Green Flash Palate Wrecker - Green Flash Brewing Co.

BrandonMelton

4.73/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

1/5/13 - 12oz bottle poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours a golden orange color with about a finger and a half of head. Crystal clear with a decent amount of carbonation streaming from the bottom of the glass. Bright white head leaves a trail of lacing running down the glass.

Aroma: Huge explosion of hop aroma that can be detected the moment the bottle is opened. Dank, resinous, pine aromas invade the senses, accompanied by bitter citrus. Bitter white grapefruit with a hint of lemon peel. A slight touch of alcohol on the nose adds a white wine quality which foreshadows the dryness to come.

Taste: Extreme citrus bitterness up front. Bitter white grapefruit, without even a hint of the sweetness associated with a ruby red grapefruit. Mid-palate is an explosion of dank, resinous, pine flavors. Behind the bold dankness, moving toward the back of the palate, emerges a dry, almost white wine flavor that carries into the still-bitter finish. This is by far the most bitter and dry beer I've ever tasted. As the beer warms, a hint of sweetness emerges - like a very subtle, slight hint of Valencia orange; even a hint of peach.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Moderate carbonation. Nearly perfect mouthfeel for the style. The extreme dryness prepares the palate for another explosion of bitterness after each sip.

Overall: This beer is perfectly named, as it will destroy all ability to accurately perceive flavors for at least 30 minutes after enjoying it. Palate Wrecker will literally ruin the following beer if you don't allow enough time (or palate cleansing) in between beers. Simply fantastic. One of my favorite Imperial IPAs. The only detraction comes in terms of drinkability, where the extreme bitterness and dryness is a limiting factor. But this is a trade-off well worth making on this particular beer, as it is those very bitter and dry characteristics that make this beer unique.

Score: 96

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 01:37:02 | More by BrandonMelton

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

4.73/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

A: poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass, copper amber colored with a huge fluffy off white head that lingers leaving good lacing, clear

S: fruity aromas of pineapple, orange, grapefruit, papaya, it literally smells like you just opened a can of tropical mixed fruit salad, citrus hops

T: pineapple and grapefruit up front, malt comes out in middle with a smooth caramel sweetness, finish is a hop explosion of grapefruit peel and pine resin

M: thick and creamy, alcohol makes itself well known, correct carbonation

O: buy it if you find it, the smell alone makes this a fantastic beer, let it warm for the flavors to fully develop

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 23:39:21 | More by M_C_Hampton

Immortale25

Florida

4.71/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured into a snifter. Bottom of the front of the bottle says Bottled on: 12/11/12.

A- Pours a medium amber color with nearly a full inch of off-white head that retains wonderfully before eventually retiring to an 1/8 inch head Thick, spread-out cobwebs of lacing.

S- Citrusy, floral hops of the west coast variety play off the nose with an enticing sweetness and sharpness. Musty, dank, pungent.

T- Taste is well balanced with plenty of citrusy hop bite and just enough malty sweetness. Notes of pineapple, lemon and grapefruit. The bitterness is intense and lingering but has enough grassy and fruity characteristic to make for a great flavor profile. Alcohol is well-masked also. Great hop burps.

M- Sharp and bitey with a crispness one doesn't find in IPAs as much. Also a bit oily with medium carbonation.

O- A welcome assault to the palate.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 04:28:19 | More by Immortale25

acevenom

Louisiana

4.7/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured into a snifter glass. Pours clear copper with a two-finger length white head that dissipates slowly, leaving some lacing on the side of the glass. There are plentiful tiny bubbles visible rising in the glass. There are aromas of sweet and bready malts with citrus (grapefruit and orange) and piney hops. The hop aroma is pretty intense. The first sip lives up to the namesake of the beer. The hops burst in the mouth with the piney hops and the citrus hops are there, but not as strong. The malts are there in the backbone, providing some nice bready sweetness. The alcohol is well-masked here and I can't even taste it at all. This is an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 00:19:46 | More by acevenom

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

watsonmd

Georgia

4.69/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Very nice, extra hoppy, citrus overtones, coats the tongue, and lingers in the nose. Plenty of hops that cover the pine spectrum as well. Also a sweetness that lasts, with plenty of floral notes and a pleasant carbonation. One of the "happiest" beers I have ever had the pleasure of drinking.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 04:37:56 | More by watsonmd

LCB_Hostage

Pennsylvania

4.69/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass

A: Pale orange with a thick, 1-finger head and heavy, prolonged lacing

S: Glorious smack of hops to the brain. Citrus dominates, but some piney resinly goodness as well. Love this beer already

T: Pays off the aroma in spades! True to it's name, it overwhelms the taste buds with exquisite hoppiness, but that's just what I was hoping for. Not that there isn't any malt in behind there, but that's really not what this beer is about. Full-bodied, yet refreshing to the point of invigorating.

