Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale

A beer I heard about a lot, and it managed to live up to the expectations. Worried it might loose much of its character while travelling all the way to Europe, I carfeully opened a cooled (not chilled) bottle. Immediately the smell of freshly cut grass and hops ’hits’ you. It poured deliciously and the head was as firm as whipped egg white. The aroma is overwhelming and lasts surprisingly long - the tickle in the nose doesn’t subside easily. Copper blond, golden, and an extremely white head it looks like a sculpture. The foam nicely laces the glass and biting it is a treat in itself. The palate is not as overwhelming as I anticipated and actually that’s good. It drinks as easily as water (sorry) but reached parts of the sensory organs I previously never noticed. The aftertaste is incredibly smooth and fresh and lasts the perfect length. All in all the kind of beer that, given its reputation, may easily disappoint but it didn’t do that at all. It was a beer to open up new views on how beer can taste and I now fully understand the concept of brewing with wet (freshly harvested) hops. It made me buy a carton of 12 bombers - one of only 60 (!) available in Europe in 2009, as far as I know!

Light, golden amber color. Good one-finger white head. Good retention. Quite good lacing. Very citrus dominated hops profile. Big grapefruit and orange zest, here. Great grassy presence. Smells fresh and new. Pine and citrus bite dominate this one. Fresh, grassy flavor. Malt is hidden way down inside this one. Minimal sweetness on this one. Crisp and clean mouthfeel. More waterey than I prefer, though. Too hoppy for me to enjoy on a regular basis, but that’s just personal taste preference. It’s still an overall good hoppy brew.

This fresh hop pale ale is quite nice. The hue is yellow and almost green, like an imperial pilsener. Its not incredibly complex but the fresh hoppy profile is quite nice. Its almost like the hop resin that they collected and concentrated into a hop dew for our pleasures. Yes its quite that good if you enjoy a wet hoppy beer.

On tap at Coles: Appearance: Golden orange, small bubbly white head, light visible carbonation. Aroma: Nice and hoppy, pine, lemon and mangoes. Flavour: Sharp hops, banana, mango, floral, nice spices, interesting malt finish. Very nice.

Abundant citrus hop aromas with a good pine quality, the bread and caramel malts can be picked up as well. Dark copper color with a big fluffy head and thick lacing. Fresh and nicely bitter, it was a quenching hoppy ale. Good flavor the hops provide a nice soapy taste to compliment the citrus and evergreen. Biscuits, caramel and a touch of nutty malts make their way through the aggressive hop flavors.

"Fresh hop" aroma. Golden color. Hoppy flavor with almost a chili spice finish...am I tasting things?

Bomber served in a tulip. Copper in color with a large frothy off-white head. Aroma of fresh hops. Shocking. Wet hop, grassy, green. Fresh fo sho. Creamy mouthfeel, medium body. Bitter finish. Hoppy all-around. Great for a pale ale.

Color is a bright but hazy yellow-orange. Lots of carbonation. Finger of ice cream float head. A few layers of frosty, thick lace. Looks bright and awful inviting. The aroma is equally giving off a smell of bitter alpha hops, as well as some dry pale malt. The aroma hangs above the glass. Slight citrus aroma, but more of a bitter pine. Sweet malt is the initial taste, but it also has a lasting hop bitterness. As it warms, it mellows out. The hops are still bitter, but sting less. All the trappings of a nice -- strong but not extreme -- Imperial IPA. Much more than just a pale. The feel is thick and creamy. It leaps off the tongue with mild carbonation. Overall it’s a nice, well-balanced Imperial IPA. Quite good.