Green Flash Le Freak

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

Good hoppy West Coast style IPA that feels like it’s blended with a Belgian golden ale. Thick white head and clear light amber body from the 22 oz bottle leaves spectacular lacing. Mild, pleasant aroma of floral hops, caramel, and sourdough bread. The Belgian yeast is well behaved in a waltz with Northwest hop bitters and mellow malts. The combination comes off spicy/peppery, with a whiff of alcohol dryness on the finish.

Bomber from the local. Leans more on the side of an IPA than a Trippel for me. Seems like the bitter hops took over the Belgian yeast in flavor. Only a hint of yeast in the beginning with the hops soon dominating, mostly pine little citrus. Could of been balanced better in my opinion.

Really glad I satisfied my curiosity and found out what this is all about but not really sure I’d ever feel compelled to go back to it much. Sort of a strange beer that’s hard to get your tastebuds around. Hard to sort out all of the flavors. Maybe that’s good. It’s certainly complex and flavorful. But just not enough of any one style for me to feel comfortable with more than one bottle.

Bready lemony nose, Great thick mouthfeel. Bitterness from the start to the finish. Didn’t fine the Belgian flavor profile. A little perfumy in the aroma and the taste. Don’t care for it. It’s crafted well, and it’s not the first hybrid of these styles i tried. I do not think it should be under this style heading, it’s more like a IPA, not that it should be under that style ether. Oh well, good job! but it doesn’t work for me.

Bomber->Honker: pours a thin white diminishing head atop a cloudy orange body. Orange aroma, some floral. Very hoppy, medium body, great character, bitter finish. A very nice fusion of an IPA and a tripel, but much heavier on the west coast IPA style.

Bottle sample courtesy of my friend Adil- A deep hazed golden pour, topped with a frothy and rocky white cap. Intense nose of fresh hops with spices, flowers, citrus, yeast. Tastes sweet and of candy, tropical fruit,pear, and has a massive hop flavour of pine and citrus. A bit of a yeasty funk lingers towards a very lengthy and bitter finish. Very good!

22 ounce bottle. Served in a chalice, the beer pours a dark gold color with a tinge of orange and a half inch white head. Head retention and lacing are both average. Aroma is citrusy (grapefruit) and pine hops, cloves, and some tropical fruit. Taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like pine and citrusy hops, peppery spice, Belgian yeast and a bit of tropical fruit and cloves. Also has a good bitter hoppy finish. The taste does start off very hoppy, but it does balance out as the fruit flavor shows up more as the beer warms. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it’s a bit dry and is well carbonated. Drinkability is good, the alcohol is well hidden and it’s not hard to drink at all. I think this is a good overall brew, I enjoyed it.

It’s hard not to like the offerings of Green Flash. Le Freak is one of the better tripel’s I’ve enjoyed recently and further cinches my high regard for Green Flash. Le Freak is a really nice tripel full of fruit notes, light spices, yeast and some residual sweetness that pleases my sweetooth. The perfumy aroma mingles well with the cloves and pitted fruits and seemed to be the strength of the beer. Easy to finish the bottle, even with the >9% alcohol. A nice example of a tripel.