Green Flash 2008 Surfs Up Symposium IPA

Huge thanks to CigarCityBrew for making this possible by just giving me this tasty brew.

12oz bottle pours clear deep gold with semi firm white head. The aroma is a load of fresh grapefruit juice, some mild grassiness and mild malty sweetness as a backbone. The taste has a quick attack of citrus hop flavor followed by a brief pulse of sweet maltiness. The combination is very nice creating a sweet orange juice sensation. It’s fleeting though since before the midway point is reached grapefruit hop bitterness and a sense of pine begin to come to the surface and slowly take over the flavor completely. The bitterness grows to a full delicious goodness into the finish and leaves behind a very nice hoppy after taste. A great example of the San Diego IPA.

Quite the suprise to find this at our last tasting. I think thanks goes out to Krausenjockey for bringing this back on his trek down south to the CBC. This was one seriously tasty, easy to drink IPA (much like their WC IPA). This beer had a very clean, citrusy/piney aroma with malts being a touch earthy with enough sweetness to keep things balanced. A clean mouthfeel with minimal fizziness. It seemed natural to keep bringing this beer to your lips, because the drinkability was so damned high. The balance of sweet malts and the fresh hop character of the citrus and pine was quite tasty. When a beer like this is in your hand, drinking it is usually the 1st thing on your mind.

Clear amber color with a white head and some retention. Very dank and resinous aromas, pineapple and grapefruit rind. Same things in the taste; it has some very tropical tastes to it. Medium to light body with a dry finish, medium carbonation. Thanks to Cole for the sample. I hope the regular release Green Flash IPA’s are as amazing as this.

Tasted at the May Northern California Beer Tasting. This IPA pours a medium orange gold color from a 12oz bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is fruity and sweet, with a lot citrusy hops. A medium bodied IPA. The malts are fruity and sweet. The hops are citrusy and piney. Lots of hop flavors, not a lot of hop bitterness. Nice beer. Good balance. Nice carbonation. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Obtained as part of the 2008 BIF race package from Eyedrinkale, 2008 Symposium IPA came in a 12 oz. bottle with a surfing themed label. The beer poured very clear, pale golden in color, and had a stable head at two fingers thick. Like the looks, the smell was also standard West Coast IPA fare with spicy, pney, citric hops dominating. The taste was bit more complex than typical for the style, as the hop bitterness and spice was matched up with a malt bill sufficient to yield 7% ABV and give some sweet backbone. Finish was citric sour and dry. The body felt thick enough to hold up the flavor but was not sticky. Another well made example of the style.

12oz bottle acquired in trade with Foolish Mortal (thanks!). FInally, IPA rating #400 (man it is getting hard to find IPAs I haven’t rated). Poured a medium and slighlty hazy golden / amber color with an averaged sized, bubbly off white head. Aromas of pine, earthy, and citrus. Tastes of citrus, pine, lighter earthiness, pineapples, and some caramel. Nice hops in both the aroma and taste with a nice bitter finish.

Bottle from Aspidites, wonderful citrus hop nose, IIPAish, along with a full, very well balanced taste and finish. Great stuff.

Golden, slightly hazy. Really spicy hop nose - beauty. Light wood and a rounded hop character, with more spices and a pomegranate hop note. I revisited this a couple of times over the CBC cause it was damn fine.