Green Flash 2008 Surfs Up Symposium IPA

Formerly brewed at Green Flash Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Vista, California USA

On draft at SD BrewCo during CDC week - thanks Dean! Arrives slightly hazed, amber color with a small white, foamy head. Juicy citrus fruit in the aroma, pine, alfalfa notes, light toasty malts. Delicious crisp and fresh hop flavor, grapefruit and evergreen, more of the toasty malts - a hop bomb but still nicely balanced. Medium body and smooth carbonation.

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.

Hot off the presses, looks like I’m the first to rate this gem. Tim helped bottle this, and brought a few to PP bottle shop and gave me one for my birthday, yesterday. Thanks Tim! Wonder hoppy aroma when the cap is popped. The aroma has Green Flashes signature all over it, but is also reminiscent of Hop Suey nose pounding hop aroma. I feel like I’m standing in Green Flash during brewing. A little malty, leans a little sweet. Medium bitterness that lingers on the tongue for 30 minutes after tasting. Nice earthy grassy hops. Super duper drinkable. I want a big keg of this for home. Beers like this make you want to rewrite your top beer list, because of their high drinkability.

Damn Mike brought the thunder to Joe’s gathering. Aroma is light dry grapefruit, not bittered skins but more like the sweet pink center (but as mentioned dried). Taste is similar again not bitter, with some leafiness and a hint of tea hopiness. Medium body and easy to drink.

Bottle brought back from Craft brewers conference, by Jason from Cameron’s, nice amber copper color good foamy head nose is hops but also a sweet perfume, flavor is pine hops lotsa caremel malts well carbonated with a creamy mouthfeel.

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

From a 12oz Bottle. Generously shared by Saco_De_Toro. Pours a crystal clear, honey gold color with a firm finger of well sustaining, fizzy white foam. Intensely hoppy nose, bringing forth a bouquet of fresh, dripping hop resins. Notes of orange zest, grapefruit, and even a bit of floral complexity. Dank, dank, cascade - wonderfully fresh and inviting. Light bodied, crisply carbonated mouthfeel with a dry, cleansing palate. Huge hop flavors explode across the tongue, bringing out citrusy grapefruit notes along with a floral orange blossom smack. Intensely hoppy, but definitely packed full of flavor without any harsh, pithy bitterness. The malt, while dry and minimal in contribution, is perfectly balanced with the hops, bringing forth a subtle honey caramel sweetness that works perfectly with the hop flavors. Incredibly fresh and hoppy - the sheer amount of hop flavor is mind blowing, especially considering the lack of scratchy or harsh pithy characters. This is a new benchmark level IPA. There is an incredible array of IPA’s currently available on the market, but this is one of the rare gems that can replace all the selection in the world with it’s beautiful balance, flavor, and drinkability - exactly what an IPA should be. Thanks for sharing, Julian!

bottle thanks to blutt59. i have been trying to track this one down for about a year now and he helped. poured a hazy yellow/gold with a white head and spotted lace. aroma was caramel, vanilla, citrus, and grapefruit. flavor was vanilla, pine, bitter, and maybe a touch of pepper. heavy body with a slick feeling. i bet this was awesome fresh.