Great Divide Hades

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

Bottle 650ml
Appearance: Clear golden ale with medium , bright white top 3+
Nose : Aromatic hop with sweet grainy malts. Softer yeasty bottom with wheat like ending accents 7+.
Flavor/Palate : Medium bodied, some wheat , high on carbonation. Semi strong on malting , mineral hop with yeasty connection. Ending of raw hops with basic pale malts. Reminds me of Belgia Fraters.

Bottle. Translucent gold with a short white head. Aroma is strong Belgian yeast, fruit notes, candy, and spicy/peppery notes. Taste is sweet malts, bread dough, peppery spice, Belgian yeast, dried fruit and candy fruit. Bit of grassy hops and honey as well. Body is light-medium and very bubbly, though more dense than spritzy. Ends with stronger spicy notes, flowers, grass, dried fruit, yeast notes, toasted malt and candy. Nice!

Pours a three finger white head that goes slowly to a thin layer leaving a good lace. Light carbonation and medium bodied. Nearly clear pale amber color. Nose is very slight spice. Flavor is like a unsweet honey, smooth with a clean finish. $7.70 for a 22oz bottle from Colonial Spirits, Acton, MA.

Draught at Falling Rock. Pours clear, sparkling gold with an average rocky white head, mostly lasting, good lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (bread, cereal), light hops (herbs, grass), heavy yeast (dough, earth, sweat) with notes of butter and dust. Medium bodied, creamy texture, average carbonation and a chalky finish. Average duration, moderate sweetness, light acidity and bitterness; banana estery yeast with grain malt flavor.

This beer poured out a very pale shade of yellow and developed a steady head that was smallish when compared to the standard bearer Duvel which supplied the Tulip glass. The smell was clean, sweet, and floral. The hop notes typical in the other Great Divide beers were completely absent. The was too cloyingly sweet for a beer of this style. I prefer my Belgian Pale Ales bone dry, and the yeast strain they chose seemed not up to par to do the job needed. Pepper, vanilla, and pear notes were present, but candi sugar dominated them all. Mouthfeel was medium, but lacked that necessary crisp snap. Not a good choice if one needs to start on Journey towards Belgian style beers.

Bottle. Weak light caramel, bonbon aroma. Clear, shiny, very pale yellow colour. Small white head. The flavour is a lot like a tripel, slightly sweet with a little spices. Semi-rough bitterness. Well-balanced. Nothing out of the ordinary, but well-crafted.

Light hazy yellow colour with a white head. Floral, perfume aroma with yeasty and spicy notes. Malty, light peppery flavor with a floral note. Light dry and yeasty finish.

Draft at the tasting room. Pours a thinnish head of poor duration over a clear light yellow (SRM 10) body, no lacing .....nose is of light Belgian yeast type phenols with light clove, allspice, coriander tones.....taste is rather milder than anticipated, but again the usual clove, allspice came through, although somewhat light,this is nicely dry throughout, and alcohol flavors were always there...mouth feel is quite appropriate for the style.