Green Flash Hop Head Red - Red India Pale Ale - Green Flash Brewing Co.

matjack85

Illinois

3.74/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I tried this at Rivers in Chicago as it was right across the street from the Opera House and we arrived early for the show. Surprisingly decent beer list and I hadn't tried this one yet, so I ordered it. $8 for a 12oz bottle served in a red wine glass. I'm sure they're much cheaper at a liquor store, but this was downtown Chicago, so you're paying for the ambiance as well as the beer. Forgot to check the freshness date, but other reviewers seem to have found one so I'm sure they're on the back label.

The beer poured a mostly clear brick red color with a 1-finger fluffy white head with good retention and decent lacing.

It had both a piny and citrusy hop aroma.

Very hoppy, but with a surprisingly high amount of sweet caramel malt as well. The hops are both grapefruity and piny reaching a 70 IBU level. Very balanced with the addition of all that malt.

Medium bodied with a slightly sticky finish, despite the medium high carbonation.

I've not had many red IPA's, but I enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 15:16:42 | More by matjack85

--Dom--

Missouri

4.26/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Awesome I got this stuff about 4 weeks old, I had passed on it a few times because it was seriously dated. Pours a deep amber. Aroma is citrusy with pine also and sweet malts. This beer is far above average and is solidifying red ipa's becoming one of my favorite styles. Taste is awesome bitter grapefruity up front, balanced by sweet bready malts, pine on the back end. Mouthfeel is almost creamy. Overall pretty awesome beer, would definitely pick it up again. Wish it came in 6-packs. Best thing I've had from Green Flash so far.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 06:16:43 | More by --Dom--

flayedandskinned

California

4.24/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled on 3/13/13
Poured into the Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head IPA Glass

Appearance: Pours a beautiful, clear amber with nice red highlights. A massive, thick 3 fingers tall off white head blossoms out of the beer as soon as its poured and boy, does it stick around and leaves some nice sticky lacing behind. Fantastic looking red ale.

Aroma: Big, juicy hops positively leap out of the glass as soon as you raise it to your lips; Huge notes of grapefruit, lemon peel, tangerine, fresh pine needle and a really lovely dank, earthiness from the summit and columbus hops, but boy do those amarillo hops really shine through. Underneath the mountain of hop aromatics there are some sweet, bready caramel malts poking through.

Taste: First off, your tongue is slapped around by very citrus forward hops; grapefruit, lemon, tangerine, pine and a slight earthy onion note. Middle of the taste, there is a really nice sweet, bready maltiness that offers some nice contrast to the bright, pungent hops but just the right amount to not steal the show. The beer finishes dry with an assertive bitterness and lingering notes of caramel and citrus ladden hops.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with a robust mouthfeel, but still remains some light and is very refreshing. It is a tad thin on the back end, but it works. Moderate to high carbonation.

Overall: I've had this plenty of times before and it's an awesome beer that is unfortunately under appreciated by a lot of people. Greenflash calls this a Red IPA, I was a bit skeptical at first, knowing that a high percentage of sweet crystal malt does bode well for the dry, bright and crisp West Coast IPA archetype, but some how Green Flash pulls it off wonderfully. The sweet caramel malts of the American Red Ale style are certainly there, but they kept at bay and the hops shine through wonderfully. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 04:01:36 | More by flayedandskinned

BeerLab45

Virginia

4.26/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25

Solid IPA deserving of the high scores here.
Very smooth for such a hoppy nectar.
Love the Amarillo dry hop.
Great mouthfeel which i prefer to be smooth.
Also a very interesting bottle shape which i like.
Too bad there are only 3 left in fridge...lol

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 22:23:22 | More by BeerLab45

Burkbom23

Connecticut

4.21/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Deep amber color with dark red hues. Extremely cloudy, near opaque with bits of what i would assume is hope residue sediment floating around the glass from the dry hoping. Very large off white head with good retention. Lots of lacing that sticks all over the glass. Refreshing hoppy aroma. Lots of juicy citrus fruit notes. Quick hit up front on the pallette of caramel maltiness followed by fresh, bitter, pink grapefruit. Pretty fair amount of bitterness in the finish. Dry aftertaste. Medium body, little watery mouthfeel for the style. This is a good brew, on the bitter side but not overwhelming. Would definitly seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 01:27:24 | More by Burkbom23

pkalix

California

4.26/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

beautiful dark red pour, nice tan head.
aroma is a tad floral, pine-y. a little citrus, a lot of hop.
taste is of the same and very smooth. nice, but more hop-py than i usually prefer. in training for the pliny....
medium body, some carbonation.
overall, decent. a very nice brew. the 7% seals the cause. green flash has some decent stuff.... except the saison, which tastes great but they left the alcohol out...

