Green Flash under the radar

off topic but greenflash related...how do i tell if the Alpine I am seeing is brewed at green flash or alpine? thanks.

 

I've heard there use both Alpine AND Green Flash bottles (i.e. the raised glass for the icon/insignia) for the Alpine beer bottling. So, there's that. Everything Alpine I've ever had has been in a glass Alpine bottle (but VA got distribution after the acquisition)

 

http://thefullpint.com/breweries/gr...ewers-settling-the-green-flash-alpine-debate/

Sorry for continuing OT but I thought this was interesting (concerning Alpine):

 

Thanks for that link.

An extract from that linked article:

"Duet, brewed with Simcoe and Amarillo hops, was the real eye-opener. Drinking these beers side by side, you’d think they were completely different beers."

I agree with that 100%!! I was a fan of the Alpine brewed Duet but for me the Green Flash brewed Duet is very lacking.

At this point I have decided I will no longer be purchasing Green Flash brewed Alpine beers. Green Flash for whatever reason is incapable of properly producing Alpine beers.

Cheers!

 

I thought their Citra Session IPA on draft was fantastic. I'm not generally an IPA/hophead but that one could tempt me.

 

If you look at it, this shit is double ABV of classic styles. Definitely whacked out.

 

You're not going to find much love for Green Flash on BeerAdvocate. The type of IPA they typically brew aren't exactly du jour with the modern self-proclaimed beer nerd. However, I will agree with @OldManMetal that if you are looking for a dry, pine-bomb of an IPA, you really can't go wrong with West Coast IPA. And yes, part of the disdain for Green Flash does relate to their inferior versions of Alpine beers. That said, their Alpine beers are actually really good, they're just nowhere near as good as the ones actually brewed by Alpine.

 

Citra Session is excellent. My favorite from them.

 

Jack, did you get to read the rest? That was what I found surprising - it seems like there is a lot of differences in opinion...

Concerning Duet...
"They were that different. The room was divided on which one of these was the better beer. In the end, we chose the Green Flash version as (what we thought was) the authentic version. Wrong.

The two Nelson variations were actually much closer to one another. But just like Duet, their colors were wildly different. The room agreed that one of the beers stood head and shoulders above the other. We guessed this one correctly. The Alpine version was fantastic."

Also, please check this out:
experience-with-a-green-flash-alpine-beer-was-damn-good-kinda-lengthy-again.375447/

 

Green Flash has always put out quality beers it is just their misfortune to be in San Diego which has several quality Breweries . Stone, Ballast Point , Ale Smith, Coronado , Alpine, Belching Beaver (Yes you read that right Belching Beaver) etc . So many breweries that if they were to suddenly all leave the city would go Bankrupt . I always load up on their West Coast IPA whenever I drive down to S Calif to visit family. Liquid Sex in a Bottle.

 

Wow - so much dislike for one of CA's original craft pioneers...I visited the brewery in October last year as part of an SF 4 day crawl. I thought it was a very cool /fun place (albeit in an industrial park) and the beers good but nothing spectacular. Maybe they should do what Modern Times is doing down in SD - start to convert their line up to all NE IPA style ...

 

They have pretty decent beers! They aren't the best, but they definetly have very drinkable beer. Nothing spectacular about the brewery, but they get the job done. I would never hesitate to pick up a 6 pack of west coast IPA. They definetly have a lot of competition, being in San Diego.

 

I was really into GF when I first moved to San Diego, but I do still love mainly their West Coast IPA and Palate Wrecker, but also good are their Double Stout ,Road Warrior, Le Freak and more recently, Dia De Los Serranos was a pleasant surprise. They discontinued their Barleywine when they updated their labels, which for the price was outstanding.

 

Must haves? I can't think of any.

I tend to stick to their darker ales (Double Stout comes to mind) when I drink Green Flash. Their hoppier beers just aren't balanced, and they tend to subscribe to the "more hops equals better beer" mentality.

Stay well away from Friendship Brew. You still see bottles sitting on shelves years after it was brewed for a reason.

 

Yeesh, thanks for reminding me about that horror - I had just purged it from my memory several months ago, but you just had to bring it up again, didn't you

 

Yup, I read "the rest".

What I most trust in my own palate.

Cheers!

 

Definitely bummed out as well over the passing of Rayon Vert. Found a four pack six months ago at a local store. Still have 2 in the cellar. Cosmic Ristretto is really good. I do get their beers here a bit more fresh than you do as a matter of location. When I lived in Virginia I didn't drink them much for the same reason. Le Freak is a good one from them but I do avoid their Alpine releases as they taste nowhere as good as the Alpine from Alpine which we do get here on occasion. I always stop in Alpine on the way to San Diego to pick up the original. And Palate Wrecker is the bomb! One of my all time favorites especially on draft. Cheers!

 

that one definitely flew under the radar...real solid brew.

also, another reason for the GF hate: the butter bomb known as silva stout...it certainly turned me off from their offerings but i could be lured back

 

As far as I'm aware, both of these beers have been discontinued by the brewery.

 

They are hardly under the radar. They are distributed in every state and will have an east coast brewery opened by the end of the year.

In the past, they have focused primarily on IPAs, but more recently, they are dabbling in all sorts of new things. Their Cellar 3 program is really quite good. The Natura Morta fruited sours are worth every penny (typically around $18 for a 750ml).

People around here got really pissy about the fact that they bought Alpine. They prefer to ignore how positive it has been for Alpine as a whole, including how happy the former owner is with the deal. So there has been a lot of negative feedback on here for Green Flash lately, but take it with a grain of salt.

They are a very solid brewery, and well worth checking out. Sea to Sea is solid, but I would also recommend the Jibe and the Passionfruit Kicker, both in cans, for the hot months.