Green Flash Palate Wrecker - Green Flash Brewing Co.

mdfb79

New York

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

From 12/21/10 notes. Had on tap at Rattle n Hum in NYC.

a - Pours an amber color with one inch of white head and light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of citrus hops, lemon, oranges, grapefruit, and fruity malts.

t - Taste follows the nose. Lots of citrus hops and grapefruit, some bitterness up front but not as much as I expected.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation,

d - A pretty good DIPA. Lots of nice citrus hops and not too bitter. Would have again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2010 01:49:21 | More by mdfb79

SpdKilz

Illinois

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

Had on cask at Stone Bistro in Escondido a couple weeks ago. Taken from notes.

Appearance - Given in a standard pint glass. A dark orange hue and about half a finger of white thick head that leaves decent lacing.

Smell - Massive amounts of hops, pine, and bitter citrus aromas.

Taste - A bitter grapefruit citrus burst up front followed by a rather strong malt caramel backbone which I was not expecting. The finish returns to bitter hops and a hint of pine. Not really what I was expecting.

Mouthfeel - Because it was on cask, very thick and creamy.

Overall - This really didn't wreck my palate to be honest. I wish it was a hint colder...the room temperature hurt this beer in my opinion. An interesting beer but nothing special or something I'd seek out in the future.

Serving type: cask

04-03-2011 02:40:39 | More by SpdKilz

metter98

New York

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

A: The beer is dark orange in color and poured with little head.
S: There are strong aromas of orange citrus in the nose.
T: The overall taste is dominated by flavors of hops, which persist through the aftertaste making this beer true to its name. The alcohol is noticeable.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: You need to have a heavy tolerance for hops in order to finish this beer because it isn’t that balanced.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2011 04:29:12 | More by metter98

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

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

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

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

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

12oz bottle poured into tulip

They finally bottled this, awesome! Pours a slightly hazed auburn color with some copper hues. Tuft of slightly off-white head rests on top, leaving plenty of patchy lacing on the glass.

Bursting nose with intense grapefruit and citrus tones. Almost abrasive with some pine resin and light fruity sweetness. Bready malts with alcohol warmth.

Bitter and dry on the tongue up front with an explosion of pine and grapefruits. Some lighter citrus flavor attempts to cut through, only to be overwhelmed by the burning hop presence. Malt backbone lurks in between the bitterness with a momentary splash of sweetness from caramel and toasted bread crust. Finishes bitter and hoppy with some boozy warmth.

Fuller medium body, decent carbonation, sticky and lingering on the palate with dryness. I'm happy to see they finally bottled this one - it's a great example of extreme hop presence and bitterness, even if it's slightly unbalanced at times.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 20:27:22 | More by xnicknj

CaptCleveland

Ohio

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

22oz bomber poured in SA glass.

Huge two-finger head froths over a pale orange elixir. Belgian lace covers the glass as the brew is tasted.

Heavy, dank resin, pine, no malt. Hop head's dream.

Nice bitterness coats the tongue. Feels like I've been chewing on cones of sticky hops. A bit boozy.

Dense, thick, alcohol.

This one takes it up a notch (or 10) and is very aptly named. A must try if hops are your thing.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 22:00:51 | More by CaptCleveland

DefenCorps

Oregon

4/5  rDev -4.5%
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

david18

New York

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

I had a couple of glasses of this at the Public House in Las Vegas. I've had many Green Flash beers including the IPA and Double IPA many times but have tasted nothing like this before. This was the most bitter double IPA I think I've every had, except may the Hopsickle.

The appearance was typical of the style; straw colored, hazy, good carbonation.

The aroma was highly hoppy with lots of pine and citrus. Very unbalanced but in a good way. The ultimate hophead beer.

Flavor as well was very, very bitter and a true palate wrecker. Typically I don't like unbalanced beers but this was so well made otherwise that it was great.

Definitely get this if you find it but don't expect to be able to taste anything afterwards.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2012 19:33:52 | More by david18

draheim

Washington

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

22oz bottle (no dates or codes) into a tulip. Pours a deep clear orange/amber w/ a big dense off-white head, sticky lacing, almost no carbonation rising from the bottom.

Aroma is a big burst of tropical fruit, grapefruit and pine. I get the sense this might have been even more powerful super-fresh; unfortunately because there's no bottle date I don't know how old this is. Still a really good pungent West Coast IPA aroma.

Taste leads off with a combination of dry pale and chewy caramel malts and dank, sticky hop resin. Some dried apricots in there too. Not surprisingly in a beer called Palate Wrecker, the bitterness is here in spades. Tongue-scouring, almost spicy. Booze is pretty much covered up by the full frontal assault of other flavors.