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 00:20:07 | More by pkalix

Jparker37

Wisconsin

4.66/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into an oversized tulip. Bottled on 12.10.12

S - Piney, resiny hops foremost. Floral tones. Layer of mild caramel and toasty malt in the background.

A - Hazy dark amber beer with cherry colored highlights. Huge rocky tan head from a gentle pour. Solid amount of lacing.

T - Excellent balance here. I get some of that quick bitterness right up front. As I reach midway, toasty malt alongside some mellow chocolate flavors peak in. Hop flavor is all in there adding some pine and spiciness.

M - Medium body, medium-light carbonation, dry.

O - Would love to get this a little bit closer to the bottling date but the aroma still popped. Appearance follows the name appropriately. Taste was wonderfully complex and had great balance. Perfect feel. I judged this beer based on what I thought the brewer was trying to produce versus the American IPA style guidelines

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 01:35:04 | More by Jparker37

JG-90

New Jersey

4.26/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Bottle poured into glass gives a large khaki colored, creamy head. Beer is mainly brown in color, with hints of red and copper. Hazy with a small amount of floaties. Head slowly recedes to leave a bit of a rocky head, leaving heaving lacing down glass. Smell comes with both floral and piney hops, then sweet malt with a hint of citrus.

Taste follows that nose. Piney hops, floral hops, sweet and slightly roasty/nutty malt, ending with lemon and orange. Mouthfeel is creamy and heavy, with low carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 00:57:05 | More by JG-90

BeardedBrewReview

Florida

4.34/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle from a 4 pack. $5.99 on sale. 7% makes me happy. Poured into a standard American pint glass.

A: Nice dark red/brown color with a cream/tan head about a finger and a half thick. A little cloudy, but not unappealingly so.

S: American hops hit you right away. Piney, resiny, citrus smells backed with sweet and nutty malt. Very nice.

T: Hops shine on first sip. Resiny and bitter flavors followed with a sweet malt backbone. Malt is full of caramel and some slight nutty flavors.

M: For the color and style mouthfeel is perfect. Medium/medium-heavy body with medium carbonation. Finishes fairly dry.

O: Love this beer. I might actually enjoy this one better out of bottle than on tap. Mouthfeel perfectly matches amount of flavor. Finishes great. A good beer to start with - an IPA beforehand makes it much less balanced and enjoyable.

http://beardedbrewreview.blogspot.com/

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 14:40:31 | More by BeardedBrewReview

AdamGarcia

Pennsylvania

3.29/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

12oz btl served in Newcastle "Geordie Schooner" (crap beer but I love this glass). no freshness date on bottle

A: hazy deep red color. bright orange around the edges. a finger and a half of cream colored head sticks around for a while.

S: aroma is subdued. faint herbal hops and some caramel sweetness.

T: malt forward. caramel, some cocoa, leather. mostly herbal hop presence with a hint of pine. sweetness is tidied up nicely with some bitterness in the finish.

M: medium body. carbonation is smooth. easy to drink.

O: Ok. this beer isn't what I remember, although I think every time I've had this in the past it has been on tap. I'm assuming this one has too much age on it. It's actually not bad if it were just a big red ale or even an old ale...it reminds me of a slightly more bitter version of GD Hibernation. As a "red IPA", however, it falls short. This was given to me as a single. GF does date their cases so be on the lookout for a date if you are purchasing it in that format...for sixers and singles you've gotta hope to get lucky. I didn't this time around.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 02:59:57 | More by AdamGarcia

guityler83

Wisconsin

4.31/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: A strong pour into a standard tulip glass resulted in a slow falling kacki colored head.
Dark hazy maroon appearance with an orangeish hugh when held to a light. Streaking vertical lacing

S: The nose is ripe with tropical fruits, melon, kiwi, strawberry. (amarillo?) some cattyness and pine hop arroma.

T: Strong pine and citrus bitterness right at the start. A few more sips reaveal a caramel malt backbone that compliment the bitterness nicely. catty and evergreen is detected also.

M: Moderate body, the bitterness leaves a bit of a mouth drying sensation but not astringent, maybe pallet shock? moderate carbonation

O: I'm a big fan of the bittering portion off this beer. The late addition/aroma hops are OK, but the aroma was lacking and no indication of the flavor.. though i kind of liked that. A solid IPA if you like IPAs, and if you like IPAs you wont trust my IPA review any way because you want to try more IPAs... like me Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 01:47:51 | More by guityler83

Jake_Ramrod

Kentucky

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from a bottle into a pint glass on Easter and watching a little basketball. Drinking it in honor of the Cardinals.

