Green Flash Le Freak

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

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.

Poured a hazy amber color with a medium sized, white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of pine, floral hops, citrus fruits, some caramel, resin, grass, and light spices. Taste of sweet, resiny, toffee malts, pine, citrus fruits, light tobacco, citrus, and a dry, bitter, grapefruit hop bitterness, with a bit of alcohol as well.

Bottle from Monument in Corcord, CA. Label indicates 9.2%. Commercial description reworded slightly. Pours a hazy ripe apricot color with a decent white head that failed to persist for long. Smells like tripel candi with spice and fruity hop. Tickles my nose. Medium+ body with creamy carbonation. Flavor is quite bitter, balanced with candi, and the fruits are notable. The finish is more bitter than not, and it’s quite a taste treat. It’s definitely worth a try.

650 ml bottle from Bev4less. pours a slightly hazy copper color with a big sudsy/clumpy off-white head that had good retention and plenty of lacing. The aroma is medium in strength with Belgian yeasts, light esters, spices, and grassy hops. The taste is hops forward, with biter hops at the forefront, followed by a brown sugar/rock candy middle and a bitter-sweet hoppy conclusion. The mouthfeel is full, and satisfying. The finish is long and piney-biter. Overall: Very tasty stuff, and it begs a comparison to Stone’s Cali-Belgie and Coronado’s Hoppy Daze. They are all winners, but I prefer the fresh hoppy daze.

Bright, golden appearance with a small, off white head and good lacing. The initially spicy, grassy aroma is followed by yeast and hops. Taste floats between the spicy, yeasty characteristics of a trippel and and the resinous, hoppy flavors of a strong IPA. So if this is a marraige, I’m guessing the IIPA is the chauvanistic groom with a condescending attitude toward his Belgian bride.

Draught @ Toronado. Wonderfully aromatic classic trippel aromas and looks exactly like one, though unfiltered, hazy and golden looking. Beautiful flavors of banana, cloves, raisin, followed by a huge punch of hops that goes on and on. Well done ! Truly an extra-hoppy belgian.

bottle. golden/copper pour with large frothy off white head. lacing. banana, clove, hops and yeast in aroma. very well done. I was afraid the flavors would be a mess but they compliment each other very nicely. up front there is a nice yeast, clove, esters, light fruit flavor which gives way to fresh hops and ends with a nice peppery bitterness. flavor is full like a good trippel, hopped nicely. alcohol warming in finish. well done.

Bottle enjoyed at Le Cave Du Vin in Cleveland. Copper pour with a big white head. Green pepper and earthy hops on top of Belgian Golden yeast notes (really my least favorite of the Belgian aroma and flavor profiles). Fresh hoppy grass, citrus peal and very obvious green pepper notes. I’ve got to say, it’s that green pepper flavor and aroma that does nothing for me. Medium body, with a dry finish. These are interesting brews (as was 080808) but I don’t think they will ever become a favorite.