Great Divide Samurai

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Denver, Colorado USA

Bottle: Straw in color, slight haze, large foamy white head, attractive lacing.   Sweet grass aroma, has a sweetened cereal sorta tinge.   Pale malts on the tongue, minor cereal, fairly sweet... at least sweeter than most in the style.   Finishes quick, clean, not much aftertaste.   Kinda reminds me of how milk tastes after all the sugar puffs or corn pops have been eating... you slurp the milk down and you get that cereal sorta sweetness.   That is exactly what I find here.   Body and mouthfeel are average.   Somewhat fake sugary malts linger after the finish.   Tiz okay, nothing extraordinary, but fairly smooth overall.

12 oz. Fuzzy gold with a medium head. Grainy taste with a dry finish. KInd of like an American Wheat. Light medium bodied and dry.

Pours a mostly translucent golden with a slight haze and a medium bubbly/foamy white head that left slight lacing. Aroma of rice, some sweet malts, touch of citrus, bready, Flavor was also a bit bready, some citrus, rice, grains, touch of hops, dry, somewhat refreshing with a nice touch of malt sweetness.

12 oz bottle. Poured a clear golden color. I agitated the yeast sediment at the bottom to make it a bit hazy. Head was three fingers high, rocky, and white with pretty good retention. Aroma was of bready malt. Lots of white bread. There was also just the slightest whiff of some grassy hops. Dry and slightly fruity on the tongue with what seemed to be an appropriate, moderate amount of carbonation. Not a whole lot of flavor other than a hint of carrot up front and some pleasant yeasty bread dough. It finished with mild bitterness of about 2-3 out of 10. Not a bad beer, just not much personalty. It certainly wouldn’t upset your stereotypical American beer drinker. That said, it easily beats most macro swill.

Bottle; poured a clear pale color. Medium white head. Aroma of apple juice, yeast and bread. Crisp taste; flavor of apples, yeast, citrus and bread. Minimal hop presence. Flavor was just ok; unoffensive, but nothing really good about it.

hazy golden body and creamy white head. much prettier than it tastes. very simple, dry and boring.

My first rating didn’t go well so... Second try... cloudy straw color with a frothy white head...dissipates quickly. I’m still getting sulfur but not as much...citrus (grapefruit)...Taste still has sulfur as well...otherwise, tart and refreshing. Bitterness lingers unpleasantly. Decent at best. I still have 5 more in the fridge. Will update again if a different experience. -Third rating: After drinking the whole 6 pack I did see some improvement with the flavor. I have raised the Aroma and Flavor ratings by one each to account for the lessening of the sulfur flavor (although it is still present in small amounts) and the Overall rating to 10. This is a very light beer and, as such, is not the most exciting. Still, it is a much better alternative to Bud.

A pale golden pour with coloration hints of a blend of apple juice and green apple skins isn’t hazy enough to hide steady, streaming carbonation that supports a thin white head. The thinly but fully lacing foamy topper lingers the whole time the beer is being consumed, bright and vibrant. Quite the sexy blonde ale. The nose is bready and fresh, not a hint of must or anything that I’d deem offensive. Rather, this has a refreshing scent that commands multiple deep whiffs. Sweetness is barely apparent, a linear lemon note caressing the boundaries of the nose, dancing around grains and rice. This seems to have a German malt profile influence, or at least that’s where it leads. Very mellow hints of floral hops creep out as the temperature rises. The first sip reveals intense flavor characteristics that revolve around a wonderful mouthfeel and crisp, complex malt essence. Sweetness is mild, imparting grassy notes and lemon sweetness, with subtler hints of rice that only serve to further lend to a tremendous experience. Acidity is mild and cuts through what little sweetness present without much astringency. A salty component accentuates the breadiness, furthering a nourishing, even invigorating, taste.The best part of the flavor is that from start to finish it’s level and thoroughly at the top of the style. The finish is bready, lightly sweet, then slowly drying, grain and slight rice sweetness lingering indefinitely. This is really quite the surprise. Drinkability is exceptional; I love the mouthfeel. The beer rests on the palate with a weightiness that isn’t overbearing, but eases the glide down the throat - a light-medium body with great texture from soft but adequate carbonation and a wonderful unfiltered mouthfeel. It’s robust but smooth, lively but easygoing. Excellent, a beer that is likely to remain misunderstood by connoisseurs and novices alike.