Green Flash Barleywine

Brewed by Green Flash Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Vista, California USA

I don’t know how old this one is, but I’ve been sitting on it for about 8 months. A malty, syrupy brew, with a noticeable alcohol presence. The hops jump out in the finish, helping to balance out the sweetness of the brew. I would like to try a younger version of this one for a comparison. I would like to see how hoppy this beer was when younger.

Clear amber of color with a small off white head. A nice aroma of dark fruits, hops, liqurice and grass. A flavor of grass, hops, malt, caramel and liqurice.

On tap at Jimmy’s. Haven’t had a huge number of barleywines, but really enjoyed it. Pours reddish amber with a thin white head. Medium thick texture, soft & creamy mouthfeel due to the exaggerated malt presence. Aroma stays sweet but an overtone of herbs; taste is nice: bitter, hoppy, and it finishes dry. I liked the combination of the bitterness with the thicker, softer texture; reminded me of Sixpoint’s Hop Obama in some ways.

22oz bomber. Pours a cloudy red with a massive yellow-white head that forms in the style reminiscent of a draft Guinness. Nose is a rich blend of toffee, vanilla and caramel. First taste has promises of good things to come, but not at this time. It’s raw, but pleasant. Putting this away for a year or two might be an interesting exercise. However, there is already a complexity that stands up well on its own - chocolate, toffee and an herbal tone. Mouthfeel is excellent - full bodied and oily, rounding off to an aftertaste that echoes the beginning taste - good but with a lot of potential.

Bottle bought@vinens_verden,Odense. Pours amber with a lovely red hew & a creamy lasting white head & lacings. Aroma & taste is deep malty & hoppy - sweet caramel, sugar & dark fruits such as plum & raisins. Wamth from alcohol. Filling texture. Low carbonation & a velvet like mouthfeel - very soft. Quite sticky. Power lasting hoppy finish! Very sippable!

Draft at Thrash Zone, Yokohama. dark brown with red tones, yellowish head. Raisins and plums aroma. Great raisins flavours, dry nuts. Some alcohol. Full body. A great barley wine.

Vintage 2008; Sampled March 2008
A vigorous pour produces a dense, massive, initially four-finger thick, amber tinged, tan colored head. The beer is clear, as evident as it sits on my desk reflecting the light above me with its deep amber hue. It shows a brilliantly clear, light cranberry-juice color when held up to the light. The aroma is quite sticky and decadent with a mix of huge hop character and accenting rich malt notes; Reminiscent of candied bergamot, ruby-red grapefruit, lots of lychee, concentrated tangelo, all of which are concentrated up front, but found throughout the entire olfactory experience. While the hop character is fruit leaning there are other notes of pine sap, herbal hemp and a touch of tobacco here as well. This brew is clearly hop dominated, but the concentrated, sweet aromatic hop character foretells of the thick maltiness that lurks underneath in this beer; towards the tail end one gets a rich caramelized malt aroma, some toasty grain and a touch of warming alcohol.

Served lightly chilled at about 55°F / 13°C, the beer has only a light sweetness that is well balanced by herbal hop notes, despite have a chewy, slightly sticky mouth feel to it that coats the palate quite effectively. The hop character in this young beer is quite huge; the citrus / fruit notes taste like they have been concentrated and deeply caramelized with notes of lychee, tangelo, grapefruit & bergamot. Sharply herbal notes of hemp oil, a light onion character, ample, yet somehow subdued pine sap flavors and a massive, yet well malt-matched bitterness. Warming alcohol notes are also definitely noticeable, though I would not quite characterize them as harsh.

A tasty Barleywine that is definitely quite hoppy as a young beast. Perhaps a touch hot to be a perfect young hoppy example of the style, but I am certainly enjoying this right now. I am not sure what age will do to this, but maybe a year or two might mellow this out a bit without losing too much.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson AZ

650 ml. bottle. Vintage 2008. Pours out in a clear reddish amber colour with a frothy and lasting off-white foam. Caramel, figs, toffee, dates, resin and orange-peels in the surprisingly malty aroma. Full-bodied with notes of caramel, dates, pin-needles, grass, grapefruit and resin. Thick, chewy and dense mouthfeel. Long bitter finish of grapefruit, resin and pine-needles with a sticky caramely malt-base in the background.