Great Divide Hades

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Ale
Denver, Colorado USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Bottle 650ml
Appearance: Clear golden ale with medium , bright white top 3+
Nose : Aromatic hop with sweet grainy malts. Softer yeasty bottom with wheat like ending accents 7+.
Flavor/Palate : Medium bodied, some wheat , high on carbonation. Semi strong on malting , mineral hop with yeasty connection. Ending of raw hops with basic pale malts. Reminds me of Belgia Fraters.

Bottle. Head is initially small, fizzy, white, fully diminishing. Body is clear light yellow. Aroma is lightly malty (toasted grain), lightly hoppy (flowers, herbs), lightly yeasty (basement), with light notes of gum, lemon zest, and metal shavings. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Light to medium body, watery texture, lively/fizzy carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Unfortunately this first attempt at a Belgian styled beer from GD does not come off too well. Worst part is the appearance, which is as un-Belgian as it gets. The aroma and balance are ok, but there’s really not much to it. A light, watery, fizzy mouthfeel completes the picture. It’s a rough draft to be sure, but does have potential. Hopefully this one will improve.

Bottle@Home. Citrus and light herbal aroma. Pale golden colour, white head, fair lace. Sweet, hoppy, light fruity, citrus. Light sticky, alcohol hidden. Highly drinkable, crisp and clean.

Bomber. Light straw color with a fizzy slowly diminishing white head. There is a nice continuance of champagne like bubbles that saves the appearance, somewhat. Sweet doughy malts, some light candi, touch of must, hint of honey, and mild sweet herb aromas. A fairly typical golden/belgian ale sniff. Very sweet, with clove honey, candi, thistle blossoms, apples, pears and pineapple all showing a presence in the early stages. Lightly acidic that help push some of the sweetness aside. I seem to catch some saaz and noble hops. as it has some light grass and herbal qualities in the finish. Linger is semi-dry with some raw grains and a sweet roll thought crosses my mind. Some hints of metal here and there. I have had worse belgian/golden ales and several coming from Belgium. A relatively simple ale.

Bottle and served in my NB Worthy glass: Clean first pour, golden with a small frothy head and spotty lace. The aroma has notes of spicy and grassy esters, a hint of honey, Special B and biscuity malt, apple and tangerine, clove and white pepper esters. Smells like a Belgium Ale for sure.

The taste start with a combination of herbal bitters and sweet bready malts, a hint of fruity flavors as well. The finish has a nice bitterness and spicy bite. There is a medicinal note as well. Tastes a bit like a young Duvel IMO. The mouth feel is aggressive and sprite, refreshing except for the warming alcohol noted towards the finish.

Add me to the list of recent raters who are surprised my the low average score of this beer, perhaps it has been improved or aging has helped, I dunno? As you can tell, Mikey Likey this a lot.

Bottle. Apple, orange, yeast and alcohol aroma. Hazy pale yellow color with moderate head. Sweet apple malt and bitter/astringent alcohol flavor. Okay but on the rough side.

(Bottle - Bomber, thanks ekstedt!) Sampled on February 16 - 2008. Shady yellow color, white small head. Spicy, yesty, sweet scent. Yeasty, spicy and sweet taste. Herbal, grassy and mint aftertaste. Spritzy mouthfeel. Medium bitterness. Some esters.

Sampled on 9/19/2010. This Belgian Ale pours a light gold color from a 12oz bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is fruity and sweet, very yeasty with some floral hops, some grass as well. Medium bodied Belgian Ale. The malts are fruity and semi-sweet, most peaches. The hops are herbal and floral. Decent carbonation. Crisp and clean. Yeasty and dry at the finish. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is crisp, dry and clean. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.