Released by San Diego-based Green Flash Brewing Company in January, Palate Wrecker Double IPA
is advertised by the brewer to “challenge the tongues of even the most serious hop head.”  We decided to take that challenge with their 100+ IBU brew that they call the “the most complicated West Coast inspired IPA we have ever brewed—mashing and sparging with hopped wort, in addition to our hop laying regimen for IPA.”

On a quiet Friday afternoon in the Marketing Dept. we grabbed our in-office Beer Consultant, Topher (it’s about time we got one of those) and cracked open a bottle of Palate Wrecker to embark on this “palate challenge.”

Topher’s initial thought upon tasting this brew is that the Palate Wrecker is in is top ten beers of all time. That’s a bold comment to make! He said it has “tons of hops… but there’s enough malt in the background that gives it that sweet taste.” The Palate Wrecker has “very earthy hops… not as much citrus. It has a little citrus on the nose. I enjoy earthy hops…I’ve definitely always liked the earthy.”

“I don’t think you could sit down and enjoy one of these quickly…” adds Meghan—saying so because of Palate Wrecker’s 9.5% ABV.

Topher’s expression implied he thought differently. “It’s high, but you don’t notice it in the taste. If you can taste it, there’s something wrong. This is easy to drink—you don’t get that boozy taste which I really like.”

Follow Topher on Twitter at @ABCBeerTopher

Cheers,

Hannah and Meghan