Green Flash Barleywine

Brewed by Green Flash Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Vista, California USA

Pours bright amber into a snifter. Off-white carbonated head quickly dissipates leaving spot lacing. Pine and resin aromas. Crisp yet full with well-balanced citrus. Blurs the line between barleywine and DIPA.

Man, this is easily the hardest beer I’ve ever had to rate. Starts out looking ok. Has a very interesting deep red pour with a one finger creamy tan head. Then I smell it and everything goes to pieces. I cannot even describe the flavor or aroma that I detected. It was completely dominant in every aspect and only allowed some sweetness to come through. Easily one of the most undrinkable beers I’ve had. The flavor/aroma was completely indescribable, phenolic maybe. I shared it with two other people and neither of them found it as distasteful as I did. Maybe it was a bad bottle and maybe it is a personal thing.

The color was dark amber. The head was creamy, off-white, and fizzy. The aroma was citris, hops, and sweet grass. The flavor was hoppy, fishy, and salty. The palate was lively. The finish was bitter/hoppy.

Bomber poured into a snifter. Dark reddish brown color with a beige head of about 2 fingers. Nice lacing and retention. Aromas of boozy caramel and sharp hops. Flavor is much the same. Lots of grapefruit and caramel with an astringent finish. Mouthfeel is dry due to the high alcohol. Pretty typical west coast overhopped barleywine, but pretty tasty nonetheless. Virtually no different from a double IPA.

This copper ale poured with a lacy beige head with staying power. There is a pleasant malt aroma. The flavor is thick and toffee-like with a long dry bitter finish. This is a hopped-up barleywine that is dryer and more bitter than most, but still a fairly satisfying drink.

Pours a copper color with a small white head. Aroma of hops, sugars, fruits and citrus. Flavor is of hops, sugars, caramel, bitterness, and a little fruit. Pretty decent barleywine, especially for the price, but falls short of great.

Pours a nice clear reddish amber. Aroma is very hoppy. Flavor is full of rich, chewy malts and lots of hops. Alcohol is moderate. This is more like a DIPA with dark food coloring. Nonetheless, very tasty.

Bottle, bought @ Høkeren, Cph.
Pours clear coppery red with a big frothy yellowish head. Super duration and nice lacing. Aroma is deeply fruity hoppy with some fat toffee thickness behind it. Pine and grapefruit dominates. Lowish carbonation with a great, oily mouthfeel. Flavour is well vinious, lots of chewy caramel malts. Fine, but rather powerful bitterness. Grassy, pine and lightly fruity.