Great Divide HotShot ESB

Formerly brewed at Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Denver, Colorado USA

Bottle. Creamy white good mostly lasting head. Powerfull hoppy fruity aroma. Harsh bitter flavor, long bitter finish. Oily palate. Not an ESB but more like an American pale ale. Messy beer.

Bottle. Small off-white head that mostly diminished with minimal lacing, transparent, visible carbonation, and an orange hue. Nose was malty, caramel and hoppy. Flavor was semi-sweet, lightly bitter, hoppy, malty, and caramel. Tingly mouthfeel. Medium body. Not a bad brew, just nothing really stands out with this one.

Copper Color with White Ring. Musty Malt Aroma. Overall a Drying Brew...Musty Caramel Malt Notes..Dry Hop Overtones...Medium Mouthfeel...Musty Malt Backbone with Dry Hop Overtones Make This a Brew That Sticks to the Teeth.

Poured clear amber, no floaties as some have noted. One finger white head(maybe 1.5) with fairly aggressive pour. Some lacing. Aroma slightly fruity, floral, hops present. Bitterness is immediately present along with some fruitiness. Malts and some hops also present. Light oily texture hung around for a little longer than I like. Overall slightly above average.

Light orange, lots of floaties, some disturbingly dark in color, like coffee grounds. Crazy big head, we have some carbonation issues here. Aroma lightly citric and pine, and perhaps the faintest hint of infection. Flavor is light caramel malt, and then a good bit of citric and faintly piney hops. More of an APA. Also, I think it might have been just a touch infected, as something just a bit off was lurking in the background the whole time. Would explain the carbonation issue as well. Will need a re-rate at some point, but this was my experience this time out.

Brown bottle, 355 ml, bottle in February 2003, savoured on February 27 2007; head: voluminous white head that eventually collapses (probably because there is only one finger of beer in the glass!), golden, light effervescence, clear, lacing; nose: floral hops, and other times the hops appears slightly acrid, grapefruit, lime, light caramelized malt; mouth: bitterness attack right of the start and that slightly acrid and dry bitterness stays until the end, caramelized malt eventually appears , grapefruit, a light fruity taste as well, finale in dry bitterness with a hint of caramel, lightly astringent, somewhat harsh, slightly oily and rather thin texture, good carbonation, slightly sweet, quite bitter, medium body; overall: enjoyable FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 355 ml, embouteillé en février 2003, savouré le 27 février 2007; oeil : mousse blanche abondante qui éventuellement s’affaise (probablement parce qu’il n’y a qu’un doigt de bière dans le verre!), dorée, légère effervescence, claire, dentelle; nez : houblon floral, et d’autres fois légèrement âcre, pamplemousse, lime; bouche : attaque en amertume et cette amertume légèrement âcre et sèche demeurera jusqu’à la toute fin, apparition de malt caramélisé, pamplemousse, léger goût fruité, finale en amertume sèche avec une pointe de caramel, légère astringence, légèrement rugueuse, texture légèrement huileuse et plutôt mince, bonne carbonatation, très légèrement sucrée, assez amère, corps moyen; en résumé : bien aimée

Pours hazey amber with monstrous white head. Nose is that of berries and fruit. Smooth palate, almost creamy. Easy drinking with a dryness at the finish. A good drinking beer overall.

Pours out sorta murky orange, with a slight amber hue. Aroma of flora hops, with a bit of malt and citrus. Forms a small white foam head which dissipates quickly. Flavor of malts, hops and spices. An odd tasting bitter I must say. OK I suppose , but not like Rogues Brutal Bitter or even Fullers ESB. Pretty good beer overall I guess, but not a knock out like I was expecting from Great Divide.