Great Divide Hercules Double IPA

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

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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I never thought that we would get this brew out here in Austin...get it at Grapevine my austinite friends. Woah!!! Very good. Pours a lovely copper color. Like molten bronze with a frothy head. Head is giant and never leaves my glass soo huge and creamy looking. Nose is of berries, hops, hops, hops and peanuts. No really berries hops and peanuts. Thats what’s in there you jerks!!! On the tongue the palate is exceptional. Excellently coating and at the same time nicely refreshing. To put it in my friends words...the palate lingers nicely after you have tasted the draught. Notes of Peanut butter, blueberries, hops...both floral and bitter. So quenching and refreshing. Excellent brew. If you can get your hands on it freaking drink it. G-rat

UPDATED: JUL 2, 2004 Deep copper in color, nice fluffly off-white head, huge hop aroma, full bodied, flavors were very well balanced, notes of pine, citrus, a slight touch of toffee, excellent malt profile to counter the huge amount of hops, very bitter & dry finish, lots of pine & nutty notes, very well done, great IIPA

Nice full amber color with an inviting white foamy head. Strong hop smell that promises a powerfully flavorful hop beer. Very smooth bubbly feel in mouth. The hops explode in my mouth like Stone Ruin. does. A lot of bitterness comes through as does the malty feel in my mouth. The hop/bitter combination of this beer is more powerful than I’ve ever had. As it warms it feels less intense and smoother(maybe I’m getting use to it). John

The aroma is not as strong or intoxicating as many IPAs....I like that it doesn’t smell like a knock-you-out flower. The color is a deep amber and calls out to be drank. The flavor is incredibly balanced. It is as complex as a barley wine but withouth the sweet intensity and instead a soft and nutty hoppiness. If you like barley wines but aren’t an extreme hophead this beer will really suit the tastebuds well. It seems to change in flavor from the second it hits your toungue until you swallor. The body is a little to fizzy for my but overall an incredbile experience. Luscious.

Pours a dark golden color with few bubbles and a nice head. Aroma is flowery hops, a little sweet. Body is malty but not overdone. Taste starts sweet and quickly becomes tangy, slightly tart hops. Alcohol is barely noticable. Finish is medium bitter, with a lot of sweet hoppy flavor going up through the nose. Some nutty chocolate elements very late in the finish, a nice touch. A very pleasent beer to drink.

A nice seemingly Dreadnaught clone. Rich and deep in color with a good malt back bone and pronounced hoppy bitterniess and flavor. A bit oxidized. I am not sure if they were gunning for IIPA royalty or if they merelyt came up with this offering after trial and error, but a nice rendition with a bit of oxidation.

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.

I was excited to try this beer, given the hype it’s got going on. It pours a very bright, pretty amber, with a nice white head that leaves good lace. nose a combo of citrus American hops, quickly overwelmed by malt sticky-ness. body is very thick and sweet, almost obliterating the hops. not a bad beer, but the hops don’t keep up with the malt, leaving more of a barley-wine behind, and a pretty heavy one.

By far one of the best looking double IPA’s I’ve laid my eyes on! Absolutely gorgeous glowing cloud of orange, deeper in color towards the top then at the bottom where it keeps some golden highlights. Massively stacked inch high head of dusty yellowed whipped froth that becomes crusty and lumpy as it muddles down to a thick haze remaining present. Lace in thick globby ink blot sheeting and strings. Aroma is redolent with highly sweet citrus and soft dry pine, a bit juicy and oily thick with some resinous qualities, but set back some and moderately present on the nose. Lots of alcoholic vapors seep through like volcanic gases about to rupture the top of a fault-lined island of hops. Taste is wowfully juicy with citrus flavors, fresh, clean, with a good load of skins and pulp of every kind play softly in the front but gain a huge acidic return at the finish. Nice bitterness of orange and grapefruit acids and hop oils coat the end for a good long while along with a finespun slow drying pulpy action. Slight sticky toffee-like malts way in the back. Floating pineyness vapors and alcoholic esters pass into the finish as well. Uff-da - yum! There’s no doubt that this has a Herculian amount of hops. Quite complex and full of citrusy things including the flowers and blossoms too. Akin to Dreadnaught in its hop profile. A yummy puree of hops are to be enjoyed and awed upon while trekking up this mountain. Feel is quite smooth for the seemingly end of hoppy citrus thats been given. Big full body with fluffy edges. Thick, fat, juicy, super fine citrusy bitterness. Oily but dry finish thats incredible to undertake. Yum! A great beer by Great Divide.

poured a beautiful amber color, with a decent white head. Smell was of flowers and citrus. The taste quickly reminded me of the DFH 120 min. i had last weekend, but a little more mellow. Was strong and very flowery. Not as impressed as i thought i’d be using RB ratings as a guide, but would not throw this brew out of bed for spilling some cracker crumbs. Will save my 2nd bottle for a hot summer day, while i’m sitting at the pool.