Green Flash Imperial IPA

Wow! Bottle from State Line. The pour is turbid orange with 1-finger off-white head. The aroma is massive, coupling caramel malt, huge citrus and tropical fruit (mango, tangerine, pineapple, honeydew, star fruit), plus a solid dose of fresh black and white cracked pepper. The palate is rich, dense, hefty, complex, hoppy, and with the bevy of citrus fruits listed above. This one is like a slightly toned down version of Southern Tier IIPA, with a dash of Dreadnaught. Yeah man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

22 oz bomber. Pours to a hazy, pale golden color, with a thick and creamy, white head, and a good bit of carbonation. The nose on this beer is fantastic, as it just explodes with zesty and frangrant aromas of pine and citrus. The palate is firm, with lots of good pale and biscuit malt flavor, paired with a wonderful, candied citrus/hop flavor. This beer finishes with more good malt and hop flavors up front, then ends with a very bitter, citus/pine hop bite that lingers. This beer is an outstanding Imperial IPA, and hides it 9% abv very well. A dangerously drinkable beer at that strength, so beware. This beer is the ultimate after work cocktail beer, and would make a fantastic aperitif, and a great beer to match with spicy foods. Impressive.

Medium foamy yellow head. Butterscotch color and clear. Just loads and loads of fresh-cut grass combined with a perfect amount of peach, making for a gorgeous flavor and nose. [Compared next to a Moylan’s Hopsickle] The Hopsickle is more malty, sweet, and syrupy; the Green Flash is way more focused on delicious grass. Both are fantastic, but I prefer the Green Flash. [Tasted next to a Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA] The Dreadnaught is very peachy in the nose; the Green Flash is ganja and grass. Not suprisingly, the taste matches. Besides that, the Green Flash has more hop sting aftertaste; the Dreadnaught has more of a warm syrupy aftertaste. Both impeccable. I personally prefer the Green Flash. [Tasted next to a Lagunitas Sonoma Farmhouse Hop Stoopid] The Green Flash has a more complex flavor, and more sting.

Commencing gonzo rating v1. Huge piney aroma as soon as the cap is popped. Poured into trusty Duvel tulip. Dear god it’s like they liquefied nugget hops. Seriously, it’s like opening a bag of fresh hops, and sticking your face inside. Flavor is all about the hops, mouthfeel is all about the hops, finish is all about the hops. This beer is all about the hops. Honestly, second only to Pliny the Elder for sheer deliciousness and way too palatable (well at least for my hop loving ass) for the weight. Just gave it some more props for having at least some sediment, yeast is good y’all.

22 oz’er ... pour a nice light, bright orange, with a massive airy, rocky head. of white foam. Pure hop nuggets assault the olfactory glands on the first whiff ... wow ... quite the tease for the hophead like me. As I begin to drink it, the utter oily, resiny hoppiness starts pouring down my gullet before the first bit of liquid touches the lips. Surprisingly the beer itslef is less brutally hoppy than all that aroma suggests. Instead, it’s nice and even-keeled with a decent citrus hop flourish, but without being overwhelming. Still a lot of resiny, oily hop here, but blended into a light-to-the-lips beer. Wow. (#2758, 3/18/2007)