M: The tongue just quivers in submission. Crisp, prickly and long-lasting.

O: Needless to say, I LOVE this beer. A hop-bomb among hop-bombs, so understandably, it's not for everyone, but if you're a true hophead you have to at least give this a try. Too intense to drink every day, but something to pull out of fridge when you really want to "experience" a beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 16:13:14 | More by LCB_Hostage

oberon

North Carolina

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

Good to see a new Green Flash offering here in the Triad.Poured into a tulip glass nice deep burnt orange with a well defined sticky one finger white head that left multiple globs of lace as it settled slowly into a frothy mass.Sharp grapefruit hops at the onset as soon as I opened the bottle along with some booze but it's not overly sweet,just smells sticky and good.Raw hop goodness on the palate with sharp grapefruit rind and herbal notes,mild caramel sweetness underneath cant hold up to the sharp bitter hop onslaught,and amazingly the sweetness is held in check well.This is what a DIPA should be a hop explosian not a sugary sweet malt bomb,I loved it hence the perfect taste score.Best beer I have had in 2012.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 20:37:18 | More by oberon

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

shand

Florida

4.68/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into an imperial pint!

Beware, fans of balance in your DIPAs. This is not the place for you. This is the beer for those of us who find the vast majority of DIPAs to be too malt-forward for us. I understand this isn't all of us, given that beers like Southern Tier Unearthly and Dogfish Head 90 Minute are higher rated than this. However, the hop junkie can find a lot to love here. It pours out a hazy orange color with a finger of head. The aroma is full of all sorts of hops. Citrus, tropical, piney, grapefruit, it's all here.

The taste is fantastic. It's just a huge punch of bitter hops. There's layers of complexity here for the hophead to peel back, just like in the nose. The mouthfeel is heavier but briskly carbonated, it leaves the mouth coated without feeling heavy. The drinkability is fantastic. Overall, this is a great double IPA for the unrepentant hophead. Don't look for full malt flavors here to balance this out.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 03:44:21 | More by shand

vfgccp

New York

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

A - White head with great retention and nice lace. Crystal clear, beautiful rich copper amber body.

S - Intense fresh west coast hop aroma; grapefruit, orange zest, and green plant stems.

T - The profile drips with a dense, thick, resiny bitterness. Pine sap, honey, and malt give away to an intense, lingering, grapefruit pith finish.

M - Medium/light body with a bitterness that thickens on your palate.

O - Outrageous. One of my favorite DIPAs on the market.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 14:29:22 | More by vfgccp

GoodBeerTire

Georgia

4.66/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

As high as the IBU numbers that this IPA has, I expected this to truly wreck my palate, but instead it wasn't quite so harsh. The malt backbone of this beer was enough to counteract the massive amount of hoppiness (or should I say happiness) that this ale provides. I apologize for not using the Beer Advocate form of rating, and rather just ramble about my tasting, but it tasted damn good. Not for those who can't handle the hops,but it you are a hop-head, go for it. Very similar to Lagunitas Hop Stupid, but a little more refined, as the malt backbone is a little heavier.
Not a beer to session with, as it is pretty strong, and it will "wreck the palate".

Serving type: growler

04-08-2013 23:38:44 | More by GoodBeerTire

TeeJay

4.66/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Appearance: Burnt orange light head with good lace on the glass

Nose: Bouquet of floral, citrus, wet hops,

Taste: Goes straight for the back of your palate with malty vanilla then moves to fruit and finishes bitter for a LONG time. Not to boozy for 9.5% ABV such a pleasant experience the way double ipa's should work

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 00:24:53 | More by TeeJay

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

flayedandskinned

California

4.65/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled on 12/17/12
Pour into a duvel tulip.

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear, deep orange with a 2 finger white head with great retention. tons of lacing as expecting.

