Great Divide Hercules Double IPA

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Denver, Colorado USA

Cloudy amber with a rocky, lasting head and intricate lace patterns. Hoppy, inviting nose. Weighty, but very drinkable texture. Thick, cookie dough malts provided a nice malt backbone, which really seemed to tame the 85 IBUs. Juicy hops with stellar hop flavors and aromas (big notes of PNW pine and woodsy tree bark; earthy and wholesome) ... rich and satiating. Bitterness is surprisingly mild, relatively speaking, but complements the malts nicely. A rather complex Double IPA. Awesome! Really happy to see the explosion of big beers in Colorado, this being one of them. I predict that this beer will win a medal at the next GABF (as long as they enter it).

Draft at Brouwer’s Cafe Hopfest ’06. Dark amber, garnet color. Huge piney nose. Small head, light lace. Big dry biscuit malts in the mid-palate, though they’re overwhelmed by harsh resins starting there and carrying through the finish. Crisp finish that keeps the door open for just a second, letting that cool hop breeze blow just a bit longer. The GF says it tastes like burnt berries. Not sure if that’s good or bad, but it seemed accurate enough that I include it here for your consideration.

Poured into a pure copper color and slightly off white head. There is a sharp citrus aroma with a bit of malt. The first taste is all hops. Starts off with a strong hop flavor followed up by a hoppy bite. Initially there seems to be a little spice flavor that leads to a almost tin sensation. As the beer warmed this faded. Now I sense the a little malt behind the large hop flavor and bite. A good mix.

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.

This is truly like drinking a nectar. Juicy mouthfeel with lots of apricots and grapefruit. This is simply luscious in the mouthfeel, with a lighter malt backbone than I like in this style, but other than that this is perfect.

Sweet caramel malt aroma with some hop funk aroma as well. Red/Orange in color with a small bubbly white head and nice lacing as I drink. Its got some pine, but it isnt that long lasting. I do get alot of that nutty toffee malt flavor that hangs around for a while. The pine hops come back finally for the finish along with quite a bit of alcohol punch. This actually reminds me of some barley wines I have had before. Good, but personally, I do not feel that this is 99th percentile IIPA.

Cloudy reddish orange, decent tan head. Really appealing piney, peppery aroma. Great woodsy, resiny hops up front, with notes of grapefruit. Slightly viscous, slippery finish. Very subtle hint of caramel in there , as well. Very tasty.

This is a very well done beer and excellent in the style. Pleasing amber/red/rose colors, with some head clinging. Big, beautiful, fresh citrus aroma, grapefruit, pine, vinyl plus some alcohol. Lots of depth to the flavor, with something woody beneath the blend of hop flavors. Good malts, coming through in a palate that is sticky yet retaining a bit of carbonated zing, even after a long warm-up (I can’t drink this bottle that fast!) Obviously lots of bitterness, which at times seems perfectly normal and at times intrusive. Though not metallic there are some dry qualities to it and a sense that I’m chewing on some kind of plant root. I had my fill with about 1/3rd of the bottle remaining. Seems only appropriate that I drink this while the Athens 2004 Olympics are on.