Retro Extra Pale Ale
Green Flash Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottom Line Up Front: This is a very light, clean, crisp pale ale that does not offend the palate.

Had this on tap in a pint glass @ The Brass Tap in Brandon, FL.

Appearance: Remarkably transparent and light straw color.

Smell: Very light hop smell.

Taste: Taste was a very light and crisp hop taste.

Mouthfeel: This pale ale drinks like a pilsner since it is so light in pretty much everything. Very thin and clean on the palate with no discernible aftertaste.

Overall: The beer is a good beer however it does seem quite on the light end of the spectrum for it's style.

Yellow with ochre tints. Slathery head lace. Looks exceptional.

Soft hoppy aroma with a corn cereal aroma. Seemingly fresh.

Floral hops with some acidic sting. Heapingly bitter with tangy cereal malts. Touch of honey sweetness and a kiss of bitter orange. Not bad. Tastes reserved for Green Flash, but does well as a pale ale.

Great snappy spice element to the carbonation. Light-bodied and refreshing.

Green Flash is not one to fall flat. Good beer again.

With the taste of pale ale but the drinkability of pilsner, Green Flash puts training wheels on the ever-classy American pale ale for a taste and texture that's sure to ween your swill-chuggin' buddies over to the craftier side of beer.

This very pale pale ale opens with a lager-like light golden color and near-brilliant clarity. White froth coats the beer's surface, retains fairly well, and laces lightly. There's nothing about the beer's appearance that says anything other than German lager- except it's a pale ale.

Bright citrusy hops fill the nose with aromas of grapefruit, dried orange peel, and lemongrass. Supported by light bready malts and a thin honey-like sweetness, the scent is definitely hop driven. Fruit esters rise as the beer warms, and take the shape of peaches and apricots, and seem to accompany a light whiff of butterscotch.

Flavors seem to in proportion of dry and hoppy German lagers, except with the ingredients of American pale ales. Cracker-like dry bread greets the front of the tongue while a light caramel flavor represents the sweeter side of malt. But as the hop flavors rise with those grapefruit, orange, and lemongrass, the beer turns dry and crisp. Its grassy bitter finish comes quickly and lingers well past the trailing malts. The complementing esters and buttery notes don't seem to be nearly as prevalent in taste as is in aroma.

Light, light, light in body, any early carbonation-infused maltiness is short lived as the beer prefers dry, crisp, fleeting textures. This leads to a bright and zesty citrusy finish with mild hop-derived astringency and light carbonic bite.

I rather enjoy the beer as it's one to be enjoyed quickly and in quantity. Where the complexities, balance, and rewarding taste leaves more to be desired; its the high level of refreshment and drinkability that's rewarded in this pale ale.

 

pour is lager gold with white head. Nose is light, pale malt, caramel and stale grain dominates with light herbal hop behind. Taste follows with a bit more hop presence in the finish. Grain, caramel, herbal hop with some sweet citrus and hint of bitterness in the finish. Body is light, crisp, good carbonation. A touch syrupy mid palate.

 

 

 

 

On tap at Whole Foods in Columbus Circle. A good looking pale ale, lightly hazy, pale gold bodied, with a frothy, foamy white head that has good retention. Lacing is also quite nice. Aroma seems a bit blander than hoped for; a dry, crackery maltiness predominates, with lesser grassy and citrus hop notes. Not exactly a vivid-smelling brew.

The flavor follows the nose closely; kind of plain; malt-forward and quite old-school for the style; citrus and grassy hop notes take a back seat to moderately sweet and crackery malts. The finish is dry and the aftertaste is short-lived and not particularly bitter.

The body is medium-light and carbonation is high, nearly prickly, and feels overly aggressive. This one was a bit forgettable for me, particularly as it was followed by Green Flash’s 30th Street Pale Ale, a super fresh and highly hopped delight, overshadowing this unexciting offering.

 

 

 

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

Pours a clear light orange with a foamy bone colored 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, grain, grass, and hay. Taste is much the same with a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is drinkable but basic and nothing all that exciting in my opinion.