Green Flash Barleywine

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

Pours a reddish-brown with yellow highlights and a tan head that’s creamy, good sized, and long-lasting. Aroma is very heavy on the hops with lots of grapefruit, orange, pine and wood, giving way to maltier tendancies (maple, brown sugar, caramel) as it warms. The warm smell is more inviting to me, with it’s maple syrup note. Tastes or caramel, grapefruit, orange rind, brown sugar, wood, and a light char. Finishes quite bitter with grapefruit, orange and a good amount of woody char. Creamy mouthfeel for sure, but it doesn’t feel QUITE heavy enough. I also feel that flavor seemed just a tad weak. It’s got some good points, but there’s no reason to pick this over Bigfoot or it’s clones other than variety.

Bottle nr. 3530. Redish colour with a big beige head. Malty, fruity, pinetree hoppy aroma and taste. Medium to full body with a sweet hop finish.

22 oz. bottle...pours happy high head which gradually disappears, nice copper color, some lacing...nose rather mild, pleasant hops, with some minor floral and pine...tastes of malts, a bit of sweet, perhaps toffee, with a bitter finish. It has a good mouth feel. Rather mild for the style, with not quite enough malt and hop layers, but very nicely balanced and a pleasant brew.

Big hoppy So-Cal-type barley wine. Strong pine and grapefruit nose. Caramel roastiness pinning the hop excess down somewhat. The alcohol is just way over-the-top, especially as it warms. That’s all I could taste after a while. Fairly simple straightforward drink.

22oz bottle, labeled as 2nd Anniversary Ale, #3580/6000, courtesy of wetherel. Thanks, John! Pours dark, murky brown with thin yellow edges; light tan head with solid retention and fine-bubbled lacing. Nothing special in the aroma, especially for an aged barleywine: just enough dried fruits, caramel, and sticky cherry syrup to fill the nose. The mouthfeel is much more generous: soft, lightly carbonated palate with a ton of caramel, brown sugar, and dried dark fruits (prunes, raisins); nice dense malty complexity, with a soft caramel and toffee presence coating at mid-palate; loads of dried fruit. There’s more than a little oxidation at this point. Lengthy, dried dark fruits and brown sugar in the finish.

Clear amber of color with a small off white head. A nice aroma of dark fruits, hops, liqurice and grass. A flavor of grass, hops, malt, caramel and liqurice.

Thanks to Illinismitty for sharing this one at the Nashville Tasting. A mahogony pour with a gooy lacing. A light raisiny aroma. A smooth even palate with a touch of hops. Its not bad but it seemed a bit harsh to me for only 10%.

Bottle via Naven. Dark reddish head. Smell of fruit, hops, malt, cotton candy, hints of caramel and citrus, pine and soem flowers. Taste the same. More malt than hops and I can also taste hints of orange peal and citrus. Still a great Barleywine. Thanks Naven!