Great Divide Hades

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

Pale gold pour with a loose, 2-finger, white head that fades to a thin ring. Spicy and peppery phenol aroma with notes of lemon bread, clove, yeast, candi sugar, and bubblegum. Citrus and biscuit hit your tongue first followed by some banana and clove esters and finishing with some peppery phenols. Dry, slightly sticky body with a crisp finish but a bit on the thin side. Pretty middle of the road Belgian golden but makes for a pretty nice summer beer to go with lighter grilled chicken. I had it with some Hawaiian chicken kabobs and it paired pretty nicely.

12oz bottle. Pours a hazy light golden with a small fine white froth. Strong aroma of distinctive Belgian yeast, fruity, lightly metallic, banana, bready, doughy. Flavor is upfront candied banana, quick tangy sweetness that quickly dries out, doughy, crackers, yeast, lightly fruity, some noticeable alcohol in the finish that is also fairly hoppy, spicy, peppery. Medium bodied, heavy water feel, larger sparse carbonation.

Bottle from Bierkoning. Nice golden body. Sweet, fruity and hoppy nose. Strong taste of honey. Some spicyness too. Taste of malts and toffee, with more honey in the end. Pretty good.

Bomber. Pale yellow, semi-hazy with a soapy white head. Nose of bananas, spice, and lemons. Slightly spicy, citrus flavors with a little Wonder Bread thrown in. A touch of alcoholic burn, but really a very clean drinking beer. Not much flavor, not much scent, but easy to drink and very refreshing. This would be a good summer beer, though maybe not worth the price.

(bottle) Pours gold with a thin white head that leaves moderate lacing and eventually dissipates to nothing. Floral aroma of rose hips, pepper, orange, but there is an underlying scent here that’s a bit off. When cold, the scent is similar to Imp Jester, and I now believe that off scent is some ketchup. Further warming improves the smell, yielding a scent of banana and clove, but the alcohol moves in and clashes with these otherwise pleasant scents. Taste has some sweet banana, spicy pepper, a hint of coriander, and some dry, bready yeast in the finish that’s coupled with a subtle bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium.

I always want to give them one more try, but I’ve never been a big fan of Belgian Golden ales. THe belgian yeast is front and center, sweet background, some coriander. For me, an above average golden, but that aint sayin much.

12oz bottle. Pale yellow-gold color, some sligt haze. Soapy, foamy head. Yeasty sweet aroma, a touch of hoppy seawater. The taste is rather straightforward, but whereas the true Belgians generally display a creamy rich depth, this one falls a little short. It displays solid Belgian yeasty characteristics and has some candi sugar aftertaste, but overall I still find this one to be sub-par. A touch too assertive in bitterness and the beginning, and then lacks real body in the finish. Not worth seeking out, but not bad per se either.

12 oz bottle from Siciliano’s (Grand Rapids, MI). Pours a bit of a hazy straw yellow, light and well carbonated with decent bright white bubbly head that quickly dies down to a thicker film, laces a bit. Aromas are apparent pretty quickly with pear, banana, and Belgian yeasty spice. Faint vanilla and soap on top, a bit sweet. Initial is light bodied, fruity and sweeter than expected with pear, apple, banana, a touch of bubblegum candy appeal, less spice than anticipated but it does appear further in and towards the back. The flavors are sufficient, fairly fruity and almost a little forced. Smooth creamy finish with light yeasty spice, largely a rounded out sweeter and lighter bodied Belgian Ale. Different, not really my thing though. I appreciate a Belgian going lighter on the spice, but this beer is a bit confused, fairly fruity but lacking a good back up flavor, lacking a bitterness to balance, and lacking complexity. Ok, overall.