Ah, Green Flash. I was iffy about them at first, to be honest. My first beer from them (Bob's Bar) wasn't that impressive. It could have been the hop varieties or it could have been an off batch. Regardless, they've proven themselves to me since with Lynchpin (collaboration with Founders) and Palate Wrecker. We, on this (pending) Snow Apocalypse decide to bite the bullet. The Green Bullet. A 10.1% ABV, over 100 IBU beast of brew. Who doesn't want to feel feelings? This guy!
This pours a nice honey color with small amount of white head, this is rather clear with a decent amount of carbonation (judging from appearance). The aroma is very herbal, almost like a nice tea, and earthy, with hints of caramel and a scent I can't place- a perfect pine/unknown fruit. I've been eyeballing this since I got home, oh yes, it's time. The taste. An intense blast of deep earthy hops obliterate your taste buds upon the first sip. At times there are hints of lighter caramel flavors, but only occasionally peaking through the sheer intensity of the earthy tones. The finish is surprisingly dry for a huge IBU, ABVed IPA. Not as much resin feeling as I'd expect from this.
As I'm starting to fade off while listening to Richard Pryor, I think I should pass this over to my partner-in-beers.
3.8/5 caps (only as I'm not a huge fan of the earthy varieties of hops as much as the pine and citrus flavors of other varieties)
-Nathan-
Hmmm. A triple IPA with Pulp Fiction playing in the background. Great flick, and I hope for a great beer. The only other triple IPA I think I've had is Founders Devil Dancer, so this should be an interesting comparison. You know how we love our DIPAs and hops, so I have high hopes for this. It's also made with New Zealand hops, which we're still familiarizing ourselves with the distinct flavors.
Zed just happens to be dead (again? still?) as I take a whiff. It's a lovely medium orange color -- yes, think clover honey with the faintest amount of white head still remaining atop this high-ABV beast. Oooh, I love the aroma: strong lychee masks some dank, almost mildewy notes and some caramel sweetness. OK, to be honest, the more I stick my nose in it, the more it smells like a basement gymnasium, like the girls' gym at my high school. The initial aroma was much more appealing. Taking a sip, I pick up orange and mango and generic citrus, some earthy, some lychee, and fortunately, the initial sip wasn't as disappointing as the subsequent sniffs. The next sip brings up a little more dank note, but not as offensive as a 150-year-old gym (I went to the oldest high school west of the Alleghenies, and the girls' gym was the original one). Underneath the confusion that is lingering on my tongue is a grassy note that is not offensive, but there's an almost metallic taste on the very back end of this that I do not find appealing. It's not a bad beer... it's just, meh. There's some sticky sweetness that lingers on the lips, and it's appropriately carbonated. It's gotten really high reviews on ratebeer, but I'm just not that impressed with it. I prefer Palate Wrecker, myself.
Go buy some. Make your own decision. I'm too confused by everything happening on my palate.
3.75/5 caps
-Jennie
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