Mouthfeel is full and chewy and leaves a hefty aftertaste. While you don't taste the alcohol you definitely feel its warming presence going down - not to mention pretty quickly elsewhere.

Overall, a solid 4.0 beer. It's interesting and complex enough to be called good, but perhaps lacks the refinement to go beyond that. Still, enjoyable and tasty on a cool rainy Sunday afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 21:53:27 | More by draheim

dansmcd

Australia

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

A - Pours a bright orange amber with a finger of creamy head and streaky lacing.

S - You can smell this from across the room. Pine resin, tropical fruit. All hops and shitloads of the stuff.

T - Very bitter. Pine resin joins forces with strong mandarin peel and rips into your tongue until it recoils. Unbalanced but what do you expect right?

M - Extreme IBUs, I found it a bit over the top for full enjoyment and I consider myself a hophead of sorts (maybe I need to reassess that). Oily and resinous full bodied hop explosion.

O - I get it. I do. But for me when bitterness overpowers flavour to such a degree, that's to the beers detriment.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 07:20:31 | More by dansmcd

brewtus

Ohio

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

Poured 12oz into tulip. Pour is pretty clear, orange, two finer head. Smell a lot of melon, hops, floral, tons of citrus, a lot of orange. Taste is very smooth for the ibus. I get a lot of that melon, lavender, citrus, pine resin, a little licorice. Overall very very drinkable, very good and not your run of the mill imperial IPA, it has a unique floral flavor that makes it stand out.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 00:25:24 | More by brewtus

mccallisters_dali

North Carolina

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

Se - Bottle poured into a Foothills pint glass

App - radiantly amber with a thin white head

Smell - Citrus, grapefruit and piney, In my opinion it's the best part about this beer

Taste - Hoppy and not quite as malty as what I typically go for in a beer that is over 9%. That being said the hops are not too overpowering by any means and while at first taste you might be fooled into thinking that this beer has a low drinkability, but I feel like that vanishes shortly after.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 04:50:52 | More by mccallisters_dali

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

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

First had: on tap at Broad Axe Tavern, Ambler, PA

Clear amber pour, with a small white head that left some splashes of lace on the glass. As would be expected, the aroma was dominated by hops, citrus pith and pine resin, with hints of a caramel malt backbone bringing up the rear. Lots of orange and grapefruit in the taste, resin, pretty intense WC hop bitterness, with a little tropical fruit and malt sweetness to take the edge off, but the hops were clearly in charge. Maybe not as intense as their regular IIPA, though I'd like to try them back to back to test that theory. Medium body, appropriately carbonated. Maybe a little intense for greenhorns, but a good brew for hopheads.

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2013 04:32:15 | More by Rifugium

Brad007

Vermont

3.99/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I had heard good things about this DIPA. Pours a nice medium copper with a one-finger head into my glass.

Subdued notes of grapefruit in the nose. Doesn't seem very bountiful at this point. Hmm.

Taste is a definite slam dunk of hoppiness. Acidic citrus notes mix with malt that's slightly charred. It all comes together so well in my mouth.

Lingering alcohol warmth and grapefruit notes make up the finish. Enveloping bitterness. Hop head's dream.

Check it out. Not sure if my palate will recover so soon.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 01:05:10 | More by Brad007

rangerred

Tennessee

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

Poured into a snifter out of a 22oz bomber.

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

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

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

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

Serving type: bottle

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

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

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

Palate Wrecker pours a crystal clear amber color with a big, pillowy head on top. The foam dissolves slowly down to a thick sheet on the surface leaving behind a netted pattern of lace on the glass.

The aroma is hoppy with notes of grass and orange rind. Some bready malt notes are also present. I think I was expecting more citrus hops, but it's still pleasant.

Each sip of this full bodied beer is very soft on the palate. Carbonation is mild. The flavor is fairly balanced between sweet caramel malt and bitter citrus hops, but the hops definitely win this battle. It starts with sweet notes of caramel and pale malt. The middle presents pine, grass and orange citrus. At the end some pepper comes through just before the bitter and dry finish. Once gone the orange citrus lingers on the palate.

