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

UCLABrewN84

California

4.05/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

UPDATED REVIEW TO CORRECT LISTING.

On tap at Green Flash Brewing Company in San Diego, CA.

Pours a clear amber with a foamy orange-tan head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, citrus zest, and alcohol. Taste is much the same with a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with a great aroma and tasty flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2012 04:11:25 | More by UCLABrewN84

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.7/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle - $2.49 at Charlie's Beer and Wine in Marietta, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a clear, amber-hued body with a tall, richly foamy, light beige head with gobs and gobs of lacing.

Smell: Floral, citric, dankly resinous hops well ahead of the toasty, bready malts (also some toasted grains and toasted raw sugars) and the enduring scent of brewed black tea.

Taste: A sweet pop of bready malts, moderately toasty that drops off to reveal a staunch graininess. The sweetness is akin to a hint of creme brulee tops. Then, in come the hops with citric tangerines, grapefruits, resins, and florals. Medium-high bitterness. Dry, citric, resinous, citrusy, bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied (just barely). Medium carbonation.

Overall: It's an IPA, it's red, and it's hoppy -- folks are into that these days, right? It's also a tad expensive, but some folks don't seem to mind that either.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 15:40:44 | More by ChainGangGuy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a deep amber color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some very good lacing. Aroma of earthy hops with some citrus and resin is quite nice. Taste is totally dominated by hops with some resin and citrus hops though notes of earthy hops are really powerful. Body is quite full with good carbonation. Not bad though grapefruit notes of Amarillo were not as dominant as I had expected.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 20:07:21 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

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

Is it an American IPA? Is it an American Amber Ale? The lines blur with this very hoppy Red Ale and appeal to those who like the hearty malt flavor of Ambers but think that higher hop additions would better offset the sweetness typically associated with Amber Ales.

The beer opens with a hazy red rusty hue and quickly builds a sturdy and slightly yellowish head. With great retention and lace, the beer sings the praises of hop-heavy ales.

Sharp aromas of pine, grapefruit, and fresh-cut grasses dominate the nose while the toasted amber barley malt supports the hops in a very IPA kinda way. With little influence from fruity esters or spicy phenols, the beer carries a clean malt and hop conversation through and through.

And so go the flavors- hop dominant with the early taste of spruce, white grapefruit pith and pulp, and a grassy herbal taste that develops into a resiny bitterness at finish. Meanwhile, the medium toast flavor of barley brings about mild caramel sweetness, bread crust savory notes, and with a clean, fresh baked barley taste not only support the hops but add greater balance than the nose suggests.

Medium in body, the beer feels lighter on the tongue because of the creamy carbonation, higher attenuation, and hop derived dryness late. The beer really lightens considerably as the resiny hop bitterness closes the beer, and without watering causes a very high rate of drinkability to occur.

For one, I appreciate a well balanced Amber Ale, but these hoppier versions appeal much better to me as the hop-forward nature of the beers give more intrigue and better offset the caramel heavy sweetness of most beers of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

01-30-2012 16:26:51 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a nonic a medium copper/amber with a tightly formed one finger off white head that settles slowly into a creamy mass.Citirc hops dominate the nose with caramel malt standing up pretty well to the hops.Man I love left coast hoppy reds and this is as the label states more of a red ipa,citric hops hit home on the palate with some left over earthy tones,it's not all one dimensional,a big enough caramel toasty base is there but the hops win.I drink this beer alot and I don't get tired of it,love it.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 19:24:34 | More by oberon

metter98

New York

3.8/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is slightly hazy dark reddish copper in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin yet dense beige head that died down just a little and left lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are aromas of citrus and pine resin hops in the nose along with some notes of caramel malts.
T: The taste follows the smell, except that the caramel malt flavors are just as strong as the hoppy flavors. There is a moderate amount of bitterness, which particularly lingers through the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a bit crisp and smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. The bitterness makes your tongue tingle a little.
O: This beer has a great balance between the malts and hops and is quite drinkable. No traces of alcohol are evident in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 01:35:08 | More by metter98

zeff80

Missouri

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

A - Poured out a reddish color with a two-finger, thick head of tan foam. It was fairly long lasting and left some sticky rings of lace.

