750 mL, corked and “banded”.
An interesting collaboration, and on top of that an unlikely one. Green Flash are not exactly a subtle brewer (their existence in San Diego is unlikely to produce much of that), so I was concerned about their influence on a beer that would NOT benefit from a typical West Coast battering.
The beer is very highly carbonated to the point of being a little annoying. The corked pops with alarming ferocity and the beer pours all the way to the bottom of the bottle with a HUGE, semi-dense head. The one advantage is that it produces some of the greatest head retention and lace I have ever seen in a beer. The body is a perfect, light orange, honey hazed color which looks tremendous.
A big phenol nose is present, but to be honest it is well within parameters and sits well with me. It is tempered by fruit notes and some alcohol. Good.
This is a CLEAN beer, with very well defined edges and a fantastically hidden ABV. Some pineapple, lots of white pepper and very subtle, light spice. The finish is dry, bitter and warming with some alcohol, but before that point it remains restrained. A touch metallic, but nice.
Great beer. It is SO gentle it’s scary. Beautiful.