Green Flash Palate Wrecker - Green Flash Brewing Co.

Hophead717

Pennsylvania

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

A: Deep, golden brown, with a foamy one-finger head that hangs around. A very pretty beer.

S: Equal parts orange citrus and fresh hops. Light, but serious. Some light caramel underneath, hinting that the beer might be more balanced than the name would imply.

T: Strong citrus hops upfront, namely grapefruit and light tangerine, with the most fleeting moment of caramel malt, before an all-out onslaught of bitterness from the hops hits the tongue. I love the intense bitterness, but the flavor in the finish is a bit sub-par for an ipa. Fine overall, but the finish is a letdown.

M: Smooth, medium-bodied, well-carbonated. Excellent mouthfeel.

O: Great, except for the overly bitter finish. Overall, a good beer, but not the best.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 00:34:11 | More by Hophead717

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.13/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into snifter

Appearance – Pours a deep amber color with hints of deep orange and some red. Upon pouring a nice just off white head forms on the brew. It has a decent amount of persistence before fading to give a nice level of lacing.

Smell –Pine is huge, dominating the aroma. There are slighter aromas of a breadiness as well as some light citrus and woody aromas.

Taste – This is one bitter pine hopped brew throughout. There are transitions however, in the intensity of the bitter pine hop flavor. At the start of the taste, the bitter pine is more mild (at least comparatively to the end of the taste) and there is a little bit of sweeter citrus (tangerine and orange). Toward the middle it becomes a bit more bready in body with the sweetness fading and the bitter pine getting even stronger. At the end the bitter really takes hold and leaves an intense bitterness on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – Smooth and creamy with the carbonation is on the lighter side. These characteristic really accentuate the bitter pine flavor giving the tongue some wicked intense flavors.

Overall – This was a bitter pine IPA if I have ever had one. With its intense nature, its potent flavors overload the bitter taste buds on the tongue. A bitter IPA’s lover’s kind of beer, and one I actually found quite pleasurable (even though I would consider myself a sweeter IPA kind of guy).

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 23:16:24 | More by Darkmagus82

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

dbmernin83

California

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

This one lives up to the name. Huge piney hops, big mint, some citrus. Malt whispers but hops just beat it back down. Booze is there but not in the way. Medium plus on the body, good carbonation. Hops linger for days. This one numbs the tongue. A must for hopheads.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2012 09:09:06 | More by dbmernin83

sukwonee

Washington

3.2/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

A: Looks great. Lots of lacing, 2 finger head, burnt orange color.

S: Very typical west coast DIPA smell. Piney, grapefruit, citrus, but I smell some onion?

T: Man... too much hops... it does wreck my palate... (in a not-very-flattering manner). Not a fan of how this beer tastes. Yucky after taste too.

M: Good amount of carbonation, medium thickness.

O: man... this beer doesn't taste very good. I love hoppy beers, but man... this isn't good much at all. It's painful as you're swallowing it. Give it a try, but I bet you won't keep seeking for this (like me).

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 05:48:45 | More by sukwonee

ucsbmullet

Colorado

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

Poured from a 22 oz bomber.

Super-hop bomb. One of the hoppier beers I've had.

A medium color gold. Two finger head upon first pour.

Pine on the nose. Pine on the tongue. This DIPAs more bitter than sweet.

Not my favorite DIPA but drinkable. If you like your IPAs on the bitter side, this one is for you. Not much grapefruit notes if any.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 01:52:11 | More by ucsbmullet

Momar42

Maryland

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

12oz bottle poured into a New Belgium Globe

A - pours a somewhat cloudy, deep orange color. Decently thick head is generated from a vigorous pour. Head is about a finger and a half of creamy off-white/yellowish colored foam. Fair amount of light lacing down the glass.

S - piney overtones with a hint of citrus at the back. There is a slight sweetness detectable with maybe a touch of alcohol on the nose.

T - once again, just as it smells...Piney. With the first sip of this pine tree there is a healthy dose of bitterness that dazzles the tongue. There is a creaminess that attempts to balance it, but the bitterness triumphs with every sip. Less intense but still evident is the sense of alcohol.

M - moderately thick mouthfeel that has a long finish.

O - all in all a pretty solid, yet underwhelming IIPA that hits alot of the normal areas but doesn't standout in any of them. The hop bite and burn is nice but the alcohol could be better blended. Also the overall taste lacks something yet seems to linger too long. Nice possibilities but just misses in too many areas. Wouldn't turn one down in the future but don't think I'll seek it out in the future.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 01:47:46 | More by Momar42

BeerBuckeye

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a darker orange/amber color, very clear, with 1 finger puffy white head.

S - Full nose of grapefruit and piney hops. A bit of sweetness in the backbone of this, but just a great smelling, hoppy beer.

T - Man, that's some hops! The taste starts out very bitter before fading into a bit of fruity sweetness. Grapefruits and citrus. Finishes with another kick of resiny hop.

M - Quite dry, leaves the mouth a bit dry as well. But still rather smooth.