S - It smelled of citrus, pine and strong grapefruit notes. Some caramel sweetness, too.

T - Good bitter hop bite of citrus, grapefruit and pine. Then there's a strong roasty character, too.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry, clean finish.

O - Very tasty red IPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 01:32:11 | More by zeff80

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Coming in a short 355ml brown bottle, no freshness info. is provided on the beer label; served mildly chilled in a short-stemmed goblet. The beer label states this is a “Red India Pale Ale” and “Amarillo Dry Hopped”. Tasted alongside Brewdog 10 Heads High (BD), another take on the "Red India Pale Ale" style.

Appearance: lightly translucent, bright copper in colour, coming with a thick light-beige froth settling to a thin sheet to last, leaving tight layers of rim along the way; the carbonation comes rather light, ejecting large bubbles sporadically.
Smell: barley-candy-ish malty and sour-sweet jammy fruity at the same time, suggesting prune jam, figs, caramel malts, smelling very much in my experience like a barleywine, due to the intensity and density of amber, caramel and/or crystal malts; a good swirl would bring up notes of lychees, perfumy esters, fresh oily resinous flowers, and aromatic pine. Rich, aromatic, resinous, interestingly structured, providing different enjoyment of malt complexity and resinous hops on two layers, “sniff by sniff”, “swirl by swirl”.
Taste: semi-sweet foretaste, showing lots of sweetened black tea, lychee skins, grapefruit peels, fat prunes, etc., quite thin-structured sweet AND dry-ish as of caramel-glazed liquorice plus roast malts, leaving a nice herbal-sweet aftertaste with more liquorice, prunes, bitter grapefruit and lychee-shell like aroma to linger at the back of the palate. Overall, it is well-balanced, mildly sweeter at first, but the moderate level of tannic, yeasty bitterness outweighs the other elements to render a deliciously resinous, lingeringly bitter and satisfyingly chewy finish.
Mouthfeel & Overall: medium-bodied, very attenuated on the carbonation yet not overly flat, this “Red India Pale Ale” tastes like a numbed-down version of a barleywine using predominant American piney hops and of course dry-hopped to add more depth of bitterness and resins to the overall flavour profile. Overall, it is far more estery than BD and the palate hints at a possible close-to-expiry-date freshness for this bottle, but still I find it an extremely enjoyable experience with this beer style with an ironic name, Red India Pale Ale…

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2013 21:17:11 | More by wl0307

Brad007

Vermont

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a handsome reddish color with a frothy head into my glass. Well, they nailed that.

Grassy hops greet the nose followed by just a touch of malt underneath. This one, I can smell for sure!

Hmm. I can't figure out when this was bottled because the hops leave a harsh taste in the mouth. Combined with the malt, the overall taste is undesirable.

Ditto for the mouthfeel. Nothing but (stale?) hops and bland malt.

Nice try at a red IPA. Not something I'd drink again though.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 07:39:36 | More by Brad007

mactrail

California

3.35/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is a distinct ruby red color. More on the Hawaiian Punch end of the spectrum than coppery. Nice head on the stuff. Interesting malty nose, a hint of citrus.

Some sweet malt with a fruity touch. Maybe it's the power of suggestion, but it tastes like cherries and underripe pineapple. Resiny hops take over the flavors. Moderately bitter. Rich and sharp with a malty undertone.

