Green Flash Passion Fruit Kicker Review

Name: Green Flash Passion Fruit Kicker
Style: Wheat Ale/Fruit Beer
ABV: 5.5%
IBUs: 5

There are times where I think my memory is excellent and other times where my memory is like that of a goldfish. Case in point, Green Flash Brewing. I've had quite a few beers from them since they first became available in our area but I've only done 2 reviews by them on this blog to date.

Why am I bringing this up you ask? Because looking back at my Untappd checkins, the vast majority of Green Flash beers that I've had have been mostly IPAs and, to a lesser extent, pale ales. I've been saying for a while now (not on this blog) that San Diego-based breweries should focus their efforts on making beers that aren't an IPA or Pale Ale, specifically Green Flash.

Well my prayers have been answered in the form of Passion Fruit Kicker, a wheat ale brewed with Passion Fruit. At the risk of sounding like a smart ass, a wheat beer is probably the last style I'd expect to see from San Diego, the de facto IPA capital of the world.

Appearance - Hazy dark yellow with a fairly thin head with nothing in terms of visible carbonation or lacing.

Aroma - Malted wheat and floral hops upfront along with some sea salt, cactus & tart watermelon fruit notes. I'm also getting some pale maltiness in here too. Honestly, this smells more like a Berliner Weisse than it does a Wheat Ale

Taste - Strong & fairly tart passion fruit & watermelon notes upfront followed by malted wheat notes towards the middle along with some pale malts. Towards the back, I'm getting some floral hops and malted wheat notes with some more tart watermelon notes, the latter of which lingers in the aftertaste for a couple of moments.

Despite my earlier remarks about how San Diego should focus on other styles than the IPA, this isn't exactly what I had in mind and frankly, I expected much more. Some of my readers who've had 21st Amendment's Hell or High Watermelon will find this eerily similar in terms of overall flavor. If you see this at the store, I would resist temptation and keep on looking.

Green Flash Passion Fruit Kicker - 5/10