A: Very cloudy. Hazy red color. Lots of floaties. Nice reamy head and pretty good lacing and retention.

S: Sweet in th enose. A bit of citrus, too.

T: I really like red ales and this is a good representation of the class. This has alot of malty goodness that is balanced well with the amarillo hops. Tangy. Creamy. A bit bitter in the finish. Pretty darn good overall.

M: Oily.

O: A great beer. Not the best red ale, but an eaay to drink and quite tasty beer. I love beers that are malty and hoppy at the same time.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 23:03:25 | More by Jake_Ramrod

patre_tim

China

3.94/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Cherry jello red mixed with a copper brown tinge, an astonishing amount of dark floating particles, 3 finger beige head. Foamy.

S: Citrus hops. Pine, malt, a little cereal malt. Fresh green pine and hops.

T: Bitter, caramel and molasses, but not overly sweet -just dark and malty.

M: Heavy syrupy, oily body. Medium carbonation.

O: Unique, great look, unique name, good taste, great company.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 01:38:07 | More by patre_tim

estlinska

Arkansas

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap at the Saucer into a snifter on 3/23/13. Pours a deep, solid reddish-amber like well polished cherry furnitures. The head is full bubbles of dark off white stacking about 3cm with incredible lacing. The smell is full of resinous hops and sweet cane sugar. There is vibrant tropical fruits and malty sweetness, pineapple core, and pine cone resin. Great smell overall. The taste is heavy of malt with very good hop backbone. The taste is a little hefty on the sweet overall, which just slightly calls detriment to the overall tast. The mouthfeel is very full, thick with oily hops. Overall, this is another beer that wins much on draft that it lacked in the bottle. It's a truly good beer overall, especially fresh.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2013 21:14:23 | More by estlinska

ShaunNewman

Florida

3.88/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- dark ruby red. Off white head with moderate retention. Somewhat hazy, bottle conditioned.

S- medium high citrus hops with a medium high caramel background

T- medium high citrus hops with dark caramel and a hint of pine.

M- medium carbonation with medium body

O- Nicely balanced American amber

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 22:13:10 | More by ShaunNewman

JMScowcroft

Vermont

4.11/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Green Flash Brewing Co. - Green Flash Hop Head Red - Red IPA - 1pt 6fl oz bottle

Look - Pours like an unfiltered hazy dark reddish orange meal with a small soapy head that sits and takes a load off. Lacing abound.

Smell - Smells caramel, malty sweet with floral/resiny hop overtones.

Taste - Maltier than expected followed by smooth and red with a nice hop finish.

Mouthfeel - Smooth as butter with a hop kick, but fades rather sticky/oily. Decent but not great drinkability.

Overall - Not bad, good blend, worth a try. I can understand what they were going for here but not quite a bull's eye.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 12:08:13 | More by JMScowcroft

juliusbush

California

4.33/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Green flash hop head red

Pours a deep orange red with a seemingly tobacco-stained white head

Its got a biscuity/malty front and raisiny overtones to go with the delicate hop earthiness from the nose.

The bubbles are now slow and precise with a thin layer being all that's left of that head which now ramps up the Guldin Draak tulip that i poured it in. What seems to be bubbles just float, but we can be sure this is sediment.

It strikes me as very balanced as far as its hop to malt profile.

The mouth feel is light to medium with the carbonation being mellow.

Overall This beer might also be classified as an exceptionally well hopped and dryish Irish Red. It is can be the litmus for future "Red IPAs"

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 19:13:04 | More by juliusbush

circus_cat

Virginia

3.9/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: Dark orange to red with a soapy light khaki head. Amber hues. Hazy body.

S: Floral perfume. Some caramel malts. Very floral hops dominate. A bit of pine.

T: Bitter citrus and floral notes up front, some grassiness through the middle with very strong bitter finish that lingers. Not getting that pine as much. Some good balance with the caramel malts.

M: Medium-bodied, a little tacky on the finish.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 18:43:36 | More by circus_cat

fdig23

Pennsylvania

3.99/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the bottle.

Appearance: deep and murky brown. Almost barleywine-esque.

Nose: Big floral, candied pinecones, pineapple, and a bit of a medicinal note. Lots caramel and toast.

Taste: Caramel-slathered toast with a big punch of bittersweet pine and lemon. Nicely balanced.

Mouthfeel: Nice and sticky.

