SevenPack Beer Blog » Blog Archive » Green Flash Brewing Co. IIPA

Green Flash IIPA The Green Flash is a new brewery to both myself and Matt. I’ve never heard of ‘em, they’re from San Diego, and apparently they just recently began distribution into Virginia. Whether or not that means they’re a new brewery or not, I dunno. I tend not to put too much effort into researching these breweries pre-review so that my reviews aren’t tainted with propaganda from the website. Maybe I’ll know more after I finish this review and head on over to the Green Flash website to check ‘em out. What I DO know is that it’s hard to beat a big bottle of IIPA for $4.99, especially if it’s a good IIPA. So, obviously, I had to try it.

This beer pours a lighter-than-expect-but-still-a-bit-cloudy golden color with a quickly dissipating stark white head. The aroma of this beer is absolutely fabulous – maybe one of the best IIPA aromas I’ve found. It’s very, very green and fresh and smells like a handful of hops – all flowery and sweet with citrus hints. This beer also tastes really good. Again, it’s just a very green tasting IIPA. According to the label, this is a “San Diego-style IPA” – while I’ve never heard of such a style, I’m willing to give it credence if we can see a few more IPAs like this on the market. This is super-hopped and high-gravity and the mouthfeel is almost sticky with fresh hops. There is a substantial hop burn on the tip of the tongue that heads into a bitter and citrusy hop flavor on the tongue. The aftertaste is bitter and slightly acidic. It’s a big IPA with a lot of bite, and the flavor morphs consistently through the mouth. If I had a singular complaint about this beer, it would be that it is sometimes a bit too acidic, so it can be a bit much when you’re tackling a big bottle all alone. However, this is a small complaint, and this acidity generally lends to the overall fresh taste of the beer. All things considered, I would consider this a great IPA for anyone who loves a really fresh tasting beer – the most recent IPA I’ve had that would rival this flavor is from the folks at Ska Brewing Co. – both excellent beers and beers I’d love to have again, especially at their price point.