Green Flash Palate Wrecker - Green Flash Brewing Co.

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

Mrjwsjr

1.05/5  rDev -74.9%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

I don't know if the bottle I got had turned bad but me and a buddy split the bottle and the smell was almost enough to turn our stomachs. I was the first to give it a sip and I can honestly say the taste was worse than the smell. My buddy almost didn't try it based on my reaction because he knows I like stronger beers than him. But he took a sip and about spit it back out. I can honestly say that this is the first beer I have ever dumped out. I will not be taking a chance on this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 23:47:54 | More by Mrjwsjr

WesM63

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottled poured into a tulip

A: Pours a beautiful clear copper color with a 2finger off white head. Excellent lacing.

S: Citrus, hops and resin.

T: No doubt about it, hop forward. Hops, pine and a tiny bit of malt.

M: Medium body with decent amounts of carbonation.

O: This is an excellent DIPA. It can be a bit brutal up front, but still very drinkable and a great example.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 21:19:19 | More by WesM63

thebrood1987

New Jersey

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

Wow well when I swirl it around in the glass I get a huge smell of tangerines, clementines, grapefruit and pine smells. You get hit with a hoppy sweetness that quickly changes into a spicy tingly orange peel bitterness and ending with a citric bite that stays in the aftertaste and back of your tongue for a while. Even after you haven't taken a sip for a while it still tastes like you took a sip not so long ago. Its really bitter.

I heard they used the ipa wort and brewed it in with this ipa or something like that and its literally a double ipa. Its really fruity and citrusy tasting and can get some candy like fruit flavors that are very enjoyable before it turns over into the massive and growing bitterness.

The malt is there with a slight bready sweetness but the sweetness gets over taken by the hop flavors. You can tell its a big beer too a bit of alcohol burn on this one. Im also noticing it leaving a very dry parched aftertaste. Its really intense after a while and truly is a palate wrecker.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 03:28:35 | More by thebrood1987

arizcards

Arizona

4.4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a 12 oz bottle from Total Wine in late March for $2.99.

Beer poured a nice clear copper color with a near perfect white head that is leaving lacing behind.

Nose is wonderful. Citrus hops are extremely aromatic up front and lasting long as i sip away.

Taste is true to the style. Caramel and crystal malts form a nice backbone that is overwhelmed by intense grapefruit. Pine resin finishes strong and leaves a resin slick behind in the end.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and lightly carbonated.

Overall this is a very solid brew. The flavors are clean and well defined. Glad i could try it and will look for it in the future.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 23:37:19 | More by arizcards

Chaney

District of Columbia

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

Served in a Delirium Tremens snifter.

A: Poured a bright, compactly non-see-throughable orange color, with about a finger or so head that clung to the glass and then some.

S: Explose citrus content here: Sort of an orange and grapefruit 1-2 punch to the snout, plus some malt. Just kidding. There was no malt to be found...

T: This really reminded me of Dreadnaught. Seriously, this had all the hop bitterness, but there was an undercurrent of pomegranate that was totally awesome. Bitter, bitter stuff... but fresh.

M: The lacing was probably one of the best I've had in recent memory. The bitterness was there, but overall this was highly drinkable and more than a worthy entry into the hophead Hall of Fame.

O: Another amazing West Coast IPA. Imagine that....

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 23:24:21 | More by Chaney

InebriatedJoker

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 12 oz bottle into tulip -2012 release

A: Pours a medium golden/ orange with one and a half finger head that descends into a thin frothy lacing , decent carbonation.

S: Hops with pine resin , slight grapefruit , tropical hues.

T: Straight Pine and bitter hop attacks the tongue with slight sweetness from a decent malt backing .

O: This a tasty DIPA that pulls no punches with it's pine hop combo - and it packs a punch with it's ABV: 9.50 % also .

I would definitely drink this again and may even throw one in the cellar to see if it will get any sweeter when the hops fade a little - (If ever).

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 18:53:47 | More by InebriatedJoker

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

homebrew311

Illinois

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

Poured into Chimay glass. The appearance is a deep clear gold with 2 fingers of dense white head, heavy lacing left behind, terrific head retention. This looks picture perfect for a DIPA. The aroma has aromatic dry hopped goodness all over it. Bright tropical notes are balanced by deep notes of resinous pine with some grapefruit in there as well. Malts are present on the nose in the form of sweet caramel, bread, and graham cracker. The taste is big and bold with hops from beginning to end. The malts are present up front with mellow bready sweetness, dank hops quickly take hold as this thing is a hop monster. The deep bitterness of the pine is brightened up by some tropical fruit. The body is big and the carbonation is moderate to high. Overall, this beer has a truly impressive hop bill. The aromatic hops and the bittering hops are balanced beautifully and there is a nice sturdy malt backbone which holds everything up. This brew is fantastic, a definite must try.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 07:54:06 | More by homebrew311

HuskyinPDX

Washington

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

22oz bottle popped on 4.16.12 and poured into a Pint glass.