Overall: A really nice and readily available Amarillo showcase that changes it up enough to stand out a bit from the standard IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 03:29:52 | More by fdig23

Omnium

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle > Pint Glass
A - Pours a red-brown amber color semi-cloudy, about a finger head, dissipating swiftly.
S - Big big malt base here, caramel, floral qualities with resiny hops, a pinch of pine.
T - Tastes like malty hop-oil, bitter, sweeter malt with a bite from the dry hopping of the amarillo hops, and floral undertones.
M - Medium bodied, clingy sweetness hangs on to your palate.
O - This tastes like a a home brew actually, not that its bad at all. Its a different taste, and the malt back bone is a good change of pace for a hoppy beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 00:55:45 | More by Omnium

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.84/5  rDev -1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Two fingers of head on a hazy, sediment filled, dark amber colored body.
The aroma is a soft pine, lemon and grapefruit.
The tastes is moderate pine bitterness with a nice malty finish.
The texture is fairly crisp with moderate carbonation.
It nails the "red ale" and "IPA" in a good way.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 23:59:35 | More by Fatehunter

popery

California

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From notes, 3/30/10. A very hoppy, deliciously bittersweet red ale. The beer pours bright red with a nice beige head that leaves behind quite a bit of lacing. The smell is superb, lots of hops and lots of caramel malt. The hops smell oily and citric, like essence of orange peel. There’s some spice, maybe coriander seed. This beer has good citric bitterness with some balance provided by sweet caramel malt. This beer has a strong hop flavor but doesn’t overwhelm the palette quite as much as some. It’s not the crisp bitterness of Stone’s Ruination but more of a smooth bittersweet flavor. The feel is nice and oily from the hops but also tends to get a bit watery on the finish. The drinkability is good but it feels a bit heavy for a 6% abv beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 08:06:25 | More by popery

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.91/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into pint glass

Appearance – Pours a very nice deep-deep amber bordering reddish-brown color with a big billowy off white head. The head has great retention, but fades slowly to give way to some nice lacing.

Smell – A good dose of citrus hop aroma is the most pertinent. Grapefruit and a bit of lemon with an ever so light pine hop aroma are mixed in with a bready malt smell.

Taste – A roasty bready malt flavor mixed heavily with some strong grapefruit flavors are in the forefront of the taste. These flavors last the whole of the flavor. Toward the middle, the other hop flavors present in the nose become present in the taste. The lighter tastes of lemon and pine develop, with a more lemon flavor in the middle and a lighter pine flavor toward the end. Overall it is a more bitter taste throughout and a bitter flavor is left to sit on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – A nice creamy body with a slightly lower than average carbonation level really allows for the hop tastes to penetrate the tongue.

Overall – The mouthfeel, look, and smell are all quite nice, but the very bitter aftertaste it leaves at the end is not the most pleasant. The taste starts very nice, but just doesn’t know when to quite. Overall though it is a nice beer and one to try.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 01:30:27 | More by Darkmagus82

SlothB77

Virginia

3.81/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle poured into a glass.

A: Crimson and light brown, four fingers of white bubbles that linger.

S: Grapefruit and pineapple, smoke, and grapes. Very pleasant and strong aroma.

T: Grassy, malts, lemony, toffee, white bread, pine.

M: Medium-bodied, medium acidity, lots of carbonation.

O: Overall, the high carbonation hurt this. The nose was pleasant, but the taste was a bit of let down for an IPA. Better than your average IPA, can't hold a candle to the top IPAs.

Serving type: nitro-bottle

02-22-2013 02:36:28 | More by SlothB77

BryanCarey

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Green Flash Hop Head Red IPA pours to a reddish- orange color with a nose that is floral and a little fruity with some biscuit notes. The head of foam looks nice and solid and it holds its own for a while, leaving some decent lacing as you drink.

This IPA offers a complex taste with flavors of caramel malt, toasted malt, bread, hop resins, fruit, and some pine. Down a few more sips and you can taste some toffee and a little bit of pepper in the finish. The taste of alcohol is also evident and the medium to full body is richer than the typical beer, including most other American IPA.

Green Flash makes some big, hoppy brews and this product is no exception. It offers a bigger, fuller flavor than most other beers and its memorable qualities extend from the malty beginnings to the hop- accented finish. The taste may be a little too hoppy for some and I admit that I don’t consider this an every- day type of brew. It is best consumed when the need for the taste of hops hits hard and won’t let go.

I like this beer, I really do. But considering the high price, packaging with only four bottles, and heavier taste, I will likely stick with it only for special occasions.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 04:01:39 | More by BryanCarey