Great Divide Hercules Double IPA

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

November 2005. Beautiful hazy and amber red beer with a huge and creamy head. The aroma is outstanding with lots of hops. The mouthfeel is oily. The flavour - wooow - the notes of generous measures of hops are on hold on my tongue waiting to be processed. The aroma hops takes the lead in this nice and bitter flavour, that never becomes harsh or too citrussy. On the contrary it also has smooth, lightly sweet notes of caramel and nuts, well guarded by the bitterness, of course. It’s simply the very best IPA I tasted at this point. It’s incredibly full-bodied and well balanced - very nice indeed!!

Bottle. Clear orange colour. The aroma is very fruity and hoppy. Creamish mouthfeel.The flavour is dry and bitter with a good hoppiness, fruitiness and alcohol.

Bottle. Dark amber color. Strong aroma of malt, hops, grapefruit and red berries. Full bodied, thick mouthfeel. Strong hopflavor with grapefruti and red berries. Oily and alcoholic. A taste bomb with character.

Bottle. Amber colour with a off-white head. Hoppy nutty aroma and a light sweet hoppy taste. Medium to full body and a light sweet dry hoppy finish. Great!

A Mes rate: 355ml bottle from Utobeer.
Deep dark amber with a good off white head. Fantastic condition. Now that’s an AROMA! Incredible piney hops with a ton of tropical fruits and lychee and peach. Lick of creamy alcohol but surprisingly dry too. Bitter as hell with a bag full of citrus that is sharp as a knife and almost stings but stops just short thanks to some nice chewy malt underneath. Lovely sweetness inititally is bowled out of the park by all 85 of those IBUs. The finish is just a little too sharp for me and tips the scales a little into unbalanced territory but still an excellent beer.

Bottle, bought at Kolding Vinhandel. Pours a very muddy pale orange. Small bubbles rise to the surface on the edges of my snifter glass. On top of the liquid, a soft yellowish creamy head rests and leaves good laces on the glass. Heavy hoppy aroma, pine, grapefruit and a little toffee. Creamy yet lively mouthfeel. Flavour starts rough, heavy hoppy and vinious. As it settles in my mouth, it gains a little caramel sweetness. The aftertaste is surprisingly sweet with a good fruity bitterness. Long, lingering hops aftertaste.

(Bottle) Pours a copper with a small, oeff-white head. Beautiful aroma of grapefruit and florals. Flavor of heavy hops and alcohol. Flavor lasts for a long time.

Shared bottle provided by Eyedrinkale (thanks!). Poured a dark amber color with an off white head. Aromas and tastes of citrus and malts. Figs and lightly spiced. Malty sweet with lighter bitter balance.