Press Release: Green Flash Brewing Co. is pleased to announce its craft beer lineup for the coming year, the first under Brewmaster Erik Jensen’s leadership, including the inaugural debut of Passion Fruit Kicker, an American Wheat Ale with Passion Fruit, and Tangerine Soul Style, a Tangerine India Pale Ale, this month. Craft beer lovers in all 50 states will be able to enjoy an array of uniquely Green Flash craft brews— long-time favorites and Jensen’s new, experimental offerings.
“We are looking forward to sharing with Green Flash fans across the nation what our talented team has been brewing,” says Green Flash CEO and Co-Founder, Mike Hinkley. “Each of these beers is a labor of love and reflects our passion for the craft.”
Kicking-off the year is Tangerine Soul Style, an IPA that delivers a punch of tangerine citrus flavor and will be available nationwide for the first time this month. Brewed with American malts and a blend of Citra and Cascade hops— plus the addition of real tangerine puree added post-fermentation, it’s a variation on Green Flash’s Soul Style released in 2014. Also available this month is Passion Fruit Kicker, Green Flash’s take on the American Wheat Beer style. This drinkable wheat ale has a sweet, tart, fruity flavor via cold steeped passion fruit tea from local San Diego Tea Gallerie and real passion fruit concentrate.
In keeping with Green Flash’s reputation for craft beer innovation Cosmic Ristretto Baltic Porter with Espresso, the first graduate of the Genius Lab pilot brewing program, will be released this February. The bold, complex, java-centric (a ‘ristretto’ is a concentrated shot of espresso) brew was originally brewed by Brewers Kevin Barnes and Ron Angelo Jr., and has previously only been available in Green Flash’s San Diego tasting room. Cosmic Ristretto has an intense coffee flavor via the addition of espresso extract, plus caramel characteristics derived from Candico, a caramelized Belgian candy sugar that is added directly to the kettle and fermented out.
The Genius Lab program, launched in 2013, offers everyone at Green Flash an opportunity to brew original, small-batch brews under the guidance of Brewmaster Erik Jensen. The five-barrel pilot system was designed to be one-tenth the size of the Green Flash’s production brewery (50 barrels). The scaled down system allows team members to explore different styles and techniques with relatively good confidence that it can be repeated on the full-size system. The first Genius Lab brew to be scaled up was Jensen’s inaugural recipe for Green Flash, Golden Naked Promise, bottled for the 2015 National Homebrewers Conference in San Diego.
“We’re really proud of our experimental beer program. It allows our team members to innovate and collaborate to develop new beers,” explains Green Flash Brewmaster, Erik Jensen. “It complements our longstanding philosophy of not brewing necessarily to style, to develop something unique and delicious.”
Also previously only available in Green Flash’s San Diego tasting room is Dia de los Serranos, a Double Stout with Serrano Chiles that has been likened to Mexican hot chocolate. Due to its popularity, it will debut in 22 oz. bottles in February. The rich brew features a ‘caliente’ kick of fresh Serrano Chiles which are processed by hand to remove the stems and then steeped at a high temperature for one hour, the solution is later added to the fermented beer. Dia de los Serranos was first poured as a cask creation by Brewer Joe Lisica.
Sea to Sea Session Lager, a tribute to Green Flash’s Virginia Beach, Virginia brewery slated to open later this year, will arrive in May— just in time for summer. A take on the traditional all-American lager, Sea to Sea is a hybrid European-American Pilsner crafted with German and domestic malts. Lightly dry hopped and naturally carbonated, the drinkable lager has a fresh hop aroma and is full of flavor (unlike the ubiquitous fizzy, yellow beer).
This year, Green Flash’s craft offerings will include:
January 2016
Pacific Gem Single Hop Pale Ale, 5.5% ABV & 40 IBU
Hop Odyssey Series, limited release available January to April 2016
West Coast IPA Double India Pale Ale, 8.1% & 95 IBU
Soul Style IPA India Pale Ale, 6.5% & 75 IBU
Tangerine Soul Style IPA India Pale Ale, 6.5% ABV & 75 IBU
Passion Fruit Kicker American Wheat Ale with Passion Fruit, 5.5% ABV & 5 IBU
Le Freak Belgian-Style Imperial India Pale Ale, 9.2% ABV & 101 IBU (Gold medal winner, Great American Beer Festival 2015)
Imperial IPA India Pale Ale, 9.0% ABV & 101 IBU
30th Street Pale Ale, 6.0% and 45 IBU (First released to celebrate Green Flash’s 6th anniversary)
Jibe Session IPA India Pale Ale, 4% ABV & 65 IBU
February 2016
Cosmic Ristretto Baltic Porter with Espresso, 8.2% & 45 IBU
Dia de los Serranos Double Stout with Serrano Chiles, 8.8% ABV & 45 IBU
May 2016
Sea to Sea Session Lager, 4.0% ABV & 23 IBU
Styrian Golding Single Hop Pale Ale, 5.5% ABV & 40 IBU
Hop Odyssey Series, limited release available May to August 2016
August 2016
Treasure Chest 2016 India Pale Ale Limited edition, 6th annual release in support of breast cancer charities
September 2016
Nugget Single Hop Pale Ale, 5.5% ABV & 40 IBU
Hop Odyssey Series, limited release available September to December 2016
This year, Green Flash has retired its Double Stout Black Ale and Hop Head Red Double Red India Pale Ale and hop head favorite Palate Wrecker Double IPA is on an indefinite hiatus.
The 2016 craft beer offerings will be available year-round in all 50 states, wherever Green Flash beers are sold.
About Green Flash Brewing Co.
Green Flash Brewing Co. is located in San Diego, California, and was founded in 2002 by Mike and Lisa Hinkley. Brewmaster Erik Jensen leads brewing operations. Green Flash is an award-winning brewer of fine, hand-crafted ales and specializes in brewing assertive and distinctive beers, such as the nationally acclaimed West Coast I.P.A.: an award-winning beer whose wide acceptance has helped define a category. Green Flash is available in bottles and on draft nationally – offerings include a growing lineup of seasonal and limited release ales, including several barrel-aged beers. Please visit the Green Flash website www.greenflashbrew.com for more information.