very creamy. A good low/medium carbonation level on cask.

Drink- A good solid DIPA put on cask. Nice balance and was good but wasn't great.

Serving type: cask

02-24-2012 19:07:56 | More by FosterJM

smakawhat

Maryland

4.18/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bomber into a nonic pint glass.

Wicked retention on an off white head that sits tall and long, four fingers deep, with a crystal clear red to orange amber body. Some slow rising carbonation comes in appearance, while the head clumps and sticks and goes nowhere. Great looking here, with giant ringing clumps of lacing all throughout while drinking.

Nose is airy pine hop, mild herbal tea hanging in the background, with a juicy citrus malt quench it seems is to come. This smells real impressive.

A mixture on the palate of much hop aroma, from varying angles, citrus sweet with herbal tea character. Bitterness and dryness comes on the finish with a lingering sweetness. Real juicy and oily character mixing with a good solid malt backbone.

I wouldn't call this a total palate wrecker, I'd just call this a real solid IPA. Quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 23:40:42 | More by smakawhat

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%
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

dgilks

Australia

3.98/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear golden colour with a small, creamy, off-white head. Nice lacing.

Pine resin and wood with plenty of sweetness, dank Simcoe hops, cat's pee and some overripe tropical fruit. Alcohol and malt sweetness are definitely here as well.

Big bitterness with lots of resinous piney hops. Some fruitiness but it is a little subdued. More bitterness comes in with a touch of sweetness from the malt. Almost a little harsh.

Medium body with moderately high carbonation. Quite good.

A nice DIPA which lives up to its name. Plenty of bitterness but it lacks a bit of finesse as the hops are very piney and lack some good floral character.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 07:04:12 | More by dgilks

hopdog

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap [on cask].

All I can say is what a great name (especially for a IIPA)!

Poured a medium amber color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of citrus, floral hops, and pine. Tastes of the same citrus, pine and a lighter maltiness. Nicely bitter.

Serving type: cask

12-09-2008 04:10:40 | More by hopdog

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.2/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

my favorite green flash brew so far. a hophead's dream here. pours a barely red honey color with a proper white head on top. smell is a floral hop bouquet and some yeast with a belgian feel, or at least that fruity/spice hefe feel to it. flavor is not all hops, although they are clearly dominant. i also taste orange, pale malts, and a touch of honey. this is an excellent springtime imperial ipa. it just has something light and airy about it, despite how massive it is. feel is very very brightly carbonated and the body is squarely medium. one beer definitely gets ya buzzed too, no matter who you are. i suggest this one highly, its fantastic

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 18:18:37 | More by StonedTrippin

alexgash

Connecticut

4.34/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle. Bottled on 01/01/13.

Clear, clean burnt sienna body. Two fingers of very thick, dense, light creamy khaki head. Awesome lacing. Big time tropical fruit and citrus on the nose. Pineapple, mango, mandarin orange, grapefruit, and guava just to name a few. Hints of non-palate wrecking caramel/butterscotch malt as well.

Numbing, herbal hop flavor and bitterness up front. Sweetish fruity malts settle in quickly, while the herbal hop bitterness crescendos. A hearty, heady mix of resin, pine, tropical fruit, pineapple, and citrus make for quite the hop presence. The bitterness is pretty intense as well, and just seems to keep increasing into the long finish. I feel like there are hop flowers stuck to the roof of my mouth. Warming notes of fruity alcohol also grace the finish. Medium-full body with a creamy, thick feel. Gentle carbonation takes pity on my alpha acid wracked mouth. Palate wrecker? Maybe, but I like it.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 04:01:05 | More by alexgash

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a Duvel tulip. Big thanks to HopStoopid120 for tossing this one my way.

A: A straight pour yields a towering three-finger head of dense, creamy off-white head that recedes slowly toward the clear copper body, leaving abundant lace. Gorgeous.

S: Whoa, that's some intense grapefruit hoppiness - plus just a hint of cannabis. Moderate booze, and a touch of toffee. Quite good.

T: Follows the nose: grapefruit pith, dank weed, sweet toffee malt, and a hugely bitter, boozy finish. Big, bold, and very tasty.

M: A little on the light side body-wise, but with a moderate dose of pleasantly fine carbonation. Not bad at all.

