Imperial March

Beer #439 Imperial IPA / Green Flash Brewing Company, San Diego, CA
Previously from this brewery:  Just wrote about Palate Wrecker on Tuesday, Marci vs. the sampler, my look at Linchpin IPA

For the second review in a row, I call your attention to Green Flash Brewing - this time for their Imperial IPA.  Over the past 439 days, I've had some truly world class beers.  However, there are a few that I always gravitate towards and tend to keep in the fridge (or the basement).  If you come over to BlogNamedBrew Manor, you're basically guaranteed to find Dale's Pale Ale from Oskar Blues, Milk Stout from Left Hand, Saison DuPont from Brasserie DuPont, something from New Holland, something from Jolly Pumpkin, something from Stillwater, Rayon Vert from Green Flash (which oddly I've never reviewed... hmmm), and a few select others.  In fact, the only thing you're guaranteed to find in our fridge is beer, cheese, and condiments.  Food... not always, unless you count olives as food.

To add to my Green Flash collection, tonight's beer is the Imperial IPA.  In the glass, this beer has a hazy, orange amber color with a fluffy white head.  Your nose finds a ton of grapefruit, orange, and pine, and when you take a drink you get classic IPA flavors of grapefruit and pine, with just enough hint of malt to keep things honest.  There's solid bitterness throughout, and you notice the potent 9.4% ABV as well.  This beer is outstanding; another great example of a West Coast IPA, and going forward you can expect to find it in my fridge.  Stop by some time to share one, but please call before you get here.  And bring pizza.

This picture sucks, but the beer is good!

In case you were wondering, Green Flash takes it's name from the optical phenomena where green flashes can be seen around the sun at sunrise or sunset.  I don't think you need to be on a beach in San Diego to experience Mother Nature showing off... but it is a nice place to watch.

Thing to Think About Today:
This Imperial IPA is so good, it needs some theme music (every good hero should have some).  Couldn't you just picture the Imperial March playing as this beer gets poured?  To help you visualize, I present Lego Darth Vader and the Lego Stormtrooper orchestra (wait, what?).  Now where are Lego Luke and Leia when you need them?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_WERPN8KO8