A - Pours a clear medium orange with a light tan, huge head. Great retention.

S - Pine, floral, tropical fruit.

T - Grass and pine heaven.

D - Good carbonation, a light to medium body, with a bitter finish.

O - Smells awesome, the taste loses some of the citrus, but is still good.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 04:06:12 | More by HuskyinPDX

smakawhat

Maryland

4.18/5  rDev -0.2%
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

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

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

Gigantic cream colored foam head on top of a copper brew. Decent lacing.

Toasted maltiness, but a big grapefruit note. No doubt the hops are there.

Nice happiness up front, with a toasted malt balance. The resinous hop flavor is throughout, and the bitterness is in great balance. Some light sweetness, but not fruity. Good hoppy finish that is both bitter and mouth-coating. Alcohol is not even a factor -- don't notice it at all.

Medium body, bite and mouth-coating goodness.

Overall, a winner. A double IPA that hides the alcohol so well that it makes the beer entirely drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 03:59:01 | More by OtherShoe2

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.35/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Black Raven pint glass. Pours a light to medium coppery amber, massive fine off-white head with good retention and tons of lacing. Color, head and active carbonation give a nice look to this IPA. Intense aroma of grapefruit, pine and herbal hops and sweet malt. Flavor follows, with intense piney hops, citrus balanced by sweet malt. A long, resinous bitter hop finish and aftertaste. The malt supports the hops assault well. Medium bodied with a hint of creaminess and nice mouth feel from the healthy carbonation. I opened this with a bit of trepidation because Green Flash ales are sometimes a bit astringently bitter for me and this was named to put fear into my heart. It is very hop forward, but the malt body supports it well and I enjoyed this very much. Nicely done, but you really have to like intense hops.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 03:35:26 | More by LiquidAmber

Dalgren

North Carolina

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

Green Flash Palate Wrecker

Bomber poured into 12oz. tulip glass

A- Better than average lacing. Glowing copper orange color. Two fingers of light white head. Very clear.

S- Huge grapefruit earthy hops. A bit of caramel undertone. This has a very large nose and nice smelling beer.

T- Even hoppier than the aroma would suggest. Light caramel undertone, mild grassy and balanced flavor. All a double IPA could be!

M- Mouthfeel is what I expect in a double IPA. Creamy light head and carbonation. Bitter with a very long lasting flavor.

O- The taste is somewhat deceiving and starts out a little sweet and then the hoppy bitterness takes over. I opened this beer just slightly too cold but as the temperature rose the flavor became more complex. This is called palate wrecker for a reason. Drinking most beers after drinking this would be very low on taste. (and why would you want to) As a hophead this beer really hits the spot. Well done!

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 02:59:35 | More by Dalgren

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

beagle75

Iowa

3.63/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Clear, light amber color with two fingers of off-white foam head that collapses to a large and persistent pad. Moderate lacing remains on the glass and a few lines of bubbles climb through the center of the column.

S: Syrupy citrus and green herbaceous hops are positioned centrally in the nose, appropriate in quality and intensity for a West Coast-style DIPA. Malt is refined and largely non-contributory, adding just a suggestion of caramel candy. No alcohol is detected.

T: Begins off-dry, with heaps of refined pale and caramel malt that quickly give way to potent green herbaceous and piney hop aromatics. Carbonic acidity is intense into the middle where precocious bitterness surges without regard for balance. Synergy between qualities creates the illusion of flavor similar to how an electrical fire smells. Flavors dry out considerably toward the finish as heavy green herbaceous flavors marry well with the punishing bitterness that lingers long on the palate. No alcohol is detected.

M: Medium viscosity, briefly scorching on the palate due to acidity, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: When naming a beer, the brewer may want to take care not to promise too much. Such warnings aside, this beer fulfills its namesake promise very ably by cultivating an obnoxiously self-conscious level of bitterness. Despite the punishing intensity of its bitterness upon the palate, the dank green flavors match it well, making it an appropriate beer to review on 4/20.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 21:46:03 | More by beagle75

oline73

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%
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

hooliganlife

Missouri

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

pours a clear copper with frothy creamy head. lots of nice retention and lacing.

ripe fruity citrus, very fresh and lush. sweet and slightly bitter.

more bitter in flavor. a prefect complex mixture of pine and citrus bitterness. some nice citrus grapefruit in the finish. some booze also in the finish.

moderate but slightly light carbonation. easy to drink, not too heavy.

pretty decent DIPA. nothing really bad about it. enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 23:40:49 | More by hooliganlife

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.95/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

16oz (I thought) normal sized bottle. No bottling information, as per usual with Green Flash. But this just hit the shelves here so I assume it's fresh. Poured this into a Deschutes tulip.

