Flashback India-Style Brown Ale, Boulder Beer Company, Boulder 

Style: A mash-up of an IPA and a Brown Ale

ABV: 6.8 percent

Serving Type: 12-ounce bottle

Malty? Hoppy? Aggressive hops—and malts.

Reviewed: September 2012

We've all been to those dinner parties where the group doesn't quite mesh, but everyone is so busy talking loudly that it doesn't really matter. That's what this beer is like: too hoppy and too malty and, at times, too confusing. Sometimes, we're in the mood for it (see our 2010 and 2011 lists of Colorado craft beers). Last September, though, we weren't. What had seemed like a groovy mashup before, now seemed overpowering. One reviewer commented that it made their mouth hurt. Another suggested that it was time for this two-in-one brew to get a divorce. Me? I was reminded of an old sports adage: That's why they play the game. While I didn't savor Flashback this time, I'll keep trying it to see how the brewery is handling what still is an intriguing concept.

Would we buy it again? Yes. To see if we change our minds—again.

Follow senior editor Natasha Gardner on Twitter at @natashajgardner or on Pinterest.