Green Flash 2008 Surfs Up Symposium IPA

Formerly brewed at Green Flash Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Vista, California USA

Bottle from PUB’N. Pours hazy deep orangy with 1-finger uniform off-white head and great lacing. Nose is heavy piney hops, mango, pineapple, tangerine, caramel malt, and female gymnast feet. Tastes very piney, very hoppy, with tons of tropical citrus fruit, and a solid malt bill that falls off on the malt a bit late, but the hops and citrus fruit continue to pound the palate into oblivion. Rich, juicy palate. This one is delicious.

Huge thanks to CigarCityBrew for making this possible by just giving me this tasty brew.

12oz bottle pours clear deep gold with semi firm white head. The aroma is a load of fresh grapefruit juice, some mild grassiness and mild malty sweetness as a backbone. The taste has a quick attack of citrus hop flavor followed by a brief pulse of sweet maltiness. The combination is very nice creating a sweet orange juice sensation. It’s fleeting though since before the midway point is reached grapefruit hop bitterness and a sense of pine begin to come to the surface and slowly take over the flavor completely. The bitterness grows to a full delicious goodness into the finish and leaves behind a very nice hoppy after taste. A great example of the San Diego IPA.

On tap @ Downtown Johnny Brown’s in San Diego, CA--Bright amber-copper body. Silky, fluffy, rocky white head. Fruity, tropical nose. Creamy, soft mouthfeel. Subtle fragrant hop complexities. Obviously quite hopped and malty, but well constructed. This beer is the shit!

Had this on cask and on tap side by side at Hamilton’s. Shared with Dalekliz, Blair nicely poured me the very first pour off the cask, and I matched it with the tap version. I found out from Jessica from Alesmith GF used their hop back for this beer which makes sense, as they pull off sick hoppy beers all the time. So Wetherel hyped this for me. How are there no more ratings between us? Cask first. Pours golden yellow with a off white 1 finger head. Nose is really super hoppy and resin filled and big big big. Taste is amazingly citrusy, it is bitter, tonuge prickly and it is a very nice IPA complex and worth the hype with a lemony citrus character. Tap is great, but not as good. Pours Amber tan with off white head. Nose is hoppy and resiny. Taste is much much more upfront hoppy and bitter. There is a lingering bitterness. Its good but not as good. Glad I had it on cask!

Hot off the presses, looks like I’m the first to rate this gem. Tim helped bottle this, and brought a few to PP bottle shop and gave me one for my birthday, yesterday. Thanks Tim! Wonder hoppy aroma when the cap is popped. The aroma has Green Flashes signature all over it, but is also reminiscent of Hop Suey nose pounding hop aroma. I feel like I’m standing in Green Flash during brewing. A little malty, leans a little sweet. Medium bitterness that lingers on the tongue for 30 minutes after tasting. Nice earthy grassy hops. Super duper drinkable. I want a big keg of this for home. Beers like this make you want to rewrite your top beer list, because of their high drinkability.

12 oz bottle. Aroma is a beautiful fruitty peach and grassy hops. Flavor is close to the West Coast IPA, which I think is one of the best. Stinky hops are a mouthful of heaven. Bravo!

From a 12oz Bottle. Generously shared by Saco_De_Toro. Pours a crystal clear, honey gold color with a firm finger of well sustaining, fizzy white foam. Intensely hoppy nose, bringing forth a bouquet of fresh, dripping hop resins. Notes of orange zest, grapefruit, and even a bit of floral complexity. Dank, dank, cascade - wonderfully fresh and inviting. Light bodied, crisply carbonated mouthfeel with a dry, cleansing palate. Huge hop flavors explode across the tongue, bringing out citrusy grapefruit notes along with a floral orange blossom smack. Intensely hoppy, but definitely packed full of flavor without any harsh, pithy bitterness. The malt, while dry and minimal in contribution, is perfectly balanced with the hops, bringing forth a subtle honey caramel sweetness that works perfectly with the hop flavors. Incredibly fresh and hoppy - the sheer amount of hop flavor is mind blowing, especially considering the lack of scratchy or harsh pithy characters. This is a new benchmark level IPA. There is an incredible array of IPA’s currently available on the market, but this is one of the rare gems that can replace all the selection in the world with it’s beautiful balance, flavor, and drinkability - exactly what an IPA should be. Thanks for sharing, Julian!

Clear amber color with a white head and some retention. Very dank and resinous aromas, pineapple and grapefruit rind. Same things in the taste; it has some very tropical tastes to it. Medium to light body with a dry finish, medium carbonation. Thanks to Cole for the sample. I hope the regular release Green Flash IPA’s are as amazing as this.