Green Flash Le Freak

Brewed by Green Flash Brewing Co.
Style: Abbey Tripel
Vista, California USA

A "Belgian IPA", on tap at the Ginger Man, NYC. Belgian yeasty sour fruitiness, combined with piney hops. Sour cherry, grapefruit. Just great - beer squared!

Pours with a thick, creamy, off-white head that leaves good lacing. Hazy yellow to orange body. Aroma of yeast, flowers, light hops, honey, pears and dried fruits. Taste is hoppy, dry and yeasty. Very lively carbonation. Alcoholic taste. Dry mouthfeel.

Fresh bomber. The pour yields a lightly hazy, medium orange-amber color with a large, foamy, cream colored head. The cap displays good retention, sticking around for the duration, and leaving thick, sticky bands of lace on the glass. The aroma is exactly as described, which is to say a massively hopped tripel. Huge orange, lemon, and pine hop notes play atop a candy sugar malt base and a very Belgian-esque, bready yeast profile. Flavors follow suit, sharp orange, grapefruit and lemon, as well as resinous pine, showing huge hop bitterness, while the sweet candy sugar base tries its best to keep up. The yeast profile is again very bready, but there’s a hefty dose of peppery spice there as well. Medium-full bodied, with balanced carbonation, there is a bit of unfortunate astringency that shows on the finish, but not enough to ruin the experience. Overall, this would-be train wreck avoids enough pitfalls to present itself as a pretty solid blend of two distinct styles. Still, it’s a bit too much tripel for me.

Sample from a 22 oz. bottle shared by Tmoney99. Pours a hazy orange color with a medium sized frothy off white head. The aroma has that Belgian yeast quality with a citrus kick. Moderately sweet malt with a bit of spicyness are also noticable. The flavor is the trendy Belgian twist to the West Coast IPA. A nice hoppy bitterness, moderately sweet malt, Belgian yeast, cheese, bread, spices, and light citrus. There seems to be a lot going on, but at times is a bit busy.

Bottle shared at joey hatreds house. Amber body white 1 finger head. Fruity esters hoppy resins, a nice bready yeast. Spiced lightly with a citrus finish.

Date: 09/13/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Brusin Ales, Asheville NC

Appearance: hazy gold, wispy white head, streaks of drippy lace,
Aroma: sweet crystal malt aroma, lots of spicyness, light fruity citrus,
Flavor: rich malt flavor, crystal sweetness, lots of hops, lots of spicy phoenolics mixing with the spicy hops,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Tap @ The Gate in English Pint glass for some reason. Hazy golden with puffy lasting head and lace. Hoppy sweet vanilla yeasty lemon pastry aroma, Sweet vanilla marshmallow with melon and very spicy hoppy finish. Medium body and medium carbo. Excellent Belgian soft mouthfeel. Well hidden alcohol. Delicious and deceptively strong.

Pours a golden orange with fizzy white head. Bready malt, candy sugar, orange peel, banana, belgian yeast, and floral hops. Herbal with notes of spice and coriander. The bitterness of the IIPA doesn’t really come through, but the alcohol is fairly well hidden.