Aroma: Dank hops straight to the nose! Pine, grapefruit and an earthy, onion-y note(The Columbus hop's calling card) A sweet, honey malt back ground. Smells delightful, yet intimidating.

Taste: Huge, resinous hops right up front; The usual citrus, grapefruit, orange peel, faint lemon zest with a solid, some what chewy malt backbone that really is a great base to showcase the crazy hoppiness. Finishes dry and BITTER!

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, a little oily from the insane amount of hop resin. Medium carbonation.

Overall: An insanely bitter, and tasty IPA that truly lives up to it's name; drinking this is almost akin to chewing through hop cones. What really surprises me so much about this is the fact that it is 9.5%, yet isn't sweet. I was so happy that Green Flash brought this seasonal back from last year. Highly recommended to anyone who loves IPAs and especially excessively bitter ones!

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 01:00:05 | More by flayedandskinned

RoyalT

Ohio

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

Appearance - this is an easy-foaming beer with a nice, white, puffy, clingy head and a gorgeously-cloudy deep brown body. This head is absolutely amazing and will stick around hours after last call.

Smell - The dry-hopping gives this DIPA a huge, raunchy, pine resin nose that dominates any other players in this bouquet.

Taste - This is a monster hop bomb. The piney resin takes over the taste and there's a lightly-sweet residual to the flavor profile.

Mouthfeel - This is almost full in the body with little carbonation and a thick, oily, slick mouthfeel.

Drinkability - 90% of beer drinkers won't want to finish a bomber of this ale, and 90% of the people who do won't be able to drink anything after this, thus the name. I found it to be slickly sweet and a great take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 10:46:26 | More by RoyalT

GoblueMS

Mississippi

4.63/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

What an excellent DIPA. The owners at Highland Beverage in Birmingham, AL recommended I try this, and I am pleased they did.

The appearance is orange-golden with a seriously tenacious head which eventually diminishes to a two-finger height, leaving significant lacing on the mug.

Aroma is of citrus, hops, and pungent pineapple--all good, and fresh.

Taste is right there with the best DIPAs I have ever tried: Hopslam, Hopsickle, and Maharaja.

Mouthfeel is just what you would expect from such a brew: oily, lasting, extremely inviting for another sip.

Overall an excellent DIPA. I will purchase this in cases going forward, and hope Green Flash will start being distributed in Mississippi once we are past the start date of higher ABV sales here. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 12:18:37 | More by GoblueMS

JTSbeerislife

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

On tap at the Fridge on 5/13/12, notes taken when served.
A 12 oz. pour into a snifter, an acceptable glass. Thanks! Bria.

Pours a nice light ¼” off white head, with very brief longevity and some fair lace, spotty and clings to glass. A lively ale easily revived with a swirl of the glass.
Medium deep amber color, nice.

The aroma hits you hard! With distinct, powerful, aggressive hops, dry hopped, spicy, piney and resiny, with hints of grapefruit. Wow, complex! This is followed by light enjoyable malt, toasty. There is probably more malt here than you know but it is completely dominated by the hops.

Very crisp, distinct, bitter hop entry on the palate. Distinct, aggressive hops, pine and resin, very powerful and exceptionally enjoyable, followed by medium distinct, rich, toasty, malt that is completely overpowered by the incredible hop profile. Ale yeast.
The body is full, with a fine balanced carbonation and a light balanced sweetness.

Exceptional, very long finish of bitter, pine and resin hops, some rich malt, but then the hop oils come and linger forever, totally dominating the malt.

An extraordinary ale. Totally delicious, with mind blowing power.
I suppose it could be said that this ale is somewhat unbalanced, but that being said this is a hop heads dream! Like drinking liquid hops. Delicious!!!

Very Highly Recommended!

Note: I believe that Sierra Nevada’s Hoptimum is better balanced while still the equal in power but both stand as the best DIPA/IMP IPA’s I have had this year to date.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2012 00:09:23 | More by JTSbeerislife

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

4.63/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber poured into a tulip glass

For some reason this is one of the only green flash brews that isnt in my area so I got it out of town. Been looking forward to this for a while.

A- Super hazy orange with a two finger foamy head. What a double should look like.

S- Potent pine needles and sugary citrus fruits ranging from mango, pineapple and lime. A sweet malt backbone that is completely engulfed by hops. It's a fantastic smelling brew.

