Green Flash Barleywine

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

22oz bomber. 2nd Anniversary Ale. Found this bottle at a liquor store about 3 miles from the brewery. It had been cold stored since brewing... Nice! Pours a dark brown with a very thick and creamy brownish white head. The head leaves lace covering the entire glass on the way down. Smells of malt and also smells somewhat woody. Tastes strong, alcohol wise and flavor wise. Tastes of lots of malt and a deep dark flavor of hops. Pretty thick, good carbonation, dark and potent, to say the least. Two of these and I think you’d be toast.

This is a serious beer, it takes some time and care to drink this one. It had some great pine and hops flavors but also had an alcohol flavor that was a little strong for my taste. this beer was great, but i truly don’t know how i would classify it with the hops, the malt and all of the strong flavors.

22 oz bottle from Secret Santa, thanks david! Green pine aroma, heavily bitter and citrusy. Hot and malty, not particularly balanced (and not that that’s the goal) but it’s a brash combination of grain and hops, not a brew you could drink daily.

Acquired last year, so probably a year old. Pours a deep dark dense ruby to reddish brown with a decent tan head, settling to a thin dense layer. A big popping hop nose. There’s no mistaking this for an IIPA though. The hops are well matched by ample malt, particularly developed towards the dark malt end of the spectrum. Big deep caramel, cut by alcohol and again, those big ass American hops. Theres a hint of toast and a good deal of creaminess up front in this unexpectedly complex beer. These isn’t completely original complexity complexity though, I recognize this formula from Bigfoot and even more so Old Crusty. But it is perhaps better executed in the fresh state. Leather lingers. As it warms more fruit comes out up front, giving rise to dark fruit in the back end. Perhaps a touch of tuttifruiti. A long lingering dry bitterness. Now I just hope I can grab another bottle of this during my drive back east!

Bomber pours clear dull copper with light tan head and sheet lacing. It has a light IIPA rather than a barleywine aroma with hints of dark fruit and an out of place pine hoppiness as well as some alcohol. The pine hops almost smell wet. The flavor starts malty and slightly sweet with dark fruitiness. Then the pine hops hit pretty hard then a pinch of alcohol also surfaces. I also get a hard citrus candy note that borders on being medicinal. Near the finish there are mild caramel and toffee notes that feel very barleywine like. I think this is worth a year or two aging and a re-rate.

Poured a deep copper-ruby with a thin white head. Sticky, piny, hoppy barleywine with a substantial amount of sweet malts, too. This plays like a step up from the imperial IPA. Yes, a barley wine, but definitely more of an imperial IPA. Super imperial. No taste buds after this puppy,

This poured a copper color with a small thin white head that laced well.Huge piney , sweet hop nose.Another barley wine that was closer to a double ipa.Hop fest in a bottle.This was average at best.Hoppy bitter finish.

Aroma is a sweet roasted caramel scent. Color is a deep amber with good carbonation and a thin very tight head. Taste is rich and sweet. Its got a full body that goes down with a rich feel. Finish comes on with a sweet caramel flavor and a faint hop taste, then ends with a sharp feel that fades into a gentle bitterness. This is a very easy drinking yet full flavored and complex Barleywine, I thinks its very good.