Great Divide Hercules Double IPA

Really tasty - very sweet, but it works well, cuz the melony citric hoppiness is so strong - It comes out as a balance. Wonderful look and intense mouthfeel. Covers up the 10% alcohol perfectly, which is quite a trick. Only issue is slight over-sweetness.

Bottle. Pours deep copper with good slightly off white head. Disappears slowly leaving some lacing. Aroma of malt, caramel, citrus and resiny pine. Perhaps a hint of banana as it warms. Amazing aroma. Flavours are even better. Initially plenty of sweet malt and caramel. Then quite resiny hops finished off with a little warming alcohol. Mouth feel is spot on. Exceptionally well balanced with nothing dominating. Great beer

Copper amber, some particles with a medium tan frothy head that leaves spotty lacing as it reacquaints itself with beer at a moderate pace. Aroma of strong pine, citrus, resinous hops, caramel, malt and light alcohol. Smells pretty damn good! And taste pretty damn good too with a thick, smooth and creamy mouth feel full of hops – of the pine, citrus and resinous varieties. Balanced out by caramel and nutty malts and accentuated by alcohol. Some burn on the back end to go with a moderate bitter finish. To me, hercules was always a crappy roller coaster at Dorney Park in Allentown, PA, now it’s an excellent brew from Denver, CO.

Served cold from tap at a Mexican joint in Birmingham, Alabama. Excellent IIPA. One of the best I have tasted. Light caramel malt sweetness, citrus notes. Bitterness present from start to finish. Slight alcohol warmth. Like I said, an awesome beer.

Pours a murky, copper color with a very dense, creamy, off-white head that really sticks around. Aroma has a strong bitterness that is composed of some heavy pine resin, earthly, light floral and some modest citrus notes with a light caramel, toffee malt sweetness to finish off the nose. Flavor starts off with an in your face bitterness, the fades a piny, orange citrus hop note, a mild caramel sweetness in the middle and then the beer finishes off with a very earthy hops ending. Moderate body, oily texture with fantastic lacing on the glass and an a low carbonation overall. Overall a great brew and one well worth the extra buck to get over the other competitors.

Sample, Mondial de la bière, savoured on June 4 2009; eye: copper with an orangey hue, clear, no effervescence, tiny ring of beige head, light lacing; nose: caramel malt, resinous hops, grapefruit, alcohol; mouth: caramel malt, resinous hops, grapefruit, alcohol, pepper, alcohol warmth, finale in alcohol with presence of resinous hops, full body, not much carbonation, quite bitter, lightly sweet, alcoholic texture; overall: fine FRANÇAIS Échantillon, Mondial de la bière, 4 juin 2009; oeil : cuivrée avec une teinte orangée, claire, pas d’effervescence, petit anneau de mousse beige, légère dentelle; nez : malt caramel, houblon résineux, pamplemousse, alcool; bouche : malt caramel, houblon résineux, pamplemousse, alcool, poivre, chaleur d’alcool, finale en alcool avec présence de houblon résineux, corsée, peu carbonatée, très amère, légèrement sucrée, texture alcoolique; en résumé : bien

The aroma carries coffee and hops. It is a golden orange color. Sweet with a medium hop finish.

Bottle. Lightly burnished bronze with a fine cream collar. Neat lychee, toffee, Turkish Delight and cheesecake base aroma with some woodsy high alcohol heat behind it. Alcohol warm from the off; orange liqueur silkiness, soap, caramel, digestive biscuits and pistachio chipping in. Like DFH 90min this has got a luxurious malt slickness that carries the hops and alcohol with finesse. Mellow, rounded, glowy IPA . Even the missus liked it.