Hercules Double IPA
Great Divide Brewing Company

 

Looks almost crystal clear. Def not hazy. Def my style.

Smells like pot. I cant smoke it but I sure like the smell and beer taste of it.

Tastes super dank. Super weedy. Sweet and caramely with a sticky, sticky resinous piney darkness. Old school as fuck and super big on malt and hops.

Feel is OILY and gelatinous. Finishes very crisp though. Intriguing beer.

Overall - I've definitely had this before but I always seems to ignore great divide for whatever reason. I think im primarily annoyed by their yeti series and how they absolutely try to milk the fuck out off it, but thats another topic. Regardless, its been a LONG time since I've bought a GD beer (probably close to ten years) but this beer is a super nice reminder of where beer was at 10-15 years ago. Very DFH 90 minute-esque as well. An IPA not ashamed to be malty and unpalatable to Virginia beer enthusiasts.

 

 

 

 

 

pine pine pine bitter bitter bitter bready bready

very old school, not hoppy

 

Citrus hints and malt dominates this dipa and the hops come in the form of deep woods/ pine forest. Other more non-description tropical fruits appear as this warms. You’ll hear others say this really comes to life as it warms. I agree. Tasty stuff. Big pine notes with plenty of sweet nutty/ tea-like malts without the sweetness being a turnoff. Like many also note, the hops don’t dominate here.

 

The can I have isn't expired but not the freshest but this is so malty im wondering if they some how canned a brown ale. If this how this normally is then it's honestly awful to me. Zero hops just malt, like this is so disappointing I'll have to try again to see.


Seeing as how I have the lowest review on here I looked at others and they're all as flabbergasted as I am. I really hope we all got bad bottles or cans and it will be better next time.


Update, after trying again I more or less confirmed what I thought while also liking this more. Still not for me but for those more into malty IPA'S.

 

Rerate, 355 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.1%., 85 IBU. Orange to amber colour, slightly hazy. Moderate but lasting off-white head with an orangey hue. Pleasant aroma of fruity American hops. The flavour is an aggressive hoppy explosion from start to finish, on a malty sweet (too sweet?) background. Very bitter aftertaste. "Not for the faint of heart" - but I MIGHT get used to this ... I’m upping it a point. Original rating: Bottle, at The Rover, Göteborg. Amber colour, hazy. Sweet and alcoholic aroma and flavour, but also plenty of hops, as expected from a "double IPA". A bit overdone on both sweetness and hops in my book, but still a good beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six pack of cans purchased at Total Wine in Lynnwood, Washington.
Canned on SEP 24 2019. Poured in to an Erdinger pint glass.

Look- Slightly hazy darker golden amber color, glorious off-white head that slowly recedes, beautiful lacing. Light carbonation streaming as it sits.

Smell- Citrus (tangerine, grapefruit and lemon), honey/caramel malts, resinous pine, over-ripe tropical fruits (mango, passionfruit and light pineapple), some stone fruit. Light spicy/herbal notes.

Taste- The honey sweet malts are much more prevalent in the taste than the aroma. The hoppy fruitiness and pine assert themselves in the finish, well balanced.

Feel- Rich, full bodied with faint alcohol tones. Very smooth with a solid semi-dry bitter finish. Moderate carbonation on the tongue.

O- A really nice DIPA. A little pricey but I'll be coming back to this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From notes 1/22/12: Pours deep gold/pale amber with 2 fingers of frothy, beige, somewhat lasting head which leaves a heavy, pasty lacing behind as it recedes. Aroma is citrusy orange hops and sweet caramel malts. Taste is huge hoppiness! Oily with orange zest in a malt background of cane syrup and caramel. Big hop bite and bitterness from start into the aftertaste. Taste is complex, almost in an abbey ale sort of way. Alcohol is well hidden for a 10% ABV until the brew reaches room temperature where it blossoms.

Found this at T0tal W!ne in Houston after missing it on the local shelves for several years.
Probably more than a bit overpriced i.e. you can find better brews for less money. But, it's an excellent beer, good taste but not overly hopped and little or no juniper or other cringe-worthy (for some people!) ingredients. Herc is a very worthwhile brew which has been around for quite a while. If you're looking to test drive an IPA, this is a great choice.