2 O'Clock Tasting: 
Green Flash Brewing (Part 2)

Updated on July 22, 2016

Named after the optical phenomenon that happens at sunset, Green Flash Brewing has created a delicious mystery within the walls of their San Diego brew house. Humble beginnings have blossomed into widespread commercial success, with Green Flash now among the 50 largest breweries in America. It's easy to see why they are rapidly expanding. Mike and Lisa Hinkley established Green Flash in 2002, and they’ve put themselves on the map with their ever-expanding repertoire of killer beers.

Built on a core team of dedicated beer enthusiasts who contribute recipes of their own through their Genius Lab pilot program, Green Flash is out to challenge the expected with truly imaginative beers. They're set to open a second location in Virginia Beach this year, the progress of which you can literally watch live on their website. Green Flash will be adding another 100,000 barrels to their current 82k output. We're super stoked see what the future holds for them, but in the mean time, we were able to try two of their brews in our latest tasting:

1. Le Freak

   9.2% ABV

   It’s pretty intimidating when you read “101 IBUs” on a bottle (for the uninitiated, IBUs are a measure of a beer's bitterness, usually from hops). Don’t get us wrong, we love some bitter beers, but balance is also key. Anyway, on to the beer! We often find ourselves comparing the color of the brews we taste to some sort of lozenge or hard candy - in this case, Werther’s Original fit the bill, topped with a bit of a fluffy head. For being a (le) freak, the smell on this brew was incredibly satisfying. A Belgian-y aroma and hints of clove, coriander, and of course, vibrant hop notes fizzed up from the surface. We took our first sip and…le woah. This brew is brash, up-front and complex. It took us a couple more sips to really pick it apart, but we ended up tasting slight peppery greens, a floral pop, and a bit of a banana-candy flavor hiding underneath the bitterness, evening out the flavors. This beer stays true to its name, because we have certainly never had anything like it!

2. Dia De Los Serranos

   8.8% ABV

   When you find a beer described as “reminiscent of your abuela’s mole recipe”, you should probably try it. Dia De Los Serranos is a delicately-spiced double stout. The addition of Serrano chili peppers had us intrigued and ready for the heat. It poured a very dark, black bean color (to stay within the parlance of Mexican cuisine), with a light, chocolaty head. At first whiff, this brew emanated the phenomenal smell of cold brew coffee and bakers chocolate. After a couple of sniffs, though, the Serrano peppers began to tickle the inside of our noses, which was oddly pleasing. Based on the aroma, we knew we were in for a killer taste, and we were not disappointed. The Serrano spice was a centerpiece flavor for the beer, not overpowering in the least, and the touch of mocha tied it all together. The pepper pleasantly lingered after each creamy sip. Overall, this was a huge crowd pleaser for our team, and we couldn’t get enough.

---

Shop Beer Making Kits

We make all-grain beer brewing kits that make it easy to make beer at home. Whether it's your first batch or your hundredth.

Afternoon Wheat
Beer Making Kit

Oatmeal Stout
Beer Making Kit

Everyday IPA®
Beer Making Kit

Bruxelles Blonde®
Beer Making Kit