On the whole, this seems to marry some the less attractive aspects of a Red Ale with an anemic IPA. However, the manageable bitterness along with the nice sudsy mouthfeel makes it quite drinkable. From the 12 oz bottle bought at Best Damn in San Diego.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 04:59:01 | More by mactrail

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.78/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A very nice looking beer, with a deep reddish brown color and a thick beige head that leaves some very thick lacing. In the nose and to a somewhat lesser degree in the mouth, though, this is more malty than it is hoppy. Very smooth with some thick caramel malts, with some piney and citrus rind bitterness balancing out the sweetness in the mouth. The smell gives you no sense of the hops, just smooth malt- not really what I want from the style. Luckily, the hops do come into play and keep the beer from becoming too smooth and sweet. Not bad.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 19:27:28 | More by Georgiabeer

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Comes out of the tap a dark, nearly opaque reddish amber with a thick, fine-bubbled, light tan head. Hoppy aroma has a hint of malt. Flavor is more hoppy than malty, leaning towards an IPA, a bit bitter with subtle notes of caramel and fruit. Firm, smooth texture has some good fizz and life.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2012 21:55:31 | More by Cyberkedi

avalon07

South Carolina

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

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had an amber color and a hazy texture. There were two inches of foamy, long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: A well-hopped aroma, with some hints of malt as well.

T: Tasted of light malt, a medium amount of hops, caramel, and a tinge of pine, too. Much more subtle than I thought it would be, but this wasn't a bad thing. A well done flavor.

M: A highly carbonated beer with a silky smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: A very solidly made, drinkable red ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 13:08:38 | More by avalon07

dirtylou

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz stubby bottle

Is this different than the previous, now retired, version?

appearance: served in a stone shaker pint - rich muddy amber body, tons of floating sediment, light beige ring, minimal retention

smell: rich caramel, sticky pine resin

taste: more of a hoppy amber than an amber ipa - heavy caramel malt, earthy tea-like flavor profile, sticky pine resin, grapefruit rind, candied blood orange. pretty messy.

mouthfeel: a bit heavy-handed

overall: this is a pass for me - green flash has other hop-forward beers that are much better composed

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 20:36:14 | More by dirtylou

kylehay2004

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: two finger off white head with nice lacing on a hazy deep amber body.

S: earth and grapefruit hops. Caramel malt base is nicely represented. Hops are a little musty

T: the hops are again earthy with some citrus and a nice dose of pine and grass greatest in the finish. The caramel malts base is best noticed up front.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: a nice beer. Very drinkable and flavorful. Nice contribution to flavor and both feel from the malts.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 02:03:38 | More by kylehay2004

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.63/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a bright red amber ipa with a 2 inch white head. smells like a west coast ipa, extremely hoppy with a touch of malty sweetness. taste is much sweeter than the nose, with a rather heavy feeling sucrose element. very little bitterness for such a hoppy beer, more resin like and sticky. mouthfeel is pretty good, plenty bubbly and medium bodied. overall a good ipa, but because of the sweetness i wouldnt want to drink them all night.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 20:18:52 | More by StonedTrippin

nickfl

Florida

3.63/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours with two fingers of off white foam on top of a slightly hazy, amber body. The foam settles at a moderate pace and leave excellent lace.

S - Pone hops and caramel malt with a bit of a spicy hop character in the background.

T - Toasted malt and a bit of toffee up front. Seem pine hops with a bit of orange in the middle. Finishes with fairly strong, slightly soapy bitterness and dry, toasted malt.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - Kind of a subdued hop character for a green flash beer and while the malt is strong enough to balance, the bitterness is a bit harsh and it is emphasized by the dry finish. Drinkable, but there are much better hoppy red ales out there.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 04:41:03 | More by nickfl

alexgash

Connecticut

4.08/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle.

Slightly cloudy dark amber-garnet. An inch of thick, creamy, light khaki head. Nice lacing. Big, hoppy nose: pine sap, Scotch tape, orange marmalade. Backed by a big malty backbone: cookie dough, caramel, and a little fruit.

Lightly toasted caramel malts up front. Piny, resinous hop bitterness starts to crescendo. Meanwhile, big fruity, and caramel-y malts make for a sweetish palate. Candied apple into the finish, with plenty of herbal, slightly orange-y hop bitterness in the end. Medium-full body with a creamy, thick, soft feel. Nicely done.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 03:34:27 | More by alexgash

flagmantho

Washington

3.78/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: rich amber-copper hue with a touch of haze to the body. Head pours a thick finger of frothy tan foam. Nice.