O: The name might be a bit of an overstatement, but it's definitely an assertive DIPA. I appreciated the touch of malt backbone, as it was really necessary to keep the substantial booziness in check. I really hope Green Flash comes to CT, as this would be terrific to drink fresh on tap.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 01:40:09 | More by woosterbill

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

4.23/5  rDev +1.2%
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

tdm168

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark, golden orange with a big, off white, foamy, dense head that has decent retention. The nose is faintly herbal, mildly grassy, and has an underlying bready aroma. The flavor is bready and malty up front, but it quickly changes to herbal, bitter, citrusy, piny hops. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, smooth, and well carbonated.

I like what Green Flash tried to do here. As a hop head I will always promote the extreme. The flavor is solid and really does showcase almost all of what hops can do. It's not nearly as hoppy, bitter, or intense as the name would lead one on to believe, but overall it's a good DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 22:49:48 | More by tdm168

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.63/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A darker orange pour, clean and clear. somewhat rocky white head, but it didn't last too long.
Aroma is chalk full of citrus bite and some old bark. Alcohol is present. Just shy of Pine-Sol.
Palate Wrecker almost lives up to it's name, but even after I finished it I could still sense that the malt was weak. Good? Bad? Meh, you be the judge of that. For me it was nice, but would like to see more malt to counter the hops as they strive for Lemon Pine Sol level. This might be very good with spicy dishes, if you like spice and pain. Otherwise it would be a bit tough to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

05-08-2010 19:22:49 | More by Mebuzzard

flagmantho

Washington

4.06/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: rich golden hue with a brilliant, haze-free body and a strong effervescence. Head pours two thick fingers of frothy ivory foam with a bit of an orange cast; head retention is quite good. Wonderful!

Smell: strong, fresh, citrusy, funky and ever so slightly dank hops pervade the aroma. A hint of the sweet malt also makes it through the lupulus barrage. Quite nice.

Taste: bright fresh hops right up front; piney, citrusy, resiny. This is followed by a sweet malt with a big alcohol warmth, and finishes out with a balanced bitterness. It's bitterness actually seems low for its overall hoppiness, but make no mistake: this is an appropriately bitter beer for the style.

Mouthfeel: big body and a good carbonation make for a very creamy and satisfying mouthfeel. Good stuff.

Overall: a tasty and very drinkable beer for its ABV and general palate-wrecking properties. I'd definitely have this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 05:25:52 | More by flagmantho

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4.08/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz. bottle served in my Ommegang tulip. Pours a translucent honey gold with a creamy, three inch, off-white head. Head eventually settles into a quarter inch cap embedded with pinpricks and ringlets. Thin, textured clusters of lacing are present during the tasting and exhibit good adhesion. Nose expresses citrus rind, light, candied fruit, ethanol, an earthy character and honeydew melon. Taste follows nose; however the alcohol somewhat over-asserts itself, masking many of the qualities present in the nose. Finishes with a light, lingering, earthy bitterness that gradually dissipates between quaffs. Mouthfeel is light-medium in body with a slightly oily texture and an even carbonation level. Overall, I have to say that I enjoy my DIPAs with a little more sweetness and tropical fruit; however, this was definitely a solid brew and worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 00:16:01 | More by Jwale73

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A bottle from Jersey into a Green Flash Pint Glass.

Green Flash Palate Wrecker pours a golden/orange looking liquid that glides into the glass smooth like creating a inch of loose off white foam leaving some specs here and there. A nice amount of activity and bubbles.

Smell is all west coast hop scent like expected. A very nice bouquet of citrus rind, grapefruit, mango etc. Some floral hop scent comes up with some biscuit like scent coming from a light malting. This smells delicious, if that makes sense.

Taste is up there with the big boys on the left coast. A nice blast of citrus mixing into some pine ending with a light bready malt that drowns out the hops on the finish without too much sweetness. Well rounded but the pine lingers in the aftertaste, which is not a bad thing.

Feel is at about medium with ample carb, there is some bite to this from the bubbles. Palate wrecker is bitter and would be a lot to handle for a newbie, but a craft drinker with experience could handle this. A lingering aftertaste, with just a touch of the 9.5% coming out. This would go well with some spicy food.

I gotta say between this and Rayon Vert, Green Flash has been pumping out some great new beers in a 12oz format at affordable rates. I could drink two 12ozer's of this in a sitting no problem. I am constantly impressed by west coast IPA's in general, I just wish more east coast brewers would catch up.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 02:17:23 | More by onix1agr

Durge

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Looking forward to this one poured from bottle to pint glass, chilled. It has a cloudy iced tea color appearance with a decent white head and nice lacing. The sniff test reveals grainy grapefruit and tea/hemp ideas, just a bit skunky in a very nice way. Great aromatics here. The flavor introduces with heavy cereal grains and light malt sweetness, but the grapefruit hops are massive! The bitterness settles into a bit of an herbal edge as well and results in a highly delectable brew, particularly for the hop lovers. The body is medium-light and the feel solidly crisp. Wow, love it!

