Green Flash Le Freak

Cloudy orange/straw color with thin head and a fruity/orange aroma. Citrus and pine hop flavor, fruity but not sweet, the hops are most prominent in this brew but as expected it has a traditional Belgian tripel sweetness. Although the head is thin there is decent carbonation contributing to more intense hop bite.

Absolutely odd pairing of the hoppy, bitter IPA with the sweet Belgian Tripel. I understand people not liking it, but maybe that is why I liked it. It is an experiment that embraces odd drinking.

22 oz bottle. Pours a clear light copper with a creamy white head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is interesting and unique - grapefruits and citrus, floral hops, spices and pepper, banana, and sweet sugary malts.

The flavor is sweet gummy malt and melon followed by a big bitter hop finish - floral with some charred tar that lingers in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is light bodied and watery.

Overall, I didn’t really care for the taste profile of the hops or the balance of gummy sweetness and hops.

Pours a mostly translucent amber with a bunch of golden/copper notes and a large foamy/pillowy off white head that left tons of sticky lacing down the glass. Aroma of a handful of fresh American hops, very floral, lightly piney, a bunch of mixed citrus, orange peel, grassy, candy sweetness, bready, Belgian yeast spiciness, touch of pepper and some green apple. Flavor is bready, earthy, toffee, Belgian yeast spiciness, lots of citrus, some pine and grassy hops. Hop flavor is there for sure, bitterness is there but with the Belgian tripel backbone of this one the malt helps it from being overly bitter.

I had this ale at a recent tasting and was pleasantly surprised! It pours a nice hazy blonde,with an attractive head. Smell is that of fresh baked bread,nice citrus,grassy hops, and these flavors are perfectly married.Taste is present and very floral. Piney,citrus,and herbal are some of the flavors. Nice full body with a great finish. Le Freak is a great ale and I’m yet to meet anything from Green Flash that didn’t move me!

A "Belgian IPA", on tap at the Ginger Man, NYC. Belgian yeasty sour fruitiness, combined with piney hops. Sour cherry, grapefruit. Just great - beer squared!

Pours with a thick, creamy, off-white head that leaves good lacing. Hazy yellow to orange body. Aroma of yeast, flowers, light hops, honey, pears and dried fruits. Taste is hoppy, dry and yeasty. Very lively carbonation. Alcoholic taste. Dry mouthfeel.

Fresh bomber. The pour yields a lightly hazy, medium orange-amber color with a large, foamy, cream colored head. The cap displays good retention, sticking around for the duration, and leaving thick, sticky bands of lace on the glass. The aroma is exactly as described, which is to say a massively hopped tripel. Huge orange, lemon, and pine hop notes play atop a candy sugar malt base and a very Belgian-esque, bready yeast profile. Flavors follow suit, sharp orange, grapefruit and lemon, as well as resinous pine, showing huge hop bitterness, while the sweet candy sugar base tries its best to keep up. The yeast profile is again very bready, but there’s a hefty dose of peppery spice there as well. Medium-full bodied, with balanced carbonation, there is a bit of unfortunate astringency that shows on the finish, but not enough to ruin the experience. Overall, this would-be train wreck avoids enough pitfalls to present itself as a pretty solid blend of two distinct styles. Still, it’s a bit too much tripel for me.