Gone in a Flash-Green Flash Brewing Co. Imperial IPA

This is an outstanding IPA by a company I have never heard of before, but will be looking for again. This is just exactly what I adore about there being so many micro-brewing set ups around now. Before I moved to England I had really no idea about this revolution. My first, and only tipples in the land of the potato were your standard big name beers. I liked these, don't get me wrong, but I'm so much more enamoured by these quirky, fun brews.  I get immense satisfaction from finding something new, that I've never tried before, or may never again. I get most of my gear from a little shop called 'The Bottle Shop' in a farmer's market type set-up in Canterbury, called The Good's Shed. Not only do they supply me with fantastic and fabulous beverages, but they are astoundingly knowledgeable about it all, and I get a great kick out of knowing what I'm buying, why I'm buying it, and where it comes from.

Appearance-

This fellow comes in a tall bottle, which contains a pint of this particular ale. It has just a front facing label, without much fancy stuff on it just a little blurb about the drink inside.
The liquid itself is a pale, clear, amber, and has a nice white head, which lasts longer than I expected.

Nose-
It has a seriously fruity aroma, and you can tell from here that it is loaded with hops. It reminded me of Erdinger wheat beer, a little, just a touch sharper. This may just be to my under experienced nose though.

Taste-
The first sip gives a mouth puckering bitterness that would shame any grapefruit. It really tingles at the sides of the tongue, and is bordering on being too much. This is the confirmation of the hop-ey nature of this exciting brew. The second gave a lovely actual grapefruit hit, I thought, along with a little sweetness. Following this fresh, lip smacking kick the rest of my experience was of a mellow citrus, far too drinkable IPA. This can be a little dangerous with an ABV of 9.4%, but I cleverly counteracted that by only buying one bottle!

Conclusion-
A sumptuous introduction to this American brewer. I would like to end on a comment Betty made after having a sip. I noticed this too, albeit after she told me I did. It is as if your tongue is paralysed by the bitterness, and that really mellows the whole experience out. Oh one other thing. I don't pretend to know about theses things, but I am learning-the bottle says they use a blend of Summit and Nugget hops to get the distinctive flavour. That's something else I must look out for.

ps. I've another beer to drink this week, a sneaky second one. A Pumpkin beer!!!! Watch this space for a review.