A NIGHT WITH THE HOPS» Great Divide Brewing Co. Archives – A Night With The Hops

Swamp Head Stump Knocker & Great Divide Hoss

Lucas — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 23:00:13 +0000

If you ever think that you might be at the same event or bar that I am, just look for a guy who is writing notes on a folded sheet of paper (that he pulled from his pocket) in between taking drinks from his glass. Of course if you happen to catch me taking a photo of the glass before taking a drink or holding it up to the light that would also give me away. I take notes far more often than I take pictures, but the combination is becoming very much a habit of mine with every beer that I drink for the first time. I don’t see me letting up on that anytime soon.

Now on to the first of two for today . . .

Brewery: Swamp Head Brewery (Gainesville, FL)

Name: Stump Knocker

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 5.60%

Location: Redlight Redlight – Teege at the bar

Tasting Notes:

Coppery amber in color with solid white head that holds well.
Grapefruity hops in the aroma with a bit of toasty, caramelly malt in back.
Flavor very similar to aroma, though a bit lighter. Nice grapefruit hop flavor coming after some malty sweetness.
Medium body and smooth on the palate.
Just enough lingering bitterness at the finish.
Easy drinking with nice overall balance.

Swamp Head Brewery - Stump Knocker

And now the second . . .

Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co. (Denver, CO)

Name: Hoss (Rye Lager)

Style: Octoberfest/Märzen (perhaps Specialty Beer because of rye)

ABV: 6.20%

Location: Redlight Redlight – Teege at the bar

Tasting Notes:

Kind of a reddish orange color with a thick, cream color head that holds well and leaves a very nice trail.
Lightly sweet malty aroma overall with some notes of spice underneath.
Pretty clean flavor with some darker caramel maltiness up front and a bit of spiciness in back
Really smooth with a good level of carbonation.
Nice lager with good malt character that drinks very easily.

Great Divide Brewing Co. - Hoss (Rye Lager)

Cheers!

Great Divide Brewing Co. – Yeti

Lucas — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:00:28 +0000

The time has come for the final beer review of “Great Divide Brewing Co. Month” and it is no surprise that it is another good one. Sure I would love to continue on with Great Divide reviews, but it is time to move on to some of the others that I have done. Fortunately there are enough brews left in their portfolio for me to do another dedicated month down the line if I choose to. Then again, there are so many other breweries that need a month of their own before I start returning to those already honored. Enough rambling and on to the beer . . .

Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co. (Denver, CO)

Name: Yeti

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

ABV: 9.5%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the wine fridge (58 degrees +/-) and served in a pint glass (by mistake). $6.49 for 22oz.

Aroma: Strong malty sweetness (barleywine-like) with a low roasted character (less than I expected). Noticeable hop profile (somewhat earthy) with some warmth in back.

Appearance: Black (dark, dark brown with the slightest hint of reddish brown at edges when held to light). Very tall, thick, frothy, mocha/chocolate head with great retention and a heavy trail. Opaque (really).

Flavor: Deep roasted maltiness with a light burnt character. Rich chocolately flavors from middle to end. Moderate bitterness (some from roasted grains and some from hops) with a hint of fruitiness(?). Somewhat dry at the finish, though with light sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Full body with medium to low carbonation. Smooth and somewhat tongue coating. Even alcohol warmth (mostly from middle to end) that is well balanced in with the strong flavors.

Overall Impressions: Big flavor profiles that continue through finish. Start to notice dark fruit flavors as it warms a bit. Pretty complex with new flavors with (almost) every sip. Fantastic beer to enjoy slowly. Looking forward to trying the entire Yeti family (need to collect and cellar some). Still prefer the Oak Aged of the two I have tried.

Grade: A

Great Divide Brewing Co. - Yeti

A close up of the goodness.

Great Divide Brewing Co. – Double Wit

Lucas — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:00:30 +0000

Though I do enjoy standing in the store staring at the shelves trying to decide what beer I want, it also nice to go in with a plan of attack. Having narrowed the field down to only Great Divide brews I was simply looking for one of them to catch my eye. A high gravity version of a witbier was an easy choice knowing that I do not see them often, if at all.

After initially not expecting to enjoy this one, The Wife quickly warmed to it and even went back for a bit more. I always consider that to be a pretty good endorsement. That combined with a unique style (at least somewhat) is more than enough reason to try it if you have the opportunity.

Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co. (Denver, CO)

Name: Double Wit

Style: Witbier

ABV: 8.1%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the wine fridge (51 degrees +/-) and served in a pilsner glass.

Aroma: Light wheat/grainy sweetness with a faint bit of spice. Hint of acidity (kind of sauvignon blanc/white wine-like).

Appearance: Medium straw color (to golden). Very tall, thick, frothy, off-white head with good retention and laced trail. Mostly clear with slight haze and tons of tiny rising bubbles.

Flavor: Honey-like sweetness with a bit of citrus fruitiness. Low spice (coriander) profile with slight acidity and dryness at finish (not lingering). Well-balanced components.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate to high carbonation (without bite). Smooth with good creaminess and noticeable warmth toward finish.

Overall Impressions: One of only two higher gravity witbiers that I can recall having (Sam Adams Imperial White being the other). The warmth blends in well with the flavor profiles. Might want to drink it slightly colder than I had it this time. Good throughout, but the first tastes were the best. As the name indicates, this is certainly a double/imperial version of this style (typically in a 4.5-5.5% ABV range).

Grade: B+

Double what?

Great Divide Brewing Co. - Double Wit

The initial pour stirred things up a bit.

Great Divide Brewing Co. – Fresh Hop

Lucas — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:00:24 +0000

As mentioned on Tuesday, we are on to the second Pale Ale for the week in this month of Great Divide beer reviews. Today we have the American Pale Ale of the pair. Since I enjoy borrowing previously written content (and it makes as much sense with this post), I will say again that it is probably time for me to do a series explaining and defining the different beer styles for both my education and yours, but for today I will just say that the English Pale Ales tend to be more balanced and “drinkable” than their hoppier American cousins. Now on to the beer review . . .

Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co. (Denver, CO)

Name: Fresh Hop

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 6.1%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pint glass.

Aroma: Full, citrusy hop aroma with a low malty sweetness. The hops dominate the really nice overall aroma.

Appearance: Light amber color with some golden character. Two finger (plus), off-white head that is frothy with good retention and a laced trail. Clear with consistently rising bubbles visible.

Flavor: Medium (toward high) citrusy hop flavor up front with a bit of grassy profile underneath that. Very slight toasted maltiness in back. Balances to hops with good amount of bitterness toward end (moderate/not too much). Some dryness at the finish with some lingering bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium(ish) body with moderate carbonation (really just right). Smooth with no harshness.

Overall Impressions: I think my palate leans toward the DPA (of the two) . . . Fresh Hop is as good as DPA, but very different. Really enjoy the hops character(s), though I have to be in the mood for it because they are really prominent. The hoppiness grew on me as the glass emptied and it definitely lands on the “buy again someday” list. Do not drink too cold.

Grade: B

Great Divide Brweing Co. - Fresh Hop

Great Divide Brewing Co. – Denver Pale Ale

Lucas — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:00:42 +0000

It seems that it is going to be a Pale Ale kind of week with the Great Divide beer reviews. Today we have the English Pale Ale of the pair. Don’t worry though, the American Pale Ale with be represented on Friday. It is probably time for me to do a series explaining and defining the different beer styles for both my education and yours, but for today I will just say that the English Pale Ales tend to be more balanced and “drinkable” than their hoppier American cousins. Now on to the beer review . . .

Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co. (Denver, CO)

Name: Denver Pale Ale

Style: English Pale Ale

ABV: 5.4%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pint glass. $1.99 for 12oz.

Aroma: Moderate hop aroma with a low fruity profile and a medium, somewhat sweet (caramel-like) malt aroma. The two are almost of equal strength.

Appearance: Golden in color with a bit of copper/orange to it. One finger, cream color head that is frothy with good retention and trail. Clear with some rising bubbles and small particulates visible.

Flavor: Good maltiness up front (bit of nutty profile?) with medium bitterness (more middle through end). Moderate dryness at the finish without lingering. Pretty well balanced.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium (to low) carbonation. Has creaminess that gives the impression of a more full body.

Overall Impressions: The bitterness builds on the palate and becomes more prominent as the glass empties. The hop flavors and aromas are just enough without being at all overpowering. Really very drinkable . . . the characteristics work well together making it better as I drink.

Grade: B to B+

Great Divide Brewing Co. - Denver Pale Ale