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 00:18:43 | More by Durge

lordofthewiens

Maine

4.45/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

In a snifter this beer was a beautiful clear amber color with just a small rim of head, which lingered.

A lot of hops in the aroma. Herbal/piney hops, a little citrus. A touch of sweet malt.

Mostly a herbal/pine taste. Some grapefruit. Bready background.

Hop bomb. Alcohol well-hidden. Great beer for hop heads.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 14:28:30 | More by lordofthewiens

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.48/5  rDev +7.2%
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

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

4.23/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at St Augustines in vancouver. This is the last beer you want to drink in the evening as it really obiterates all else with its huge hops and deep bitterness. It is strangely balanced and not too over the top. I liked the beer and appreciated the fact it delivered the goods while staying very drinkable for the style. I could only have one but that is all you need with this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-12-2012 23:34:58 | More by canucklehead

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a clear copper-amber color with a finger of frothy off white head atop. The head fades down fairly slowly leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of strong pine and tropical hops with lots of grapefruit, floral, and resin smells, with some caramel and biscuit malts and a touch of booze.

T - Starts off with some strong pine and tropical hops and bitterness alongside some sweet caramel malts. Through the middle, the resiny hop flavor gets stronger with stronger bitterness and a bit of biscuit malt. The finish is a mix of pine hops and bitterness with some sweet malts and a bit of booze.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth and resiny with a dry, bitter, and lightly warming finish.

D - Very drinkable. I really like the strength of the hops in this one and the bitterness. Does not get out of control though.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 04:26:56 | More by ngeunit1

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

3.23/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance - deep golden-red hue, inauspicious enough start. Creamy manila head with gluey, sticky lace all around.

Aroma - pungent, herbal, minty, pine resin. Not a grain in sight.

Taste - a brief bit of orangey citrus up front, pineapple too. The rest of the beer is built for max IBUs. So bitter I almost can't define related flavors. There are some entry notes of resin and grapefruit rind, but it quickly becomes white noise with the overpowering bitterness. On the other side, some abv heat returns some flavor to the palate, and some warm citrus notes help define the ending. I rather like the opening and closing, but the middle is a bit of a task.

Mouthfeel - not as big a body for a DIPA, giving it some added crispness, a nice touch for the style. Not especially smooth from the hop oils, in this case I don't mind as it allows the bitter to wash out faster and the more citrusy flavors of the finish to arrive that much faster.

Drinkability - glad I had a chance to try it. I know a few hopheads on my block who I'll try to grab a few more for, but one and done for me. DIPAs are a tough style for me - I find many I don't necessarily care for, but I can't stay away from the style. The audacious use of ingredients with such generous abandon has a certain allure I keep coming back to.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 04:41:04 | More by brewdlyhooked13

oline73

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a clear amber color with a finger and a half of fluffy off white head. The head hangs around very well and leaves nice lacing. This is a really good looking beer.

Smell: West coast IPA hop profile is the first thing I'm picking up. Citrus peel and pine notes from the hop bitterness. Just a touch of malt sweetness, but it's almost lost in the hops.

Taste: There is a nice malt sweetness in the background, but the hops are the reason we're all here. Bitter citrus peel hops, just a mild note of pine as well. The finish is crushingly bitter, but very good.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with fluffy carbonation and a slick finish.

Overall: This is a fantastic DIPA. It was much better than I expected. Huge fan and I would definitely have another.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 02:22:07 | More by oline73

billab914

Virginia

3.85/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into my Devil's Backbone tulip. It poured a clear, dark copper color with a frothy white head rising well above the top of the beer. Nice lacing as I drank it.

The aroma shows a strong hoppiness to it with a resiny, orange rind and grapefruit bitterness being the dominant flavor. I get some alcohol mixing with some malty sweetness. It's definitely a hop forward beer though.

The taste has some malty, slightly caramel like flavors to it up front. midway though a very bold resiny, citrus rind, grapefruit hoppiness starts to take over and lasts through the finish. A little bit of candied orange is there as well.

The mouthfeel is a little above average with carbonation being moderate. Overall it was a pretty good beer. It had a pretty bold, bitter, resiny hoppiness to it which fit the name of the beer pretty well.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 00:06:58 | More by billab914