Green Flash Brewing Co. will smack your mouth with flavor

green-flash-brewingLet’s discuss Green Flash Brewing Co., shall we? I’ve sampled all their beers available here in the Midwest since they became available a few weeks ago. We’ve got the Hop Head Red, Imperial IPA, and West Coast IPA, as well as the Double Stout, which required a trip into Missouri in order to snag some at Royal Liquors.

These are some flavorful beers, my friends. You can find these tastes at the Louisiana Beer Fest, just make sure you scope out the New Orleans hotels and find a place to stay after the festivities. The Red and West Coast IPAs are like getting slapped in the face with a bunch of flavor. The gentleman at Jensen’s described Green Flash’s beers as “hop bombs,” and I’m inclined to agree. Surprisingly, the stronger Imperial IPA (at a hefty 9.4%) seemed a lot mellower to me. I’m not sure as to why this is, but I tend to notice the citrus elements of beers like this. Much like Odell’s Myrcenary Double IPA, the Green Flash Imperial IPA tastes more fruity, and that strong hop bite present in their other IPAs seems to be almost completely absent.

The Double Stout? It is wonderful. And it’s strong. I think all of their beer could be described this way, but the stout’s like an ogre. It’s incredibly rich and flavorful, like a really fantastic cup of coffee with just a touch of cream – not creamer, not half and half, but that full-on whipping cream you add by the teaspoon. The bottle’s hefty enough to use as a weapon in hand-to-hand combat which – combined with its drinkable nature – might actually qualify it for weight lifting. Seriously: an empty 12 oz. bottle weighs a full 11 oz. That’s some glass, my friends.

Anyhow, while their beers might be so strong as to limit them to one per sitting, the flavor is also so intense, you might want to have it alone and savor it, as well. You’ll pay about $10 for a 4-pack, but you’re going to pay nearly that for a shitty brew at the local bar or even at cheap hotels, so why not enjoy this on your couch? You’ll be too smashed to do anything after finishing it, anyhow. Personally, I killed an Imperial IPA all by my lonesome. Being as how it’s only available in a 22 oz. bomber, if you choose to do this, you’ve committed yourself to staying in that night. Make sure you have some snacks handy.