Green Flash Barleywine

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

Serve in Snifter

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Deep auburn hue. Sticky, rocky and frothy beige-tinged head deposits dots of lace on all sides of the glass. Flashy nose vibrant plums, pineapple parfait, grapefruit, caramelized strawberries and a touch of toffee/Crystal malt. Fairly yeasty. Minimal oxidation (sherry in this case). Natural carbonation hugs the palate. Chewy and oily body. Heavily bitter and fairly brash initially, though a juicy surge of fruity esters briefly displaces that. Hops soon resurface, generating spicy notes of grass and pine which couple with the oily acids to lend a gentle numbing effect by scrubbing the tongue. Overly acidic hop character steadily intensifies and essentially stifles the development of any brighter hop nuances. Finishes intensely resinous, reminiscent of pinesap and grapefruit rind, yet with enough dryness and alcohol to slightly lift the harsh oils and make way for the lingering malt-derived caramel and nut flavors. A bit more refinement would be welcome here (cleaner maltiness, brighter and more-restrained hop character, etc.), but it certainly is not as sloppy as so many barleywines tend to be. Bottle-conditioned and unfiltered, the way it ought to be; kudos to Green Flash for that!

Clear amber with significant pale head. Strong hop presence in the aroma. Much smoother mouth feel than expected given the head, very nice. Smooth with a nice heaviness. Slight booziness at the finish, but not bad. This is a very hop-forward barleywine as would be expected from Green Flash, but the deep malt character keeps it from being too one dimensional. Quite enjoyable.

Bomber from Beer Run, opened 5/16/12. Pours a clear medium brown color with a large frothy tan head. Good head retention. Aroma of big toffee malts and citrus hops. The taste is toffee malts, toasted notes, caramel, bitter citrus and resin hops. Medium bodied. Liking this one quite a bit.

2008 vintage. Pours an opaque ruby red with a small white head and minimal lacing. Aroma is deep malt and caramelized sugar. The taste is divine for being 4 years old. The hop presence has faded but is pleasantly balanced in the mix. There is an incredible amount of depth in the malt profile. Caramelized sugar, toffee, raisins, plum, and black tea dominate the profile with just a touch of hops to balance it out. Time has treated this beer with delicate grace. Outstanding offering that gets better with age.

Poured from a 22-oz. bomber into a pint glass. Lots of head, maybe five or six fingers. Color was caramel coffee and cloudy lacing on the top. More cappuccino than anything else. Wet, tan and even film on the sides. Smelled a potent whiff of wet citrus hops up front. Caramel and toffee malts as well. Some spices as well, which I couldn’t put my finger on. Tasted caramel toffee malts and citrus rye hops. Very bitter on the tongue after. Pretty malty. Medium body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Long, bitter finish. Not bad for my first taste of barley wine. May come back and rate this again once I’ve had a few.

Poured from the 2012 vintage bomber into a snifter. Dark ruby brown with a thick tan head. Aroma is brown sugar, dark fruit, and some citrusy hops. Flavor starts with some toffee and dark fruit notes but is quickly taken over by an array of resinous and spruce hops. This is definitely much hoppier than other Barley Wines I’ve had, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Balances out more and richens up some as it warms though. Medium bodied with a slightly oily mouthfeel and a bitter finish. Overall this is a nice Barley Wine with a nice blend of flavors.

Bottle. Poured a clear, deep, brown with a red tint and a fluffy khaki head. Smell is brown sugar, caramel, citrus, grass, raisins, and light alcohol. Taste is caramel, plums, dates, citrus, and a big bitter finish. Creamy mouthfeel, with soft carbonation. Definitely more on the American side of the spectrum of barley wines, but enough complexity for me to agree with the barley wine classificiation. Complex and bitter, yet highly drinkable. Delicious.

Pours a deep amber with a tan head formed of tiny bubbles. Hop forward aroma backed by biscuit and toffee notes. Heavy hop hit - not as hard as their imperial IPA, but a hard hit nonetheless. Here, as opposed to their IPA, the malt asserts itself much quicker and heavier. Caramel and toffee are the hard hitters here, buoying the hop notes and keeping them afloat in a sea of biscuits and barley. This is better than Bigfoot.

bottle - This dark amber brew has a pleasant aroma of rich toffee malt and hops. The flavor is a good balance of intense caramel-toffee malt with heavy hops bitterness and some dark fruit character. It’s full bodied and really good. Well done.

On tap at the St Louis Microfest. Pours a hazy amber with a small but decent off white head. Has a caramely aroma. Prunes, apricots and sweet caramel malt and a little hop bitterness in the tasre. ABV evident after the swallow. Good stuff.

Bottle 650ml @ home
Pours clear deep amber with a huge off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, caramel, dried fruits and alcohol. Taste is heavy sweet and meidum bitter with a long sweet malty and alcohol finish. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.