Denver Pale Ale - Great Divide Brewing Company

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.68/5  rDev -28%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

On tap at Great Divide. Apparently have never had this. Golden color. Lots of grainy malt. Light bitterness. No hop flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2013 03:53:00 | More by Thorpe429

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz.

Pours a hazy orange golden color with some white suds for a head and some particles of yeast floating in it.

Smells of honey, apples, mild grapefruit hops, and some citrus.

Tastes of light floral sweetness, like honey and orange blossom, with some hints of citrus and rose water and a whisper of tame hop bitterness akin to a tea bitterness.

Medium to lighter body with a tingle of carbonation on the roof of the mouth.

An interesting light drinkable ale, just on the high end of being sessionable but probably could be. I've never had a beer that tastes quite like this one, so it gets points for uniqueness. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I think I like it. Yes, I think I would like to have this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 03:04:37 | More by Cylinsier

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from notes.

I had this while stuck in in a hotel in Maryland. Poured the beer into a hotel cup, which really does a good job of bringing out the best flavor characteristics in a beer.

This beer is dark orange/light brown with about two fingers of foam.

There is a very light smell to this beer. I get a decent amount of maltiness to this smell; that is about it.

The flavor has a lot of english hops backed with decent malting. It is not very bitter. And the body was surprisingly full.

This is a pretty good english pale ale. I would order it again if I see it on tap.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 00:56:18 | More by ummswimmin

rlee1390

Indiana

3.73/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Clear amber orange, two finger fluffy white head, some carbonation with lacing left behind.

S-Lots of malt, caramel and toffee. Some earthy notes as well.

T-Starts with caramel and toffee malt, ends with pleasant earthy hops with slight bitterness.

M-Light to medium bodied, some carbonation.

O-At the end of the day a boring run of the mill Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 17:57:56 | More by rlee1390

metter98

New York

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is slightly hazy yellowish amber in color and has a moderate amount of carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense off white head that has very good retention properties, consistently leaving a thin head covering the surface and lots of large rings of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of earthy hops in the nose along with some faint hints of citrus.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of earthy hops along with notes of bready and buttery malts. A light amount of bitterness is present in the finish.
M: It feels a bit shy of medium-bodied and clean on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink and very well balanced. It's a nice change of pace having this compared to American Pale Ales.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 00:36:41 | More by metter98

DoubleJ

California

3.58/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at the Appaloosa Grill, on to the beer:

This is a pleasant ale to knock back during dinnertime. Denver Pale Ale features an amber orangish color with an attractive creamy head which retains well. The nose hints that this pale ale is going across the Atlantic for its inspiriation, lead by notes of orange, cream, and buttery fusels. The taste starts off crisp and netural, eventually breaking towards a buttersctoch note. A modest kick of hops make their mark in the 2nd half of each sip. Offering both a crisp and somewhat creamy texture, this pale ale is a more than fair choice.

Serving type: on-tap

10-17-2012 03:49:27 | More by DoubleJ

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Doopie brought this one over for beer night a few weeks back. Cheers man!

From a bottle into a snifter

APPEARANCE: Pours a two finger, medium looking, off-white head with very good retention. Head fades slowly to a full wisp and sticks to the top of the glass. Clear amber orange with higher levels of carbonation. A splotchy wisp remains util the end and leaves some nice lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Pale malts, caramel, toffee, as well as some piny and grassy hops. Medium in strength.

TASTE: Pale malts up front, with quite a bit of grassy and floral, piney hops after the swallow. Aftertaste is quite bold and lingering with grassy and floral hop bitterness, as well as a touch of caramel sweetness as balance. Solid and satisfying.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Creamy smooth on the palate, goes down nice and finishes very dry on the palate. Good stuff here.

OVERALL: Decent, though not quite English in style. Missing some of the toffee and butterscotch flavors you'd expect from an English style pale ale. There was also a bit too much grassy flavor for my liking. Nevertheless, this is a solid beer that that some people will really enjoy. Give it a chance if you see it. Thanks again Doops!