T- A touch of alcohol up front followed by a wave of bitterness and hop insanity. The hops are Very fruity and citrusy all across the board. A lot of lime, orange and pineapple. This beer is extremely piney which I love in an IPA. Not as bitter as I was expecting but still incredibly bitter. No malt flavors that I could pick up on.

M- Fairly warming. If you are ok with bitter then this one is pretty darn easy to drink. Leaves a bitter bite afterwards.

O- I feel that I am quite biased towards hop focused beers so having said that this one is definitely among the best. The hop flavor is potent and quite the experience. The beer itself is pretty easy drinking and its only fault in my eyes is a slight alcohol flavor I could live without.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 23:45:45 | More by TwelveOunces

Douglas14

California

4.6/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Holy shit! God, Green Flash loves its hops. The Palate Wrecker was poured from a gravity cask. It is hazy amber-orange color with no head (obviously because of the cask). Nevertheless, the color profile is phenomenal. The smells is intensely and absurdly of wonderfully fruity hops. The taste is the same. It is right in your face hops. Incredible! The taste also has a strong malty-sweet balance to it. Just amazing. Lots of grapefruit and orange...kind of resin-y. This beer really does wreck your palate. If you are lucky enough to come across it get it. It's awesome.

Serving type: cask

11-14-2008 14:59:16 | More by Douglas14

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.6/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured a light auburn color with good carbonation and a nice white cap. Bubbles fade away with no lacing after a few minutes.This beer looks heavy.

S: Wow bittering hops with orange peel, grapefruit, pine needles and some bread. Big nose with a nice booze sting.

T: Immediate hop bitterness with a big pine needle aand grapefruit presence then with some orange peel. Some heaviness in the middle with bread, grapefruit and a light flower note and more pine. Sticky, warm and bitter on the back end.

M: Heavy, low carbonation

O: Very good on taste and mouthfeel, palate wrecker indeed

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 14:37:49 | More by barleywinefiend

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.6/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a snifter. Big, fluffy, off-white head, high retention. Clear, copper body. Aroma includes a ton of grapefruit and pine, exploding from the glass. Taste is extremely bitter, pine dominating, some caramel malt sweetness in the distant background but certainly one of the most biting and bruising bitter beers available. Delicious, despite its out of balance-ness. Awesome.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2012 06:56:22 | More by KickbacksSteve

BrianJohnson

South Carolina

4.59/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Nice orange coloring, fairly clear, good off-white two finger head with nice lacing
Smell: Piny, citrusy, some hints of grapefruit
Taste: Very hoppy, but with a slight sweetness underneath. The hop bitterness dissipates rather quickly.
Mouthfeel: Feels almost thinner than I'd like. Lacks the thick malt backbone. Has more backbone than Harpoon Leviathan but less than DFH 90-Minute.
Overall: I like it very much and will definitely buy again.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 22:38:22 | More by BrianJohnson

Pentastar

New York

4.58/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Coppery amber with light 1 finger head, lacing sticks to the glass.

Aroma: Fresh hops with citrus and pine, very fresh hops!

Taste: Orange rind and intense hops, a definate grapefruit presence, pineapple and unripe peaches. Very intense bitterness in the aftertaste. This is the hoppiest beer I have tried thus far.

Mouthfeel: Good carbonation even from a growler fill. This beer doesn't dissapoint.

Drinkability: I could drink this beer all day, excellent beer, I highly recommend.

Serving type: growler

03-24-2010 18:52:02 | More by Pentastar

rapidsequence

Virginia

4.58/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle. Just released. $3.80 from Neds-- that's $23.80 a sixpack for those who like math.

Appearance: Clear copper color. Above average head retention and lacing. Nice.

Smell: Just a huge, potent hops aroma with an amazing amount of bitter citrus, pine resin, and dank. Some caramel malt in the background. Pretty incredible.

Taste: Resiny, dank hops bomb. Straight up grapefruit pith and sucking on pine needles. An intentionally unbalanced beer, but there is a bit of sweetness that keeps this thing far from being painful. Harsh, but not in a bad way.

Mouthfeel: Big, sticky, resiny. Finishes bitter and resiny.

Overall: This is a huge DIPA. A true palate wrecker. Not an everyday beer, but a serious hop bomb for when you're in the mood. Nearly perfect.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 01:46:30 | More by rapidsequence