Overall - Delicious beer. For severe hop lovers for sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 20:14:23 | More by BeerBuckeye

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Pours a clear copper, topped with a thick finger of off-white head. This maintains a frothy ½ finger, ringing the sides of the glass with sticky lacing. The aroma is floral, piney, herbal, and spicy in the nose, with a zesty feeling grapefruit presence and notes of fresh backed biscuits from the malts across the back. This has some nice hoppy power to it in the nostrils.

The taste starts off with a bold hoppy blast of grapefruit, resins, and spice, which lingers hard on the finish. Soft herbal tones, light tropical fruit, and tight sweet grains help to balance out some of the aggressiveness out here but man, that spice and pine sticks to the tongue with some strength. The mouthfeel is fuller bodied and really fills the mouth with a big slick oily creaminess that moves rather easily for the size. There is a bit of light crispness to this, while the alcohol, although not stinging, does really pop the assertiveness of these hops.

My previous experience with this beer had been on cask during a visit to San Diego and I have to say that I really enjoyed this more here out of the bottle. I still feel that it’s a little too big overall but the fresh hoppy power of this wins out in the end, helping cover up the high ABV. This is a nice representation of the West Coast style.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 19:30:18 | More by Kegatron

rfgetz

New Jersey

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

Pours a nice golden orange, solid cap of dense white foam, good retention and lacing. Huge notes of tropical, citrus and floral hops - grapefruit, orange, mango and light pineapple, moderately sweet malt base stands up nicely to the hops but dont interfere in the bouquet. Taste brings juicy and fruity hops with a little more earthiness, malt is lightly sweet and notable in the taste and play with the hops nicely. Fuller side of medium bodied, oily creamyness, lingering bitterness. Solid dIPA with big hop presence and a malt backbone to stand up to it.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2012 18:11:48 | More by rfgetz

Scotchboy

Idaho

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

22oz bomber poured into a New Belgium globe.

A: Clear, dark golden orange with a frothy and sticky mound of off white head.

S: Intensely floral and ctrusy with a ton of sweeter orange character and ruby red grapefruit, dank resinous pine.

T: Dry and bitter, orange, some tropical fruits, pineapple, lots of floral & citrus-forward hops, herbal & piney hop oil, with a touch of a bready malt backbone.

MF: Moderate body with good carbonation, dry and bitter with a dry finish.

O: A pretty good DIPA, not quite a palate wrecker but definitely bitter and astringent and hop-froward to the extreme.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 15:35:31 | More by Scotchboy

Duff27

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Inch tall dense white head on a murky darker orange.

Dank mango tropical fruits galore, lovin it.

More of the beautiful beach island tastes. Very dank, mouth watering. Well above average bitterness. Somewhat boozy but easy going down.

Thicker mouthfeel for a double IPA, well carbonated.

It's getting harder and harder to separate your DIPA from the next guys and I think Green Flash is on to something here. I can s we this beer being polarizing but with that said its well worth a try is you like dank highly hopped beers.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 01:44:14 | More by Duff27

dlello2

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Awesome orange ipa color... neither cloudy or clear. Good finger and a half of head coats the sides of glass. Nice.

S - Great citrus and hops smell. Very fresh, standard west coast DIPA smell. Very good.

T - This definitely lives up to the name! I was assaulted by hop bitterness in this one. The touch of alcohol I'm getting is almost covered up by the malt backbone. If this was a little easier/smoother going down I would have scored it higher.

M - Excellent. Great amount of carbonation, nice medium/light body.

O - This is an excellent double ipa... Other than a slighty bitter aftertaste it does everything for me. Really like this one!

Update: Almost a year later I'm going to update--scores all the same. This one was bottled on 12/17 (less than a month ago). It is ridiculously piney smelling. Also get a bit of marijuana. Flavor is really nice--really need to sip it to not be assaulted by bitterness. Aftertaste is the only piece that I'm not loving. Still a great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2012 00:34:40 | More by dlello2

scottfrie

California

4.13/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into Gulden Draak tulip.

A: Pours a deep citrus amber with a billow, greasy and rocky cream colored head that slowly collapsed into a thick, oily, film leaving sheets of sticky rocky lacing down the glass.
S: Huge fresh notes of citrus hops including tangerine and grapefruit. I catch a few whiffs of orange zest and tropical fruits. Malts maybe come through with a hint of sweet caramel, but for the most part this is a bouquet of hops.
T: Follows the nose. Bitter notes of citrus with slighter notes of sweet tropical fruits and caramel malt fill my palate. The finish is actually pretty darn bitter, but definitely in a good and very drinkable way. Citrus rind and hop resin linger in the aftertaste.
M: Greasy and drying mouthfeel, medium-full body, with just a touch of the high alcohol poking through. Carbonation is rather viscous.
O: This is definitely a bitter dipa and a good one at that. Probably one of my favorite from GF. Not my favorite hoppy beer though, but definitely worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 01:27:48 | More by scottfrie

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