Green Flash Le Freak

Brewed by Green Flash Brewing Co.
Style: Abbey Tripel
Vista, California USA

boy this is freaky. the only problem I have is the belgian yeast mutes the hop aroma. besides tha it is interestng. not bad.

Bottled sample via (and shared with) oakbluff. Hazy apple juice yellow in colour with medium carbonation. Aromas are of lemony coriander, alcohol, orange, grasses, and some pale malts. A bit disjoint (yet intriguing) in the mouth, with the flavors starting out a bit caramel malty before heading back into bubblegum witbier territory, then ending with an earthy, drying (saison-like) bitterness. Lots going on, and fun to taste, but not one I’d want to revisit anytime soon.

22oz bottle. Pours a very-highly carbonated clear light amber, big tan head that isn’t going anywhere. Aroma is big piney hops riding over any possible notes available (is there some yeast back there?). Flavor is much the same: feels like a slight softening of the normally brutal west-coast IPA style, with very little taken from the belgian side except for a slightly creamy, slightly malty finish. This is a very heavy beer, sustained only by its very high carbonation and its surprisingly good job of hiding the 9%. Still, definitely not a favorite, especially considering the other great versions of this style out there.

Bottle...pours out a mostly clear orange hued copper with a moderate fluffy white head. Aroma is a very nice mix of citrus hops, yeast, banana and clove. Taste is complex, notes of banana, clove, yeast and some spice mix well with grapefruity hops. A lingering sticky sweetness melds well with the bitterness of the hops. Slight alcohol on the finish. A marriage of two of my favorite styles.

For me, this beer is the model of the Imperial IPA-Belgian crossover. Pours clear copper with a puffy white head. Rich, spicy aroma characteristic of a Belgian trippel: yeast, pepper, banana, but with a citrus zest. Clean, crisp, yet sweet taste. Good amount of grapefruit and resin, but tempered with the sweetness of the spice and yeast. Spicy and bitter, citrus and sweet; it all formed a great beer with the best qualities of both the DIPA and trippel coming through.

Bottle from River’s Bend. Poured a clear copper color with an average frothy off-white head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate complex citrus hoppy aroma with a alcohol tone. Medium body with a slick texture. Medium to heavy bittersweet flavor with a medium bitter and small alcohol bite finish of moderate duration. This is a good beer.

Appearance: Pours a clear, orangey body with a bubbly, wispy, white head. Smell: A mix of grains and grapefruit held together by mashed bananas and tossed with pine needles and white pepper. Taste: Pale and Belgian maltiness, with a touch of grain, and a brief, though refined sweetness. Tastes of bananas, citrus grapefruit, and pine before a caustic, moderate bitterness is unleashed upon the tongue. Dash of spice. Light yeastiness. Some floral and fruity peach hints to be found during the rare times when the bitterness lets up. Finishes crisp and with a bitterness that lasts well into the aftertaste. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Moderate carbonation. Drinkability: Yep, it’s a bitter tripel, alright. It performed a bit better than expected, but I wouldn’t push over an old lady to get a bottle unless she was really really asking for it (to be pushed, not the bottle).

Yeah I don’t know about this one. They’re marketing the hell out of it over here on the EC and I’ve seen it in lots of taps. But anyway I didn’t know what it was supposed to be. Hops predominated even though they didn’t, except for when they did.