I have grown a bit hop-tired in recent months. I find myself gravitating more and more to maltier beer or to beer that offer a nice balance between hops and other qualities. Don’t get me wrong – I am not turning my back on the little green flower. I just think my palate could use a hop-break of sorts.

That said, I still want to make sure that any new and interesting beer that hits the market finds a way down my throat once or twice. Which is why I picked up some Green Flash when it hit shelves a few months ago. My Vue Weekly column this week (on newstands today) reviews that classic West Coast hop-bomb. You can read it here.

It is one of those reviews where I try more to summarize what I taste and leave the final opinion to the reader. I think I did this because it is one of those beer that will invariably divide beer drinkers. Some will love its unabashed, hop-forward character. Others will be hoping for more balance and be a bit disappointed. Neither will be wrong, quite frankly. That is the kind of beer it is and whether you like it or not depends on what you hope to get from it.

I think I can fairly state that it lives up to what it promises to be – a classic West Coast IPA. Which means I wasn’t sad to have tried it, and I may very well pick up another pack sometime in the future – when my tastebuds tell me they are hankering for some hops again. For now, that will just leave more bottles for you active hop-heads.