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.

no acid

 My saga of good beer bars continues with an afternoon in Bad Flash.  There are actually two bars by the name (same place, different locations) and this one was a little more convenient to get to after class.  The other might be better for the weekend.  There's a respectable selection of beers on tap, mostly varieties of ale, but but there was also a stout!  Yippee!

No cool punny name for it, just BF/Kamenice stout.  It's a rich dark brown, with a vanilla-looking head.  The aroma is mildly sour, somewhat milky, but not spoiled.  The most noticeable part of the taste is the bitter, but it isn't terribly strong.  It's just little hints of coffee and a small poof of dark chocolate in the aftertaste.  It feels powdery somehow, although it still goes down smoothly enough.  The bitter starts to flatten out after about half the glass, leaving more of a milk chocolate sensation, nothing too sweet, fortunately.  It's also not a sticky or syrupy stout, just a basic black beer.  The feel is constant to the end, slightly dusty but otherwise clean and not clingy on the way down.  A real fine specimen.

Since I was there, it seemed like a waste to have just one.  Maybe something lighter to end on.  But not too much lighter...amber ale?  There's BF Zley Blesk American Amber Ale, so yeah.  This beer is a lovely rusty toast color, head about the same as on the stout.  The scent is sharper, sweeter, more citrusy.  It's not spicy like an IPA, but snappy and summery.  The taste has a good balance of bitter and sweet, making a refreshing drink.  Smooth oranginess washes over first with a seasonal flare, but a firm base of bitter is there to keep things under control.  It's also a clean flavored beer, not much lingering or stickiness.  The citrusy sweet stays at the heart of the taste, surrounded by a thin skin of pithy bitterness.  There's also a tad of sour, also leaning toward a citrus source.

Outdoor seating

Comfortable chairs

Lots of mirrors

Dog friendly, if that's a thing you need