A: Pours a really clear amber orange color. Finger and a half bright white tight bubbled head. Carbonation streaming off the bottom of the glass. Pretty beer.

S: I get lots of fruit: grapefruit, tangerine, mango, overripe peach, etc. Lots of astringency.

T: It's funny. It's definitely a hop bomb. But I really think with all the hoppy beers out there, I'm almost immune. You definitely get punched in the face with a hop bitterness in the tip of the tongue. As it moves to the middle of the mouth where you'd expect some malt balance it's just more fruity hop notes assaulting your tongue. Little daggers of flavor and bitterness. On the close is crisp and a little dry with lingering flavor. It's not boozy, but you do feel some warmth at 9.5%. Especially as a first beer. I would certainly drink this at the end of a drinking evening as it most certainly screws with your taste buds.

M: Medium bodied. Lots of hop coated goodness.

O: A-

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 17:10:13 | More by inlimbo77

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

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

Titans77

Maryland

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

A - Darker bronze. 2 and half fingers of white head. Nice alcohol lacing and some moderate carbonation floating to the top of the head. Good looking brew for sure.

S - HOPS. Lots and lots of citrus hops. I like the smell, but it really doesn't come off as complex as I had hoped. Lack of noticeable malt backbone might have something to do with that though.

T - HOP BOMB. Exactly what I wanted from this brew. At 149 IBUs I was NOT disappointed. Citrus and pine to the extreme. If it was any more hoppy, it might have been too much. But this damn near perfect for a DIPA. Best tasting DIPA that I have had so far.

M - medium bodied, smooth and drinkable. Nothing spectacular in the sense, but well above average. Very bitter, very good.

O - my favorite beer to date. Haven't had much to this point being a young BA guy, but damnit, my palate is in love with this hop bomb. Must buy for me. Will be picking up more for sure!

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 01:28:13 | More by Titans77

Brenden

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is a medium orange color with just a touch of haze. It forms a clean, pure white head just more than a finger tall that sticks around and leaves patchy lacing in good quantity.
This beer offers a heavy dose of pure, raw pine. There's a good amount of malt and some balance in the aroma that doesn't carry entirely over to the flavor, in which the hops dominate. It's as hoppy as expected, but what's lost in the raw hoppiness is the balance needed and the subtlety. The aroma is big and complex, with a flash of caramel and some citrus as well as rind and sweeter fruits. In the flavor, pine and a bit of grapefruit allowed to peek through dominate everything else.
The body is medium and works to support the big flavor. Malts keep it from being bracingly dry. Crispness is in this one throughout, and there's a good smoothness that pulls into the finish.

Serving type: on-tap

04-18-2012 01:23:54 | More by Brenden

hopfacebrew

Colorado

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

Don't know much about this one, sounds interesting, Green Flash's version of Ruination? Just a guess based on the name. Poured from bottle pint glass the hop aroma is immediately present upon the pour. The beer arrives a slightly hazy orange color with a good 2 finger white cap, decent retention and lacing. The beer is a hop bomb so the aroma is heavy on the hops. Mostly citrus with a bit of pine. I love hops but this is almost so strong it's uninviting. The beer is bitter, not nearly to Ruination's level but bitter. Unbalanced. Very resiny with pine and earthy tones more prevalent than the nose suggests. Hides the alcohol well though. Hops dominate any malt base. Full bodied. Good carbonation. Overall, not bad but nowhere near balanced. 1 is enough.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 00:18:36 | More by hopfacebrew

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

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

Poured into a tulip glass from a 22oz bottle.

I con immediately get a grassy and citrusy hop punch when I opened this. Good indicator.

Pours a nice golden copper color with some nice clean orange hues. There is a large ecru head that is pretty dense and appetizing. About 1.5 inch tall with some chunkier bubbles at the top. The head recedes very slowly and leaves some nice awesome sticky lacing. Very nice retention.

Aroma starts off with some nice toasty grain and quickly gets enveloped by some awesome grassy, herbal and citrus hop notes. Very crisp and refreshing hop juice notes. Orange peal and some nice grapefruit notes. There is also some tangerines and some mild tropical fruit notes. Maybe some mango. There is also a very nice earthy and tasty grain back note there that leads me to believe this will be balanced ;)

Wow. Intense hop bomb right off the bat. Strong citrus notes with intense resinous bitterness. Grapefruit rind and orange peel. Intense hop resin with some slight pine in there as well. There is a nice slight toasty grain malt note that eases the intensity of the hops. The finish is dry and bitter though. A hop heads dream.

Overall. Great DIPA, extremely hoppy and nice and bitter. As it warms it continuous to be a palate wrecker with some more resinous note notes precent.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 23:17:25 | More by JoEBoBpr