Sunday, December 22, 2013

Green Flash Le Freak Review


Name: Green Flash Le Freak
Style: Tripel
ABV: 9.2%

San Diego seems to have a thing for Minnesota this year. First we are given Ballast Point and now Green Flash Brewing which is another high profile brewery to come out of San Diego that recently has graced it's presence on our shelves.

What I have here is an interesting creation from them, their Le Freak Ale. According to the brewery, Le Freak is a combination of an Abbey Tripel & an Imperial IPA, hence the name.The only "mixture" I've had of two beers is Mississippi Mud Black & Tan, which is a Porter & Pilsner combination.

Le Freak pours a mildly hazy orange color with some visible moderate carbonation. The head is quite foamy in appearance and the lacing left behind is quite good.

A strong aroma of lemon zest and citrus hops starts things off in the nose. I'm also getting some fairly strong clove, banana, toffee and pale malt notes as well.

The taste is a pretty wide assortment of flavors. Right off the bat are cloves, spices, lemony zest, piney hops, grapefruits, caramel, pale malts, and yeasts. A bittersweet resiny flavor makes up the aftertaste.

The body is pretty heavy and the carbonation is surprisingly strong for what it is. Given the complexity of the beer, it's pretty easy to overlook and it adds some dimension to the flavor.

True to it's description, it really is like someone mixed together an Abbey Tripel and Imperial IPA. Thankfully it pulls it off quite well thanks to it's complex and robust flavor. It's a different take on the Tripel style and an excellent one at that!

Green Flash Le Freak - 9.25/10

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