Every day spent on a lake is a good day, no matter how sunburned you get or how much of a drag it is to clean your friend's boat at the end. But despite my affection for such excursions, I'm lacking in specific memories. Slow-cooking in the sun while hydrating with beer has clouded my adult lake experiences, and minor trauma from tubing behind a maniacal boat-driving uncle and a few mishandled fish hooks killed my childhood reel. One of the few images that hasn't escaped me, though, is gas streaks in the water.
Those metallic rainbows in the lake by the launch were always around as adults backed up the boat; every time I see one in a parking lot after it rains, I'm taken back to a shoreline. In a landlocked city with no legitimate lakes nearby (don't even get me started on reservoirs), that's not a bad flashback to keep around. Suffice it to say that I couldn't resist when I came across a strain named Petrol Rainbow.
It wasn't just the name that sold me. I'm a huge fan of gassy strains, and Petrol Rainbow's parents, Sour Gelato and Jet Fuel Gelato, presented an interesting opportunity to try a more complex take on the flavor than a traditional Diesel strain. Backcrossing two members of the Gelato family didn't sound like a bad party invitation, either.
Further inspection of Petrol Rainbow showed it to be more than a one-trick pony, with a very strong floral influence in the strain's aroma, and colorful nugs bearing a trio of colors that reminded me of streaks of pollution in shallow water. The high was mostly gas with some brakes, robbing my peripheral vision while stuffing me full of physical energy. Stuck inside on a cold, windy day in January, that's not the buzz I was looking for, but the lack of anxiety was well received. Like a lake day, though, Petrol Rainbow is probably best kept for the summer.
We've caught glimpses of Petrol Rainbow at Colorado Harvest Company, Cookies, Den-Rec, Green Man Cannabis, La Conte's and Rocky Mountain High, with most (if not all) of the flower coming from wholesale grower Malek's Premium Cannabis. Malek's did a fine job, birthing a strain that's high on the gas fumes but stays low on the takeoff, with an even-keeled high that can cause tunnel vision. If you want even more gas, keep an eye out for extracted forms of Petrol Rainbow from 710 Labs.
Looks: Petrol Rainbow's aroma isn't gassy enough to warrant such a name, but that's not accounting for the range of blue, purple and orange hues that appear on the buds, which can take on a metallic sheen when the trichomes appear under direct light.
Smell: Don't get me wrong: Petrol Rainbow is a gassy strain, with Diesel smells playing the most active role every time I get a whiff. But an underlying creamy sweetness never goes away, with a distinctive hint of roses lingering after those gas characteristics fade.
Flavor: Despite showing off more balance and floral aspects in my nostrils, Petrol Rainbow's flavor was dominated by skunky, rubbery tastes of fuel and a yeasty, piney aftertaste, with little sweetness.
Effects: Although not heavy in the sense of melting my body, Petrol Rainbow's high hits like a sack of bricks almost immediately. A form of zoned-out energy took over for a few hours, making me productive in short bursts but not clear-headed enough to take on anything more substantial than continued closet rearrangement. Without outdoor activities planned or a workout in your future, I won't recommend riding the Petrol Rainbow — especially right before bed — but the potent effects and light anxiety make it worth keeping for activity time.
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