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Monthly Archives: January 2012

Review of Great Divide Hercules Double IPA

Hello good people. For today’s craft beer review I’m going to drinking a Great Divide Hercules Double IPA produced by the Great Divide Brewing Company located in Denver, Colorado.

Let’s jump right to the website, greatdivide.com, and find a description of this potent beer.

HERCULES DOUBLE IPA is not for the faint of heart. It is, however, fit for the gods. HERCULES delivers a huge amount of hops from start to finish. Its hefty backbone of nutty, malty sweetness balances its aggressive hop profile.

Sounds like a winner to me.

This beer stands in at a sturdy 10.0% ABV and it comes in a 22 oz. bottle.

The brew poured a clear, pale orange to copper/amber color. It had an eggshell colored head that was soft, creamy, fluffy and just a wee bit rocky. It had great size and some very, very nice retention going on. The lacing looked real good too. After the head finally settled it left a thin skim of foam on top of the liquid for the duration of the drink. It was a beautiful looking beer.

The smell exhibited a wonderful citrus aroma. Hints of peach, mango and grapefruit. Additional tones of pine and maybe even a little bit of honey were noticed. It gave a nice jolt of caramel sugar also. Once the brew was allowed to warm a steady waft of toasted breadiness really helped to balanced the nose quite a bit. A real nice fragrance with this beer.

The grapefruit citrus came on like gangbusters with the initial taste. Other tropical fruits were accounted for and significant amounts of bitterness could not be denied. It was rather resinous and oily also. Some pine and grassiness continued the hop profile and, like the aroma, some well needed, however robust, biscuity malt created a more harmonized flavor. Strong caramel candied flavors burst through a little more with each and every sip. A slight touch of alcohol was noticed, but it wasn’t near what I thought it might be.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied. Dry, snappy, but smooth. Sticky, crisp and chewy. A small amount of warmth was left behind from the alcohol and more than enough flavor drenched the palate for enjoyment between sips.

Great Divide has made a very good beer with the Hercules Double IPA. It’s big and bold in both the aroma and flavor and the appearance was exceptional also. It’s definitely worth a try if you can get it. The drinkability wasn’t bad either considering the 10.0% ABV. One bottle was plenty for me, but some of you guys may be able to handle two during one evening. One thing I did notice that could deter some was the fact that it did begin to get a little bit sweet as I neared the end of the bottle. Either way, I still liked the beer very much and would have no problem drinking this again if it were offered.

Have you guys had the Great Divide Hercules Double IPA? What did you think of it? Be sure to leave a comment and let me know.

Thanks for dropping by and reading another craft beer review guys. I really appreciate it.

Until next time. Cheers.

Score: 4.2 out of 5
Grade: A-

Review of Rogue Mocha Porter

27 Jan

Hello again. For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Rogue Mocha Porter brewed by Rogue Ales in Newport, Oregon.

I have always loved a good Porter, so I’m really eager about tasting this one.

The website, rogue.com, has this small description of the Mocha Porter.

Ruddy brown in color, a bittersweet balance of malt and hops with a light cream finish.

Simple and easy description right there.

This brew comes in a 22 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of 5.3%.

The beer poured a very dark brown color with both burnt orange and ruby highlights adorning the bottom of the glass. The cap was tan colored and of great size. It was very creamy, smooth, soft and fluffy in texture. The retention time was satisfactory and the lacing looked very nice.

The aroma of the Mocha Porter started with some bittersweet chocolate followed by hints of coffee bean. It was nicely roasted and toasted and it presented a slight fragrance of grain. I was also picking up on some semblance of soft, dark fruits in there. The hop profile was noticeably earthy, agreeable and very well balanced with the other attributes. As the brew began to warm I started to detect the slightest indication of “smoke”. Overall, a very good nose on this beer.

