Green Flash Barleywine

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

22 oz bomber. If you like Sierra Nevada Big Foot Ale, you will enjoy Green Flash Barleywine. This beer pours to a bright, deep caramel color, with a thick, creamy, tan head that slowly fades, and a moderate carbonation. The nose on this beer just bursts with big aromas of pine, and resin. The palate is slightly slick, and full on the tongue, with lots of good caramel malt sweetness, and a nice resiny/piney hop flavor. This beer finishes with more good caramel malt and piney hop flavor up front, then ends with a big, piney/resiny hop bite that lingers with some warming alcohol heat. This beer is a Big Foot clone, and a great example of a West Coast barleywine that packs a big blast of hop, along with malt and alcohol. I enjoy drinking West Coast barleywines young, to really enjoy the intense hop character. You could cellar this one, but like with Big Foot, the hop character will fade over the years.

Ruby body with a light orange tint. Thin head. Aroma of pine from the hops. Taste is very hoppy with some light spices. Ending is sweet and light hops again. Basically a beer on the dividing line between IIPAs and Barleywines.

22oz. bomber. Clear copper color with a medium sized beige head. Aroma was all citrus hops, with very little malt detected. Never would have guessed this was a BW by the aroma. Very bitter hop flavor. Lots of grapefruit pith, a bit of pine, and again hardly any malt to round this beer out. If this was a IIPA, I would say it was too one dimensional. But being a barleywine, it is even more so. It should have a much bigger malt profile. I couldn’t finish more than 8oz. before my taste buds started to melt.

22 oz. Bomber; Aroma had a malty sweetness and some alcohol. Amber body with a tan head. Full body brew with a syrupy medium sweet fruity flavor. Despite the alcohol presence this was an enjoyable sipping brew as I watch the Packers beat the Vikings.

22 oz. brown bomber bottle. No freshness date seen anywhere. Poured out a deep amber / light brown color, with a sticky tan colored head. Aromas are of citrus hops, malts, toffee, and caramel. Flavors are of hops, points off for hops being first in a Barleywine. Not much going on for this beer. Back to the drawing board, gang.

Bomber, poured a deep red brown, nice fluffy off white head. Hoppy nose, missing some of the sweet/sour of a barley wine. Taste had a hoppy bitt up front. lots of citrus reminds me of and IPA, Nice, hidden % too.

Deep crimsony brown, thick tan head. Deep rich nose of sweet pine and melon, toasted English toffee brittle, touches of brown sugar, and a faint hint of grassiness. Good bitterness up front that drops off quickly into a well integrated sweet toffee malt. ABV well hidden. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, quick drying, bittersweet finish. Very drinkable for a high gravity brew...

Bottle. Soft mahogany with a small tan head. Nose is huge pine and citrus notes. Some caramel as well. Taste echoes the aroma. Huge pine, caramel, light toffee, spicy hops, and citrus fruits. The alcohol is there but is not oppressive or hot. There’s a bit of nuttiness throughout this as well. Body is chewy and medium-full with moderate carbonation. Light oily notes and a lingering bitterness. This finishes with toffee notes, pine, chocolate covered peanuts, spicy hops, and citrus fruits. Nice big barleywine here. I can’t wait to see how this ages!