Green Flash Barleywine

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

Bottle. Cloudy brown, nice creamy golden head. Fairly citrussy, some licorice. Dry herbal, citrus, caramel, anis. Medium foamy body. Very interresting.

Bottled, thanks Crosling! Hazy ruby, small head. Aroma of juicy lychee and grapefruit. Sure, it’s malty, but it’s dominated by juicy fresh citric hops. The carmelly malt is a mere excuse for the 10%. The hoppy lychee flavours later turns into long powerful bitterness. Certianly not the most complex barley wine, but very good.

Pours a deep russet brown with a deep brown lasting head and good lacing. Aroma is pungent piney hops, resinous, with loads of caramel malt. Notes of toffee and lite chocolate. Flavors are med. sweet and boozy. Lots of caramel, toffee and maple malt notes. Very minor fruit esters of plums and raisins. The hop flavors are resinous pine, somewhat one-dimensional but effective with all of that malt. Clean ferment. Body is similar to the double bastard’s, not syrupy nor cloying but certainly full. Finish is heavily bitter and drying, a high alpha course bitterness (chinook or columbus?) that works in the American Strong Ale style well. I really like this quite a bit.

Second Anniversary Bottle #786/6000: Pours a clear deep copper brown with a thin, lightly-lacing off-white head. Aroma is an interesting fresh, hoppy and grassy mix with a touch of citrus and some sweet caramel toffee underneath. Body starts rich, sweet and gritty with nice fresh, bitter hoppiness and a touch of chocolate chip cookie dough. Nice complexity with a very good balance. Still could use some aging to mellow and blend together but should be real good in another year.

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...

The Lure:
Bright floral hops float and hang on to the splendid foam and lacing. Grapefruit sorbet roams amidst the caramel, as earthy wet tobacco provides even more comfort. Wooden dryness, citrus fruit and rosewater/lavender liveliness complete this moment in delicious ecstacy.

The Festivities:
Sweet, earthy, plump berries live peacefully, yet not closely, with the resinous hop bitterness. Floral spiciness and deep malty sweetness satisfy and surprise. Flavors aren’t that well-blended so far, but each side of the flavor profile is presented with talent. Lots of potential.

Transcendence:
Exotic decadence somehow is a little more attractive to me than standard decadence.

Celebrating my 18th anniversary with my "company" with this 22 oz’er ... It pours a nice muddy, ruddy orange-tinged rust color with a solid unsurrendering tan foam top. Nice light and ruity aroma which still manages to hint at the alcohol-laced monster within. As I drink, I am impressed with a nice blend of rich flavors ... toffee, homemade fruit bread, caramel, and a leafy bitter topping. Quite delicious. (#3052, 8/8/2007)

Brown ale with burgundy hue with a thick moka head. Nice caramel malt and herbal hops with nice alcohol in aroma. Nice hoppy taste intense grapefruit, not overley sweet, but very good malt base. Rich bodied. May 2005, Capflu’s BW tasting.