Great Divide Belgica

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Ale
Denver, Colorado USA

Tap @ Bailey’s Taproom... Poured golden with a thick, frothy, white head. Esters and floral hops on the nose. Mellow palate, with flavors of strong earthy characters and noticeable yeasty esters. Clove-like spices and a hoppy bitterness balanced by a shortbread-like malt flavor. A leafy, herb quality in the finish.

Pours a nice golden color white head floral and citrus malt aroma and taste very drinkable kind of flat but that wasn’t a bad thing, it actually increased its drinkability to me it had a spicy slight bitter hop at the end enjoyable

Pours out a light golden color with a moderate lacing white head. Aroma is of some yeast, spice, and some citrus, floral and grassy hop notes. Flavor is spice, clove, yeast, slight fruit, grassy hops and a dry finish. I like this style of hybrid beers, solid.

12 oz bottle. Pours a clear light yellow gold with a medium sized frothy head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is a little sweet vegetal bready malts and some earthy funky yeast.

The flavor is mostly a strange tarry yeasty bitterness - not very complex or balanced at all. Some sweet vegetal malts come out as it warms. The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with low carbonation.

Overall, I didn’t care for this at all. I haven’t really liked the Belgian IPAs, but this is my least favorite so far. It just tastes kind of off.

On-Tap @ Bailey’s Taproom poured into Shaker glass. Pours a brilliant crystal clear gold with a small straight white head that quickly dissolves into a thin ring around the glass. The aroma is very yeasty with some earthy bitter hops. The flavor has forward pilsner malts, sweet caramel and some grassy hops. Its a light bodied beer that feels a bit slick. Not very impressed with this at all. It almost seems like its a stale beer but I know that this was just recently put on tap.

12 oz bottle from alagnak. Bottled on May 05 2009 stamped on the label. Pour is clear bright golden, settling builds up a thick 1 1/2 inch off white head. A few carbonation bubbles streak to the surface. Thick sticky lacing lines the glass as the head falls somewhat slowly. Aroma of herbal, catty fresh resiney hops. Behind that is coriander spice Belgian yeastiness. The two aromas meld decently well, but its mostly hops - then Belgian yeast. Taste is big bitter resin, floral, clovey sweetness - followed by a bunch of grassy coriander and brief lemon citrus. The finish is long with mineral earthiness and a peanut husk element. Also a hint of pepper spice somewhere in the back. This is a really interesting mix of hops, yeast and malt - though it is just that, a rough mix, not really a gentle combination. Palate is medium, mouth coating, clean dry bitter mouth feel and a hint of residual alcohol in the finish that continues to be more apparent as it warms. Thanks for giving me this one Chris.

Pours a lighter amber color with a white head. Nose is spicy, hoppy but not overly so, and a bit musty medium to full but syrupy, twangy and coarse in the finish definitely a good beer and improves as it warmed.

Tasted 6/15/09. 12oz bottle. Filtered with a golden hue. Finger width of bone white head. Heady aromas of Belgian yeast, spices and woody. Candy sugar and citrus. Medium bodied with a nice duality between sweet and perfumy verses bitter and citrusy. Very drinkable with a overall smooth character. I am such a huge fan of their Titan, that even a resemblance kicks this beer up a notch on the rating. Great hoppy back end that leaves a grapefruit bitterness on the tongue. Married with the unique yeast strain, this makes for a good Summertime drink. The ABV slows you down a touch, but it’s still really nice. Touch peppery and a slight astringency, but both add to the overall feel. The grassy hops add a nice aspect as well. Totally tasty!