Green Flash Brewing Company, founded by Michael and Lisa Hinkley, opened 2001 in an industrial park on Vantage Court in Vista, CA. The product line featured medium-bodied American-style ales as an alternative to what was seen as a strongly-flavored, hop-heavy craft beer market.

Prior to founding Green Flash Brewing, the Hinkleys owned the Boardroom Bar in Encinitas, CA. Michael Hinkley was hired as Chief Financial Officer of Traditional Brewing Services, Inc. by Brett Redmayne-Titley and Patricia Mahaffey. Traditional Brewing Services (1999-2003) was a beer and wine wholesaler affiliated with small beer manufacturer Le Brauerie Hand Crafted Ales, Incorporated, and its Carlsbad Ale Works beer brand. Both Michael and Lisa Hinkley became members of the TBSC Board of Directors in 2001 and later, majority shareholders. Following changes in board membership and investors and some related legal actions, Traditional Brewing severed ties with Le Brauerie, Redmayne-Titley, and Mahaffey. During this time Lisa Hinkley incorporated North County Brewing Company, Inc. (2001-2003). North County Brewing and Traditional Brewing Services merged into Green Flash Brewing Company, Incorporated and later became GFBC, Inc. (2011-2018.)

Green Flash was notable as only the second brewery in San Diego County to brew and bottle on site starting at the Vista location. The popularity of Green Flash beers with planned national distribution and new product development created a need for additional production space. This resulted in a 2011 move to expanded quarters in the Mira Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, CA. Latitude 33 Brewing Company moved into the vacated Vista location.

The Mira Mesa location was built specifically for not only the needed larger production facility but to include an onsite tasting room and distribution warehouse. The larger brewhouse capacity allowed contract brewing services to be offered. Reaper Ale, Inc. of Lake Elsinore, CA was the first contracted brewery. Reaper depended on various contract brewers for its product over its lifespan (2004-2010.) Green Flash ended Reaper production about 2007 and after moving to a different contract brewer, Reaper ceased altogether in 2010.

The second contracted brewery was Alpine Beer Company, located in Alpine, CA beginning in 2013. What began as a collaborative venture to meet increasing popularity of Alpine beer resulted in Alpine founders Pat and Val Mcillhenney selling to Green Flash one year later. Pat and Val’s son and Alpine head brewer, Shawn Mcillhenney, moved with Alpine’s brewing operations to the Miramesa production site. Pat retained active involvement with oversight of the tasting room and pub locations in Alpine until 2018.

Green Flash participated in collaborations, such as Linch Pin White India Pale Ale with Founders Brewing (Michigan) and food pairings (A & O Kitchen and Bar, CA).

Latitude 33 which had taken the vacated Green Flash location in Vista, entered an alternating proprietorship at the Mira Mesa location. While Latitude 33 used the increased production capacity for their core beers, small batch brewing continued at the tasting room location in Vista.

Internationally, Green Flash brewers leveraged their experience to collaborate with St. Feuillien Brewery (Belgium.) The companies entered a 2014 agreement to produce and sell Green Flash’s signature India Pale Ale (a West Coast IPA) in Europe. At its peak, Green Flash beer was being distributed in Latin American, Asia, and Canada.

Green Flash was ranked as 48th largest craft brewer in 2015 and planned distribution to all 50 states. In the San Diego area, they opened the Cellar 3 barrel-aging space and taproom in Poway, CA in addition to adding new beer styles. An additional production site in was opened in Virginia Beach, VA in 2016. Further expansion plans saw the beginning construction of a brewpub in Lincoln, NE in 2017.

In 2018, faced with costs related to their loan load for the extensive expansions and an overall softening market for craft beer, Green Flash reduced their national distribution. The Cellar 3 taproom closed in 2017 followed by closure of the Virginia Beach, VA brewery in 2018. A few months later, the main lender foreclosed on their loan. With the foreclosure, Pat and Shawn Mcillhenney both left Green Flash/Alpine. All assets were purchased through foreclosure sale by WC IPA, LLC including the Alpine, CA locations. Many of the WC IPA LLC members were from the macrobeer industry. Green Flash co-founder Michael Hinkley remained as a vice-president.

WC IPA, LLC updated the branding for both Green Flash and Alpine beers and completed the construction and opening of the Lincoln, NE location only to close the location in 2019. WC IPA placed all assets including Alpine Beer Company up for sale in 2021. Green Flash and Alpine were sold to Sweetwater Brewing of Atlanta, GA (owned by Canadian cannabis company Tilray Brands, Incorporated.) Sweetwater consolidated all brewing operations to Ft. Collins, CO in 2022 and closed the Mira Mesa and Alpine, CA locations.

The Alpine, CA location, once home of Alpine Beer Company, was re-occupied by the Mcillheney family with a new brewery called Mcillhenney Brewing, when Green Flash moved out.

Green Flash beers won a variety of awards between 2005 and 2015, mostly from the World Beer Cup competition and Great American Beer Festivals. Other awards included sustainable business practices from the Glass Packaging Institute (2013.)

Green Flash supported a variety of charitable causes. Their largest and best-known program was the annual Treasure Chest fundraiser. The beer and events program was established by co-founder Lisa Hinkley in 2011. Proceeds were donated to national and local cancer fighting charities. The Treasure Chest campaigns began in San Diego, expanded to include Virginia Beach, and the yearly special edition beer distributed to various taprooms nationwide. The program held its final program and special edition beer offering after the ownership change in 2018.

Notable brewers for Green Flash and Alpine:

* John Stewart

* Chuck Silva (at time of writing the owner of Silva Brewing in Paso Robles, CA.)

* Erik Jensen

* Shawn Mcillhenney (at time of writing the owner and head brewer of McIllhenney Brewing.)