Business as usual—it’s more than the ubiquitous and fundamentally false battle cry of former craft breweries that have been acquired by Big Beer giants. In the case of current craft breweries like Green Flash Brewing Company (6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, Mira Mesa), it’s actually true. This, despite having recently and gracefully accepted the resignation of its long-time brewmaster and subsequently promoting former lead brewer Erik Jensen to head of fermentation. The show will go on, and that includes the company’s alpha acid-driven Hop Odyssey series of beers.
Established in 2013 as a manner of exploring the flavors and aromas of cutting edge hop varietals, the 2015 series will come to the close with the impending release of Green Flash’s Segal Ranch Session IPA, featuring a blend of Cascade, Centennial and Tomahawk hops plucked from the Yakima, Washington hop farm of the same name. That beer will be available in six-packs, 22-ounce bottles and on draft nationwide.
The focus of the 2015 Hop Odyssey lineup was on session IPAs; India pale ales coming in at a lower alcohol-by-volume percentages for prolonged enjoyment. In a similar trend-conscious manner, the 2016 series will be all about single-hop beers, starting with the release of Pacific Gem Pale Ale in January. Styrian Golding Pale Ale will follow in May and Nugget Pale Ale in September. Each beer is named after the hops they will exclusively depend on for their unique sensory qualities, and incorporate classic UK pale malt Simpsons Golden Promise in the grain bill. The latter component advances on the successful use of that Golden Promise in Jensen’s recipe for a beer called Golden Naked Promise, which was brewed for the National Homebrewers Conference, which was held in San Diego this May.