Great Divide Hercules Double IPA

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

Fruity, juicy hop aroma, perhaps a bit faint compared to other beers of this style, but appealing, resembling pineapple upside-down cake, flowers and with a gentle background earthiness. Medium-dark orange-amber color, lightly hazy with a very fine, creamy head and highly intricate lacing. Flavor is truly impressive; while powerful and massive, manages to exude incredible balance, the gigantic hop bitterness and flavor intertwined inextricably with the clean, sugary malt sweetness, and this is especially evident in the finish, with the expected rush of hop resins meeting a profound and luscious malt foundation. Richly full body, palate is smooth, creamy, warming, expansive...basically faultless. A little swirl of yeast would’ve persuaded me to give this a 5 in appearance, and a little more of this aroma probably would have garnered an 8-9. Those are about the only (minor) complaints I can generate. Either way, I feel this IIPA can go head-to-head with any other out there. Mightily flavorful, huge and yet *very* dangerously drinkable. Oh, yeah. Thanks, Jeff!!

Slightly hazy rustic amber with a thick, fluffy white head that leaves awesome lacing and comes from really cool tight bubbles. Sweet, hoppy aroma with grapefruit, lemon zest, pine resin, sticky toffee and whole grains. A lovely, soft body with elegant carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel. The flavor is tremendous. An initial crazy bitterness that shocks the tongue. Eventually, when the taste buds adjust, some chewy caramel, coarse grains, doughy bread and sweet citrus and pine come in to couterbalance the bitterness. The finish shows more hop glory and leaves the tongue yearning for more. Extremely hoppy and absolutely luscious. I don’t consider myself a hophead and normally this would be too much, but this was just spectacularly tasty and full. I’d love to get a beer engine and a firkin of this. I think that would make this heavenly.

Bottled
Pours clear amber with a large head. Aroma is packed with citrus, oranges, soap, pine, toffee and biscuits. Rich, oily mouth feel. Flavour is loaded with piney, resiny, dusty hops. I can also sense some liquorice. The bitterness stays in the mouth "forever".

Hazy orange out of the bottle with a quick beige head. Wonderful fresh hop aroma that reminded me of pineapple upside down cake. Big flavor with apple, pineapple and candied grapefruit rind. Lots of candi sugar sweetness with tons of very lively fresh hops. I love beers like this.

A reddish tinge to a medium bodied amber color. Mellow crisp orange citrus with a pine undertone aroma. Pleasantly bitter taste, smooth mouthfeel and a desirable peach like taste and mouthfeel ( like Bell’s 2-heart). The more I try the more I like.

Poured coppery amber color with a beautiful white as snow head...aroma is very floral with a touch of alcohol...definately a hoppy aroma...tastes a little sweet at first then you get the hops...first it is a warm wooly feeling, the it just gets bitter...bitter, and bitter...finish has a touch of alcohol, and that is way mild for 9.1%...then bitter...this is a fantastic IIPA...

Incredible and strong nose full of citrus, alcohol, and something strong. This beer kicks the crap out of the ruination -- maybe not necessarily a good thing, but damn, this is kicking.

Very nice aroma of fresh Hops(mangos,melons,pineapple ect)with a slightly nutty malt character(think DFH)and much sweetness and some octane.Nice hazy orange color.Nice bitterness to offset the sweetness.This does deserve a spot above the 90 min(it is all around a cleaner more enjoyable IIPA but sometimes the 90 min is better(if you want a fuller IIPA)