Great Divide Hades

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

Bottle sampled. I expected more since i love the Belgian styles, more so than anything else. Pours golden with a small white sparse head. Aroma of citrus, yeast, light fruit, and sweetness. The flavor is citrus, spicey hops, yeast, and some sweetness. Very few breweries in the USA have mastered the art of Belgian style brewing, this is not one of the few who have.

22oz bottled the first week of June, 2007, per the notches. Clear pale golden--not quite to the point of straw though--and a minimal white head. A small fizzy head does rouse, though not for long. Belgian yeast, light pepper, hints of orange and fainter orange rinds, and light bready malts. There is also a light soapy smell. Where the aroma only hinted at some bitterness, it shows up front in the flavor somewhat strong, if only for a moment, and then turns to some herbal notes and spicy pepper and alcohol. Some Belgian yeast and citrus is still evident. Dry finish. Low carbonation with a thin medium body. Of their two new beers (I’m not sure if they’ve released any more), I’m unimpressed so far. It is nice to see them taking a stab at a different style, though.

500 mL, bottled 1st week of June 07. Clear and golden with a small, sticky head that lasts well. Spicy aroma of a wit without the bubblegum: bitter citrus peel, coriander, and some added zesty-herb hoppiness. Tastes more of hops and bitter citrus than most Belgians I have sampled. There’s some malty bubblegum flavors underneath but the spices, hops, and noticeable alcohol are all a bit too dominating for me to taste much malt. LIght-medium bodied, astringent, and dryish mouthfeel.

Pours a clear gold color, with a small white head. Smells of crisp grain, light hops, and mild citrus fruit. Plain and simple. The flavor was slightly musty, some decent sweet malts, mild hops, and grainy bitterness. Kind of had a weird flavor to it. The mouthfeel seemed al ittle off to me. Wasnt too big on this brew. This and the samurai have been disappointments to me, especially coming from these guys.

On tap at Bocktown. This was a different beer. The bartender told me it was an "Imperial Golden". I chuckled and said, "Ok let me try one". Aroma was very weak. Spices and lemon were there, but couldn’t make much more out. Pour was a light gold with a nice bubbly 3 finger head with lots of bubbles rising to the top. Taste was so so. Spices and lemon were prevelant. Some yeastiness floating in and out, but not to the extent that other Belgians have. So so.

Pour is a bright gold with a small white head. Aroma is some citrus fruit with Belgian yeastness. Flavor is malty at first then comes some bitter fruit and finishes with some yeast and a touch of alcohol. I guess Hades is supposed to be a Duvel clone. It doesn’t quite match up but its good enough to try.

Pours bright gold into a Trappist glass. Bright white micro head quickly subsides to skim surface and cling to rim. Sweet candi and malt aromas. Creamy, smooth and full with caramel and pez flavors. Lasting spice finish. Tastes like they got ahold of some Unibroue yeast.

Bottle. Body-very light yellow lager/pilsner looking with a foamy pearly white thick head. Nose-Belgian, light clove, medium phenols, light white spice. Taste-sawdust, unsweet berry, sharp, very light soap, white pepper, white grapes, medium to high CO2, alcohol bun, light orange pith, very distinctive Belgian yeast flavors, straw, clay/earth, medicinal on the backend, soft. Not bad. A good example of a “light” Belgian beer. A good choice of Belgian ingredients.