West Coast IPA
Green Flash Brewing Co.

Reviewed from notes.
Pours a clear deep golden color with a thick white head. Pine, grapefruit, dank hops, and light caramel malt. Bitterness with grapefruit peel, resin, citrus, and a touch of malt sweetness. Classic old-school West Coast profile. Medium body with crisp carbonation and a dry finish. A throwback West Coast IPA with strong bitterness and plenty of piney hop character.

 

12oz can purchased off the shelf as a single for $3.25. Canned on 10OCT25, so this beer is almost 2 1/2 months old.

Look: Very nice deep copper / amber color. I would say that it's even reddish hued. Nice khaki-colored head, a finger or two initially, reduced to a thin layer. Excellent clarity.

Smell: Very nice aromas of orange zest, marmalade, pine, and caramel malt. This smells kind of like a generic West Coast IPA, and that is not a bad thing by any means. Peppery and a bit spicy on the finish.

Taste: Delicious. Perfectly balanced. I am surprised with how "crisp" the finish is here. It really lends to the high drinkability. It's a very clean beer. Up front, it has the orange zest and caramel malt notes, then the mid palate and finish become piney and bitter with a nice chewy mouthfeel. Lots of grapefruit zest and peppery notes on the finish. As I am finishing the beer, I'm getting this really cool caramelized orange hard candy note on the finish.

Feel: Medium plus bodied. The mouthfeel has a nice chewiness and a bit of oiliness. Perfectly carbonated.

Overall: On the one hand, this beer tastes like so many other WCIPAs. But this is one of the OG West Coast IPAs - one of the breweries that has helped to define and popularize the style. The only other brewer that comes to mind when I drink this beer and reflect on the iconic nature of this California brewery is Sierra Nevada.

Deep gold pour, very clear, finger of khaki foam atop. Nose is citrus and pine.

Taste is caramel, pine resin, marmalade, medium kilned malt, touch floral. Medium mouthfeel, little oily. Finish is pine ( needles and cones) and more of that marmalade.

 

Very good, It got me to get on here again to write a review. Tried it on a whim and was very pleasantly suprised by how complex and delicious this was. It's fruity aroma and taste are prominently displayed, yet generously shares the spotlight with the hops which were very delicious as well. I tried a fruited IPA after drinking this and I was suprised how similar the two were. (Btw it was Great Divide's Tangerine Riot). Though, it just tasted like a watered down, dissapointing version of this with a slightly more natural fruit flavor. The difference just made me wish that I just had two of these instead!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Draft at City Kitchen in Pittsburgh

 

I remember my first Green Flash IPA was on draft at Pizzeria Paradiso off Dupont Circle in DC. It must have been around 2008, and it was at the time the best IPA I'd ever tasted. Having it to complement a hot wood-fired pizza didn't hurt either. It was the first to have the distinctive Simco grapefruit peel aroma.

 

 

12 oz can enjoy by date 10/24/23 into a pint glass.
L: Pours deep amber honey color with a 3/4" crusty, frothy off white head that has VG retention, very light carbo, some sticky lacing.
S: Caramel malts, berries, citrus, pineapple, mango, fairly floral.
T: Caramelized malts, citrus, ripe orange, grapefruit, berries, melon, black tea leaves, honey, a hint of bread, has a slightly resinous finish that retains a bit of sweetness.
F: Soft, smooth med-body with a slick & glassy middle and a mellow med-long finish that is lightly drying.
O: A lovely tasting beer with excellent balance. It has a light touch of honey throughout and has a very light resinous quality. Incredibly easy drinking for its ABV. It is outstanding in its style.