Green Flash Le Freak

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

Pours a very hazy orange, with an impressive, lasting head of dense froth - the belgian character comes through the most in the aroma, at least initially, with a lot of candi sugar, some light phenolic character, wheat, and strong spices, which lay the foundation for the hops that swell up from underneath them - the flavor works in kind of the opposite way, with dry, bitter, spicy hops presenting first, followed by heavy candi sugar sweetness, banana, rubbery phenols, flowery character - the hops come back strong, though, and the beer dries out quite a bit - lingering, potent bitterness - the alcohol is well-masked until the finish, where it adds a little bit of warmth - tastes like they made an inferior belgian and tried to cover it up by hopping the hell out of it - it works in some ways, but as has been noted, there are far better belgian/ipa hybrids out there - and at over 9 bucks for a bomber, this one is hardly worth it.

IIPA? LOL sure. Amber colored, moderate head, solid lacing and retention. Aroma is sugary, caramel, spicy, somewhat hoppy. More Belgian than American IIPA. Medium bodied, moderate bitterness, fairly dry. Better than most of these hybrids.

Bottle… RBSG ‘08… Cloudy yellow ale with a small, fizzy, white head. Good retention. Peppery, spicy nose with some phenols thrown in. Full-bodied with mild carbonation. Sweet corn and pale malts. Bitter, but not nearly enough. Lengthy, bittersweet, grainy finish.

Pours a glowing hazy orange color with a white head. Smell is belgian yeast, fresh spicy pepperiness, and hops. Taste is nicely hoppy and moderately bittered. Some peppery fruity spicy belgian yeast plays a big part in the flavor as well. I liked this probably the most of all the belgian IPA crosses I’ve had.

Pour is a murky, golden color with a full, white, creamy, and fluffy head; head is mostly lasting with minimal sproatic lace. Nose is nice with notes of pear, estery yeast, some clove, light pepper, faint pine resins, and faint cookie. Flavor is an unapproachable turn of events; yeasty notes disappate quickly to harsh, dry, earthy, woody notes that do not compliment the Belgian notes at all. Palate is medium, soft to lively and harsh. Finishes with the same earthy, woody, dry notes almost becoming herbal and an off putting lingering flavor on the tongue. A decent look to the beer and an interesting nose, but once the beer hits your lips, it is utterly despicable with poor IIPA notes filling the palate. Beyond smelling tis one, it is a drain pour.

Bottle. Pours a deep orange with a hazy ring of white head. Aroma of lots of sweet melon rind. Flavor of more melon rind and light fruits with a bitter rind finish. Heavy mouthfeel. More of a Belgian strong ale than an IIPA...I’m not very impressed by this beer. There are much better hoppy Belgians, this one is a little boring and bland.

Bottle. Aroma of grassy/herbal bitterness, spiciness (spices? hops? anybody?), sweet citrus, a hint of other tropical fruits. Flavor sweetly fruity with that herbal bitterness growing in the mouth and upon swallow. Herbal bitterness is the lasting impression, as though that wasn’t clear from the rest of my review. DIPA certainly does not fit its style, but then again, Belgian Strong doesn’t either. Hard to rate for me, but quite tasty and certainly very interesting.

22 oz bottle. Lightly hazed pink orange with a fluffy white head leaving lacy rings. Nose is pine, floral yeast and spearmint bubblegum. Fresh, crisp and enticing. Prominent but fuzzy carb; a little oily and resiny. Substantial stuff. Taste is honey, basil, orange, grapefruit and lime peel. Certainly the most hop forward of the recent Belgian fusions and maybe one of the best.