A tasty beer that will please hop heads. Maybe it's my palate but I didn't think this beer was a hop bomb. Hides the 9% abv very well.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 20:25:34 | More by WanderingFool

UCLABrewN84

California

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

Pours a clear dark orange with a 2 inch foamy orange-white head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. A foamy latticework of lace forms down the glass with each sip. Smell is of citrus zest, grapefruit, and herbal hops. Taste is of intense citrus zest, citrus fruit, and grapefruit extract. There is a pretty assertive bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slight crispness and a medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer but it's quite hoppy without any real malt presence.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 06:57:59 | More by UCLABrewN84

SeaOfShells

California

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

22oz. Poured into Duvel tulip

A: crystal clear burnt orange with 2 fingers of fluffy off-white head which leaves behind decent lace.

S: right up front I get massive onion and garlic. Me thinks there be summit hops in this one. Beyond that I get juicy citrus fruit and sweet bread. A hop heads dream.

T: following the scent, the first taste is onion and garlic with a nice blanket of ultra bitterness hidden underneath. Middle of the tongue I get some nice citrusy notes, which quickly yield to yet more onion. This one is definitely a "palate wrecker". I'm really enjoying it. Extremely bitter, and crushingly hoppy.

M: pretty typical for the style I suppose. Medium carbonation with a medium body. Nothing offensive here.

Overall: between this, West Coast and Imperial IPA, it seems like Green Flash is doing something right. The onion and garlic may throw some folks off, but this is an above average beer from an above average brewery. Well done, boys.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 03:42:03 | More by SeaOfShells

psuKinger

Pennsylvania

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

12 ounce bottle poured into my Bruery tulip.

A: Pours a very hazy dark orange (almost ruby red) with a big thick frothy slightly-off-white head on top, 2-fingers worth.

S: Pine and Grapefruit, at a moderate volume. More pine than grapefruit.

T: Dry, earthy notes and lots of pine. But that traditional "california IPA" grapefruit is also there. Strong sweetness on the back end, as expected from a "Double IPA" weighing in at 9.5%. This reminds me of a cross between a piney/earthy English style IPA and a California IPA, then kick the sweetness/ABV up a notch.

Strong bitterness on the back end of this beer. One of the more bitter beers I've had, just a shade less bitter than the Port IPA or the Arctic Panzer I've had.

M: Carbonation is a touch light, and the beer doesn't have as much heft as you'd expect at first, but then lots of residue left behind on the finish.

D/O: A little heavy on the "bitter" and pine for my liking. Not quite as much grapefruit/citrus reward as my *favorites*. Overall, a good IPA. Certainly one I'd revisit at a later date, but not something I'd choose to revisit tonight.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 00:01:09 | More by psuKinger

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev -5%
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

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

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

Golden orange, but hard to tell in this light. Not much head, but the ring is sturdy. 3.5

Pine and grapefruit in the nose. Smidge of orange rind. Some booze and toasted malts. Not as impressive as I'd have liked. 4.0

Huge bitterness. Loads of pine, grapefruit, and alcohol. A hot and hop bitter Imperial IPA. Has a green grass note with a hint of vanilla. Hardly a noticable malt character. Not far from alcoholic hop juice. Interesting. 4.0

Balanced. Maybe a little thin-bodied. Still mentioning the heat here. 4.0

I like this enough. It's just crazy. A palate wrecker for sure. Obscene bitterness. For hopheads and crazy people, alike. 4.0

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2012 03:49:15 | More by thecheapies

emerge077

Illinois

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

2nd or 3rd time drinking this, poured the 16 oz. bottle in a small 10 oz. stemmed tulip glass.

Glistening deep saturated orange, creamy dense foam, long lasting and glass-coating. Webs of intricate lacing form inside the glass.

Toasted caramel, citrus peel, pungent hop resins.

Flavors are similar, big caramel and toasty malts, smooth and buttery. Moderate hop bitterness, slick and resiny. Buttery diacetyl is present but not overly distracting. Full bodied with lower carbonation and some sticky caramel sweetness. It has an English feel, much like Schells Burton Ale. Dry bitterness lingers, reminding that it's in fact a double IPA...

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 01:06:09 | More by emerge077

Kendo

New York

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

A: Poured from the bottle into a Duvel tulip. Body is coppery-orange with a smallish off-white head.

S: Not too strong - a bit of resiny pine and grapefruit.

T: Big-time resiny pine. Also a lot of malt underneath - toffee, caramel malt - but it's beat down by a lingering pine needle bitterness. Not so sure this is a true "palate wrecker" but it's definitely got a big dry-hopped-type bitter, lemony finish. Some spice too.

M: Somewhat gritty in feel. Medium to full in heft. Pretty smooth.

O: Good stuff. Packs a nice punch but goes down pretty easy.

M:

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 02:14:06 | More by Kendo