So I had been hearing a lot about Green Flash beers. The bad news was that beers from this San Diego, California based brewer were not available in Georgia, so it didn’t look like I would be trying them any time soon. Then one happy day I got an e-mail from Letspour.com, offering me $10 off my first purchase and free shipping if I bought at least 6 22-ounce bottles of beer. Happier still, they ship to Georgia.

Faster than you can say “beer”, I was perusing the selections on their website, and was ecstatic to see Green Flash Imperial India Pale Ale listed as one of them. It seemed a fair deal at $7.58, after my discount and free shipping. About ten days later, my package arrived safe and sound from UPS.

The bottle announced great expectations for the beer. “All about the Hops!” it said, and then further proclaimed:

“San Diego IPA, as it has come to be known by many, is pale in color, super-hoppy, high gravity, yet a highly quaffable ale. Our Imperial IPA is created in this new tradition with intense hops flavors and aromas from a unique blend of Summit and Nugget hops.”

While I’m not so sure about the San Diego IPA part (beers like this have been around for a long time now), I’m always ready to enjoy a good brew. And so I broke out my Green Flash brewing pint glass, purchased some years ago at a Cost Plus World Market, popped the cap, and dove into this delight.

Green Flash Imperial India Pale Ale pours to a bright golden orange color with a thick rocky head formation and a vibrant citrusy hop nose. Taking a sip, the beer has some chewy caramel malt up front but it just can’t last long against the amazingly powerful hops. They burst forth in all their citric, lemony, piney-resiny glory and just steal the show. This beer is simply infused with resiny hop aroma, but I also enjoy the way it quickly transitions to a colossal hop bitterness in the finish. It’s long and dry and puckering bitter. In many ways, this 101 IBU hop monster reminds me of Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Imperial IPA, though I think that one has more malt body.

At 9.4% alcohol by volume, this is certainly a sipping brew. Still, all that hop goodness had me taking bigger pulls than I might have. Green Flash Imperial India Pale Ale has me won over on this brewery, and these folks have certainly made quite the first impression with me.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 

 

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