Smell: rich aroma of caramel malt and citrusy-yet-dank hops. You had me at "Amarillo dry hopped".

Taste: big malt flavor with plenty of caramel and a little bit of biscuit on the side. Hops are quite flavorful, with emphasis on citrus and a little more of that dankness. Bitterness isn't terribly high, and there is a bit of a vegetal aftertaste which is not particularly enticing.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good level of carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: this is a decent red IPA (or hoppy red ale -- whichever), and, while there are some flavor flaws I don't particularly like, overall it's a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 17:18:49 | More by flagmantho

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a tumbler pint, the beer is a ruby-copper coloring with a thin, frothy, big bubbled, off-white head that sits a solid half an inch on the top of the beer, clinging everywhere it touches. Aromas of wet, resiny hops atop a malty, rich, caramel sweet backbone. Flavors are more scotch malt on the palate, with a peppery and floral hops blast at the end of the palate, leaving a bitter and resiny aftertaste. Roasted characteristics throughout, giving a more tame profile to the caramel backbone. The finish is drying and bitter, cleaning the palate and puckering the mouth slightly. Very tasty brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 23:32:50 | More by GarthDanielson

srandycarter

California

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Brownish red... slightly cloudy.

S - Very hoppy with a slight malty undertow.

T - Nice hop feel for sure, some caramel aspects but they are secondary.

M - Med to low carb, finishes to the bitter side. Very nice, however.

D - Very easy to drink. I could have more than one.

Serving type: cask

06-01-2012 04:19:23 | More by srandycarter

CrazyDavros

Australia

4.2/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours copper with a fading head.
Nose shows masses of hops with juicy, fruity flavours alongside fruit confectionery. Peach, green apple, lychee and gooseberries. Underneath is caramel and faint toasty malt. Nice stuff!
Similar fruity hops in the flavours at first, with more peach followed by a massive grapefruit hit. A fair bit of crystal is present underneath.
Carbonation could be a little creamier.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 01:28:51 | More by CrazyDavros

mdaschaf

Washington

3.2/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at the Pickled Pig. Review from notes.

A: Pours a red/brown with a small off-white head. Not much retention, but nice lacing.

S: Slightly spicy, but not really much going on. Some very faint citrus fruit and some grapefruit, but seems lacking in terms of hop presence. There is some grainy malt that comes through strong.

T: Similarly lacking in hop presence. Mostly spices and lots of caramel. Was expecting this beer to be very hop forward based on previous beers I have had from green flash.

M: Medium bodied with medium to high carbonation.

O: Like I said before, was expecting much more of a hop bomb and got a malty beer. Disappointing.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2012 13:44:41 | More by mdaschaf

argock

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served on-tap in a Shaker pint at Mellow Mushroom (Charlottesville, VA).

A: Very dark maroon-ruby with short cap of off-white head with a few scraps of lacing.

S: The aroma boasts muscular maltiness with slight roast and dark and light crystal notes coupled with pine and resin hops character.

T: The hops component takes over in the flavor with strong pine, resin, and orange citrus character. The maltiness still carries plenty of weight with a variety of caramel malt contributions including roasty notes with burnt caramel and sweeter characteristics as well.

M: A very drinkable beer for the big flavor with relatively even, low carbonation with medium body.

O: A big red ale and then some. Blasts off with big hops and malt flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2012 04:39:08 | More by argock

harrymel

Washington

2.16/5  rDev -44.3%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2

Bottled: unk

Ugly brown with flecks of yeast and a solid sheet of fine creamy foam. Smells like malt, some spice and more malt. Not really picking up any hops on the nose here. Taste is bitter and malty with some bits of tea and bitter - well bitter. medium bodied with medium carb and a dry finish. Not impressed. Wish I knew how old this was.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 06:43:04 | More by harrymel