flashback

So, there's another Bad Flash bar, not in an inconvenient location.  I thought I should visit them too, since I'm here and all.  The selection was similar, as was the decoration, although not quite the same.  Not as many mirrors, for one thing.

The stout from last time was there, but a black IPA can be about as good for me.  Bad Flash Black List could fool you into thinking it's a stout if all you go on is sight.  It has a real IPA aroma, though, tingly, hoppy, bright and citrusy.  There's kind of a burnt orange flavor, mostly smoky with a hint of sweet orange underneath.  A little heavy for an IPA, probably because of the toastiness, but generally smooth.  Well, the beginning of the sip is smooth anyway, the biting IPA presence comes roaring out pretty quickly.  Still, it's a good balance of sharp-sour IPA and smoky black beer, a bit more weight on the ale.  By the end of the glass it has distilled into a rather mild IPA, relinquishing a lot of the smoke from the beginning.  The flavor stays dark, quite pleasant even for a warm evening.

Next I had something on the lighter side, BF/Thornbridge Hoppy Lager.  It's a good beery color, like honey, with a light and somewhat thin foam on top.  Not terribly aromatic, a little bit of a hoppy funk and an underlying graininess.  Smells like a lager, really.  There's a surprisingly dark and even spicy bitterness in the flavor, not the bland grassy sweet the scent had led me to expect.  I find it peppery, with a fairly dry hoppy background.  It doesn't take long to settle down into a more typical lagery presentation, with a bitter front end blending into a sweeter, grainier tail.  Even as the taste falls into a general beeriness the smell remains a little prickly, even devilish, with a hint of sulfur.

While I was there they tapped a stout, so that couldn't go untasted.  Bad Flash Torpid Mind Die-Hard Imperial Stout is beautiful in the glass, with a fine dark color and a light beige head of good consistency.  The aroma is a little sour and wild, slightly fruity.  Like a chocolate raisin bar, maybe.  There is a definite bit of chocolate in the taste, but fruitiness follows right along, kind of a dried fruit I'd say.  It's not soft and subtle enough to be plummy, there's certainly a higher note to it.  Maybe grapey?  It keeps the sour chocolate flavor with a little bit of typical stout earthy bitter resting on top.  It's a snappy and attention grabbing stout, on the arrogant side even, but within reason.

There are some waiters who do their jobs very well, maybe even too well.  I was ready to leave, but got talked into one for the road, Zichovec Jane's Paradise APA.  I feel like it's nice to leave on a lighter note anyway.  The aroma is very aley, hoppy, a little pick-me-up.  The taste is citrusy, of course, but quite light.  It's fairly typical for a pale ale, although I get a bit of clove in there too.  Very nice to finish a night on.  Or begin, I guess.  It looks like I forgot to get a picture of it; enjoy the decoration of the bar instead!

Of course, when you're done drinking you have to walk home.  Or to the bus stop.