Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale

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

Orange hue, Citrus,hop aroma, Citrus/grapefruit flavor, not sticky at all, smooth palate, easy to drink.

This is a fantastic Beer. Pours a nice creamy off white head that last. Amazing Citrus and Hoptastic Aroma on the nose. A nice smooth mouthfeel that most pale ales can’t pull off. Flavor is citrus and Hops. Delicious Delicious Delicious

Pours a medium copper - impressive, soapy head - potent hops (pine, grass, earth) hit the nose first, but don’t wash out a lovely malt base of caramel and bready character - moderate carbonation, medium body - the flavor is bookended by spicy, peppery hops - sandwiched in between is some moderate biscuity malts, citrus, caramel - fairly well-balanced - a lot like Sierra Nevada Harvest, but not quite as good.

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazed, caramel-hued body with a smallish, frothed, white head. Slight speckling of lace on the way down. Smell: Pleasing, vibrant aroma of fresh-cut grasses, sliced pink grapefruits, and processed pine wood planks, all interspersed with rich, toasty caramel notes. Taste: Pale and caramel maltiness with a meager handful of toasted bread crusts and sweet tastes of brown sugar and caramelized sugars, though, it’s brief and sets up a nice launch pad to catapult the hops. Grassy, earthy, pine blossoms, citrusy (even citric) with a moderate amount of hop bitterness -- it’s bold and assertive without becoming overbearing, instead maintaining a constant balance with the malts. A touch of acidity. As is the norm for me, the back half is predominately bitter, though the malts really do their best to counter-assault the hops. Finishes dry and bittersweet with the malts and hops still duking it out in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: A nice treat! Paired well the Pinback tune "Offline P.K." and "Soaked". The beer presented a more than sturdy malt base and plenty of hop flavor and bitterness without the ponderous, heavy DIPA body and subsequent, downright bothersome alcohol content, which keeps this brew surprisingly drinkable. Of note, however, is the fact that though the Great Divide’s Espresso Yeti and Saison I recently purchased had "bottled on" dates, the Fresh Hop Pale Ale is curiously missing it, though it is of the new label styling. Still though, it’s one I cheerfully recommend.

22oz bottle (new label).....pours a dark apricot brown with a thin soapy white head.... aroma of biscuity malt mostly and barely any hop character if any at all .....caramel and biscuity malt upfront. sweeter towards the middle and a hop bitterness finally comes through in the finish. medium carbonation. not too much going on in this fresh hop beer. can’t say that i’m a fan. perhaps not the freshest bottle?

This is a very nice pale ale. It has a hearty body and goes down smooth. The taste is that of a sweet grapefruit. The predominate hop flavoring is well-balanced by a subtle maltiness.

Very good for a pale ale. Nice pine, citrus aroma. Cloudy amber with a nice head. Flavor is piny, citrusy with a nice malt sweetness. Very crisp and clean.

22 oz. brown, bomber bottle. No freshness date anywhere. Poured out a hazy orange color, with a sticky tan colored head. Aromas are of hops, naturally, with some malty aromas in the background. Flavors are of hops, but not over the top hops. Medium mouthfeel, needs some more alcohol to balance it out better.