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 14:05:19 | More by Jeffo

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

3.83/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a tangerine orange with nice off-white head that lingers well.

Smell is lemon rind, orange and malt.

Taste is zesty lemon and sweet malts. Good bit of bitterness in the finish that lingers on my palate for a while.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied.

Overall this was nice. Would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 21:51:42 | More by TrappistJohnMD

gabedivision

New York

3.53/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle to a pint glass.

A- Rich copper, amber, clear, white tight bubbled 1/2 finger head.

S- Buttery malts, butterscotch and caramel.

T- Buttery bicuity malts, thin hop, spice, butterscotch

M- light to medium bodied, dry.

O- not bad if your in the mood for an EPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 00:38:00 | More by gabedivision

KajII

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

[Suggested Glassware: Nonic Pint]

The pour was a hazy medium amber with an average (1-2 finger) white fluffy head, which dissipated down to a thick film and a large collar with very good runny lacing.

The aroma was of a sweet light bread malt, floral hops and a soapy yeast with notes of apple, toffee, caramel and citrus (grapefruit and orange).

The taste was somewhat malty and a tad bitter sweet with notes of caramel, toffee and a mild fruity ester in the beginning with a light hoppy citrus bitterness towards the end. The flavor hung around for an average duration, while the slightly bitter sweet taste settled on the taste buds.

Mouthfeel was a bit beyond light in body and dry in texture with an almost medium carbonation.

Overall a pretty basic Pale Ale with a slight fruity twist...

http://www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 21:10:33 | More by KajII

horshack7

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Clear yet very much copper with a few brassy hues. An off white head very foamy and about an inch in height.

Aroma: Yeasty, with a touch of dark bread, subtle notes of citrus and caramel and pale malts. Twinge of dryness in the nose.

Taste: Fairly bready at the start with light citrus notes. Toffee, light caramelized sugar with a bit of brown tossed in. The mouthfeel is thcik with a subtle dryness and a smooth finish.

Notes: Nicely drinkable and solidly hearty tasty meal in a bottle. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 00:39:48 | More by horshack7

Living816

Northwest Territories (Canada)

2.75/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Color was okay. Smell was not. Had an off smell. Something akin, and this is in all seriousness, to baby formula and plastic bottles. Very faint. No noted aromas at all on initial pour. After it warmed slightly and the head settled, it had a more neutral smell.

Taste was a rather unfortunate bitterness that ruined it. Is it an EPA, APA, IPA? Maybe an xPA is a more apt description. It seems like an almost IPA, and almost APA, an almost EPA.

Did not care for the taste at all. Very little balance here.

I was not fond of this creation. It had a confused set of flavors and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 02:43:21 | More by Living816

CHickman

New York

3.78/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours hazy orange amber color with a great looking 2 finger foamy beige head that faded very slowly, leaving very good foamy rings as it went down.

Smells of toasted grains, caramel, sweet malt, floral hops, biscuit, piney hops, herbs and brown sugar; the hops and malts are about equal in the nose.

Tastes of toasted grains, caramel, sweet malt, floral hops, biscuit, piney hops, lemon zest, light orange peel, herbs like tea leaf, brown sugar and Ritz cracker or toast; the hops add nice stability and flavor, but the English profile malts provide complex malty notes and sweetness - very nice for the style, quite easy to drink.

Mouthfeel is creamy, with mild carbonation, a medium body that leans on the heavy side, and a sweet grainy finish that has bready notes and a slight hop bitterness. A very tasty pale ale that is easy to drink and well above average for this style.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 02:52:53 | More by CHickman

RickS95

Indiana

2.98/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

It's kind of strange looking, like a hybrid between a pale ale and a pilsner. It's got the orangey golden color of a pale ale, but it's very, very clear like a pilsner. Despite the clarity, it's got a lot of stuff floating around in it. The head is a thick, white pillow of different sized bubbles. The head kind of implodes on itself leaving a nice lace.

