ABV: 9.2%
Origin: Vista, California, USA
Website: www.greenflashbrew.com
Founded in 2002 by former pub owners Mike and Lisa Hinkley near San Diego, joined shortly afterwards by head brewer Chuck Silva, Green Flash has established itself as a favoured source of innovative and sometimes extreme beers with the West Coast’s characteristically liberal use of hops. A self-confessed cross between a San Diego-style imperial pale ale and a Belgian tripel, Le Freak is one of the flagship products. I enjoyed a bomber of the stuff courtesy of Argonaut in Denver.
Le Freak is a peachy light amber with an orange-tinged light beige head. The aroma is flowery and herbal with fruity pale malt and a very Belgian coriander whiff. Strawberry and peach fruit offsets big resinous herbal hops on palate, with a definite perfumed tripel note. The finish is complex with grapefruit, pepper, more peach and flowery perfume and some herbal hints, very long, quite warming and finally very dry. A huge beer that achieves just what it set out to do by fusing the two styles successfully.
The brewery’s name, incidentally, refers to a meteorological phenomenon where part of the sun appears to flash a different colour, usually green, at sunrise and sunset in certain coastal areas.
Read more about this beer at ratebeer.com: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/green-flash-le-freak/70945/
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