| Green Flash Tasting Room 6550 Mira Mesa Blvd. | San Diego, California, 92121 (858) 622-0085 www.greenflashbrew.com |
Mike and Lisa Hinkley opened Green Flash Brewing Company in 2002 in Carlsbad, California. The brewery moved to the Mira Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, California in May 2011. Green Flash has a capacity of 45,000 barrels per year.
In 2014, they were the fourth largest brewery in San Diego County and the 48th largest craft brewery in the United States, based on sales volume.
The brewery features a 4,000 square foot tasting room and beer garden with up to 30 beers on tap for visitors to enjoy. The beers on tap during our visit included…
- West Coast IPA – 8.1% ABV IPA
- Hop Head Red – 8.1% ABV Double India Red Ale
- Le Freak – 9.2% ABV Belgian-Style Imperial IPA
- Double Stout – 8.8% ABV Black Ale
- Imperial IPA – 9.0% ABV IPA
- Soul Style IPA – 6.5% ABV IPA
- East Village – 5.3% ABV Pilsner
- Jibe Session IPA – 4.0% ABV IPA
- 30th Street – 6.0% ABV Pale Ale
- Citra Session – 4.5% ABV IPA
- Four P – 3.9% ABV American Pilsner
- Road Warrior – 9.0% ABV Imperial Rye IPA
- ESG Extra Special Guayaki – 5.4% ABV ESB brewed with Cold Brewed Yerba Mate
- Beach House Ale – 5.0% ABV Witbier
- Serrano Chili Double Stout – 8.8% ABV Stout
- Trippel – 9.7% ABV Abbey-style Ale
- Other World Irish Red – 5.4% ABV Irish Red
- Barleywine – 10.9% ABV Barleywine-style Ale
- Special Cuvee Trippel – 9.2% ABV Trippel
In addition, the following beers from Alpine Beer Company were also on tap…
- Captain Stout – 6.0% ABV Stout
- Nelson – 7.0% ABV IPA
- Alpine Ale – 5.5% ABV Pale Ale
- Mcilhenny’s Irish Red – 6.0% ABV Red Ale
- Hoppy Birthday – 5.3% ABV IPA
- Duet – 7.0% ABV IPA
I’ve done many… many… many brewery tours, but this one is not to be missed. The hour-long tour is $5 per person and includes 4 tasters. The tour is interesting, educational, and entertaining. Our tour guide, Steve Kincaid, was not only extremely knowledgeable about the brewery and the brewing process, but quite witty and fun to hang out with for an hour.
The tasting room at Green Flash is open Tuesday and Wednesday 3 to 9 PM, Thursday 3 to 10 PM, Friday noon to 10 PM, Saturday noon to 9 PM, and Sunday noon to 8 PM. Public brewery tours occur Tuesday to Sunday. You can register for brewery tours a few weeks in advance by clicking here.
| Cellar 3 Tasting Room 12260 Crosthwaite Circle | Poway, California, 92064 (858) 263-3883 www.greenflashbrew.com/cellar3 |
In May 2015, Green Flash opened Cellar 3 in Poway, California. Cellar 3 is their barrel house where brewers experiment with barrel aging, funk strains, and spirit barrels. The Cellar 3 tasting room is open Wednesday to Sunday noon to 8 PM. Get a look into Cellar 3 in this video:
The first offerings from Cellar 3 include Silva Stout, a 10.1% ABV Black Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels; Flanders Drive, a 6.9% ABV Sour Ale aged in American Oak Bourbon Barrels; Natura Morta with Plum, a 5.5% ABV Belgian-style Saison aged in French Oak Red Wine Barrels with Plum Puree; and Oculus Sauvage, a 10.1% ABV Belgian-style India Pale Ale aged in Red Wine Barrels.
Green Flash is also in the midst of building a second brewing in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The 58.000 square foot facility will be located on a 9-acre industrial plot on the corner of Corporate Landing and General Booth Blvd, about 15 minutes from the beach by car.
The building will feature a 100,000 barrel brewing facility, as well as a large tasting room and beer garden. An extensive brewery tour will be available, as well as a retail store and private event space.