The taste brought forth more of the roasted and toasted malt. Toasted grains and espresso notes too. The bittersweet chocolate was picked up on again and I also found a light “creamed” wheat savor. The hop profile was easily noticed and the bitterness was fitting and welcomed. It got a bit chalky toward the end I thought, which added even more enjoyment and a touch more complexity. Not too bad on the flavor I didn’t think.

The mouthfeel was medium to medium/thin. It was soft, gentle and creamy. It wasn’t quite as dry as I was hoping and not a whole lot of flavor was left behind on the palate after the swallow. Hmm. Oh well.

Actually, I think Rogue has made a pretty decent beer here. It’s not quite the best Porter I’ve ever had, but it still paired well with the cold night on which I tried it. It’s very, very easy to drink and not overly complicated or elaborate, but it still represents the style well. It’s basically just an easy going, fun and enjoyable drink that has enough character to generate some discussion. I would have no problem downing another bottle if it was offered to me that’s for sure. I definitely think it’s worth a try if you see it.

Do you guys have a favorite Porter? Which would be your choice to have on a cool night?

Thanks for reading everyone. Don’t be afraid to leave a comment if you wish either.

Until next time. Cheers.

Score: 3.75 out of 5
Grade: B

Review of Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

26 Jan

For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be sipping on the Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA brewed by the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company located in Chico, California.

I’ve had this brew many times, but have yet to “properly” review it. That’s all about to change because I have a fresh bottle and I’m ready to get started.

The website, sierranevada.com, has this description of the Torpedo.

Sierra Nevada Torpedo is a big American IPA; bold, assertive, and full of flavor highlighting the complex citrus, pine, and herbal character of whole-cone American hops.

Around here, we take hops pretty seriously, which is why we weren’t satisfied with the standard method of dry hopping for our first year-round IPA. We spent years tinkering, tasting, and tweaking ways to get the biggest and best hop flavors and aromas into our beer.

Our persistence has paid off. Our obsession with harnessing huge hop flavor led to the development of what we call the hop torpedo, a revolutionary method of dry-hopping designed, built, and debuted here at the brewery.

Our torpedo is a sleek, stainless-steel piece of hardware that delivers more pure hop aroma than any method of dry-hopping we’ve ever seen. Like all our beers, Torpedo Extra IPA uses only the best whole-cone hops possible making this delicious ale worth the wait.

You ready?

This brew comes in a 12 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of 7.2%.

The Torpedo poured a clear orange to golden honey color. A very big, frothy, soft, soapy, off white head was formed from a medium aggressive pour that held great retention and left behind some clingy lacing. It looked great in the glass.

The aroma started with big bursts of grapefruit citrus. It was very floral, bright and piny. It was quite resiny with an additional grassy hop profile. Some biscuity malts showed through as it began to warm a bit and a caramel sweetness and light hint of tangerine made their presence known also. I must say the smell was very fresh and enticing.

The taste presented loads of grapefruit citrus and piny hops. A strong bitterness and “bite” really woke the palate. It was just a wee bit tart with a slight peppery spice. Not much, just a little tickle. The biscuity malt and caramel sweetness seemed very mild and tame, which allowed the hops to really stand out and shine. Again, very fresh and nice.

The mouthfeel was a sturdy medium. It was dry, sticky, “bitey”, crisp, snappy and refreshing. Only the most faint amount of warmth was felt, however a tremendous amount of flavor completely coated the palate with each gulp.

Man. This is still a great beer. It’s a staple in any craft beer drinkers diet in my opinion. A beer that must be revisited from time to time so as not to take it for granted. It has a great appearance, wonderful aroma and it’s full of flavor. It’s very easy to drink and not so complicated that it couldn’t be enjoyed by someone wanting to experience a proper IPA. That’s really all that needs to be said about the Sierra Nevada Torpedo. If for some reason you have yet to try this beer, I would recommend that you pick up a bottle the next time you visit your bottle shop. I always pick up a few bottles throughout the year myself.

Thanks for reading and commenting guys. I really appreciate it.

Until next time. Cheers.

Score: 4.3 out of 5
Grade: A