Le Freak. C’est Chic. OK, now that we’ve gotten that obligatory homage to the old 70s disco song by the band Chic out of the way, we can talk beer. Specifically, Le Freak Ale by Green Flash Brewing of San Diego, California. This is a hybrid beer from Green Flash, and one that I decided was a prime candidate for aging. Hey. It’s part double IPA and part Belgian tripel after all. If that won’t age I don’t know what will.

Le Freak Ale is a year round beer for Green Flash, both in bottles and on tap. I’ve never seen it at Taco Mac, though I would love to. It would be interesting to compare it fresh with my aged bottle, though I will likely pick up a fresh bottle soon to make that comparison anyway.

From my bottle label, which is not the same as the current bottle label:

An “out of the box” modern ale crafted by converging two beer styles, Belgian Trippel and American Imperial IPA. Dry-Hopped and bottle-conditioned-it’s a zesty brew with enticing American hop and fruity Belgian yeast aromatics.  

On their website, Green Flash tells you that this beer is dry hopped with Amarillos, and that it has a whopping 101 IBUs and 9.2% alcohol by volume. I paid $7.99 for my bottle but it currently sells for $8.99. About average for a bomber these days.

Green Flash Le Freak Ale pours to a bright golden color with a thick unruly head of foam and a complicated nose of citrus hops and yeasty tripel pineapple. Taking a sip, the beer has a good dose of caramel up front followed by funky Belgian yeasty notes, rock candy and pineapple and a very dry, very bitter hop finish. After almost 3 years any hop aroma has faded but the hop bitterness is very aggressive and in your face, long and dry and lingering on the tongue.

This beer was truly excellent with age, warming with rich alcohol in the finish and complex in flavors. I’d give it 4 stars with age, and will get back to you when I try it fresh.  

Update 2/2/2017: I'm back! I promised, didn't I? Well, I did want to try Green Flash Le Freak fresh, and so I went to Taco Mac and got a draft glass for $7, about as fresh as you can get without going to the brewery. I have to say that I'm still not getting the Belgian notes here, it's not all that tripel like, but it's malty and hoppy and I get caramel and  maybe a hint of pineapple fruit. I'm not sure what to make of this beer, it has a certain Je ne sais quoi. I guess I'll have to try it again, but hey, no harm in that. Whatever it is its darned tasty.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 

 

Home