green flash brewing co. in my opinion was very disappointing. there beer selection was good but i was not a fan of there beer. the nut brown was delicious and so was the fizzy yellow but once we hit there imperial IPA it was hard to keep it down and the rest of the beers didnt do to well either. on to there "tasting room". the tasting room was basically there loading dock with a couple of fold up picnic tables and taps running through the wall. Overall my group and i were not very impressed with green flash

reviewed on: 2011-03-20 14:32:59

I was on a tight schedule that didn’t mesh well with their staffing and tap room hours, but I dropped by anyway and took a quick look around. Located in an office/light industry area, I was surprised by the relatively small size of their facility given their broad distribution. The tap room had a good selection of taps and of course the cooler contained many of their well known styles. Since it wasn't staffed during my visit, I didn't taste. There is a small lot right out front but I imagine it gets pretty full during tasting hours.

reviewed on: 2009-01-12 14:21:53

After visiting, I finally see where the name comes from: this is some of the hoppiest beer you will find anywhere in the world.
Open most days, the location would be virtually impossible to find were it not for a few small A-frame signs as you approach. There is no bar, no food, just tastings. $6 for 9 beers or, if you don't want that many, you can negotiate with them. Despite their best efforts, the place is popular. There were a consistent stream of people tasting and filling growlers while we were there.
The only beer under 7% ABV they had on tap that day was a Saison. It ran about 4.5% and was actually a little weak, but had a really nice flavor. They had run out of the trippel, which was disappointing, but they replaced it with the "Palette Breaker," a supposedly super-hoppy beer, and included a version of it on cask.
There was the West Coast IPA, the only of theirs I'd had before. Good IPA with a really good flavor.
Then there was the Hop Head, their amber, which is also very good.
But then there was the Imperial IPA. I don't think I had ever had a beer that was too hoppy until I had that one. It was hoppy to the point that it was actually a little nauseating.
Le Freak is a hybrid Belgian and American IPA that I found very tasty. The IBU is the same as the Imperial IPA, but it doesn't have that same overwhelming hopness.
The stout was thick and hefty, maybe a bit much. A little too carbonated, I think.
They also had the barleywine on tap. I don't particularly like these because, to me, they taste like if you made a boilermaker out of a good beer. You could taste that the beer was good under all of that strength, but it was a little much.
Then there was the Palette Buster. The regular version was nice and actually did not taste nearly as hoppy as the Imperial IPA. However, the cask version was the real treat because that's where all of the flavors and aromas really came out.
In spite of the brewery being relatively hard to find, this was a really good stop and I'm glad that we came here.
The one knock I have to give it is that, although I like strong beer, my companion did not and had nothing to drink save for the saison. But, I guess, if you come all the way out to this brewery then you're there to really taste beer and not just sip swill.

reviewed on: 2008-10-28 17:49:00

This was one of several stops of San Diego breweries/pubs I hadn't been to before. I have been enjoying their IPA for a couple of years and am very happy it's now available at home. Atmosphere is industrial (it is a brewery afterall) and friendly. There were quite a few beers on tap to sample. All I tried were very good. A brewery/pub tour bus came through partway through the visit so things got a little crazy busy. The highlight was the arrival of the Green Flash "mobile" (for lack of a better term).

reviewed on: 2010-01-05 22:07:36

I've visited Green Flash's brewery too many times to count over the last 2 years. Tastings, growler fills and keg purchases all included. Truth be told, they are about 4 miles from my office, so the close proximity adds a lot to my overall affinity for Green Flash.

Beer Selection... they usually have 8+ options in their tasting room. Sometimes I wish they had more specialty brews on draft, but lately they haven't disappointed. Their styles range from Belgian, IPA, Stout, Belgian/IPA, Barleywine, Red and Saison.

Atmosphere... I've always loved the Green Flash atmosphere. It's not super snazzy like Stone or even Lost Abbey/Port Brewing... but I love the "in the brewery" local brewery feeling. The tasting staff is always fun and great to talk to. (Hi Kelly!)

Service... I guess I mentioned this above. They love to talk beer and usually serve you quickly. There are usually 2 on staff which is good when large groups show up.

Over the past 2 years, I've noticed the beer tasting traffic has increased 4-fold. If you're in North County San Diego... Make Green Flash one of your stops. I also advise you to try Lost Abbey/Port Brewing and have lunch at Churchill's Pub in San Marcos (great bottle and draft selection).

reviewed on: 2009-06-17 15:49:28