Very malty nose. Biscuit-like. Not much else.

Not much happening here either, and like the look, it's got some pilsner characteristics. Not a single ingredient sticks out, except pilsner malts if that's what's used.

There is a smoothness to this beer that works well with its crispness. Slight hoppy bitterness in the finish.

Not something I'll have again. No character in this beer. Easy to drink as a macro, but it's not a macro, so it does little for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 02:14:47 | More by RickS95

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a crystal clear copper in color with some very light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a half finger tall light beige head that quickly reduces to a thin film covering the entire surface of the beer with a couple of small patches that are slightly thicker and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light aromas of biscuit malts with some caramel sweetness and citrus hops. There is also just a hint of some nuttiness.

T: The beer starts with a combination of biscuit malts and some caramel malt sweetness. That is combined with a little bit of floral hops and lots of citrus hops. Light amounts of bitterness that linger.

M: Just shy of medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slight hints of dryness in the finish.

O: This beer is enjoyable but not the easiest to drink - there is something a little different about the flavor and mouthfeel (especially for the style) that was not really to my preference.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 01:56:23 | More by dbrauneis

mscudder

Georgia

3.7/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint.

A - Clear orange tinted amber with a big, wide bubbled, head. Great retention.

S - Big biscuit malts with a touch of nuts.

T - Very complex for a PA. Starts off following the nose with some earthy flavors. Progression gains a bit of traction with some floral hops and a very, very slight taste of fruits. Concludes with a nutty, dry finish that leaves you desiring more.

M - Wet hops which I love alongside some dry (I'll call it wool-like) body. Strange and I cannot say I would desire one of these at any point in time, yet not undrinkable.

O - A unique pale ale that has a lot of exclusive characteristics. Not quite for me, although it makes me realize that aside from the formidable Yeti, not many of Great Divide's brews are to my liking.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 05:41:53 | More by mscudder

JRed

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours clear orangey amber in body with white bubbly head that fades. Smells of pine, citrus, slight nuttiness. Tastes of light nuttiness, pine and grassy, clean bitterness and then caramel and toffee to ride it out. Light in body with light carbonation. Malty pale ale that's well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 04:29:25 | More by JRed

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Amber body with off-and-running carbonation crowned with a meringue cap. Excellent lacing. 4.5

Floral hops, biscuity malts, and a sweet wet grass smell. 4.0

Light pine and herbal hop bitterness, whole grain bread, light dash of alcohol. A little musty/earthy. 3.5

Wet and wooly. Soft, but coarse carbonation diffuses an oily body. Brushy and bustling. 4.5

An average pale. One and done for me. 3.5

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2012 00:38:08 | More by thecheapies

Samp01

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a golden amber with a medium white head. Aroma and Taste of biscuit malt, yeast, some fruity citrus notes and some floral citrus hops. Palate is a medium body slightly crisp mouth feel and some good carbonation. Finish is sweet biscuit malt, yeast, fruity citrus notes with some citrus hops on the end for balance with a bit of a nutty ending. Overall a good drinking a solid ale for this style

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 20:11:03 | More by Samp01

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

4.15/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12oz served into a Great Divide Pint glass.

A - Hazy golden amber body with a massive cream colored head that creates rocky mounds. Giant chunks of swollen lacing left behind. The head never really goes away.

S - Dry nutty yeast, pecans, grassy and floral hops, sweet malts.

T - Woody and earthy barley first off. Some rustic toffee malt, yeasty, minty hop bitterness, pecan skins really come through and and dry out the palate.

M - Moderate carbonation, light bodied, slightly creamy

I don't know what it is bout this beer but I always love kicking this one back. It has a distinct flavor that seems to stand out from the rest.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 18:37:49 | More by StaveHooks

Swim424

Florida

3.6/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into great divide pint glass

A-Pours a nice pale orange color with a nice small head that fell into a full white layer on top. Plenty of rising bubbles as well.

S-Smells great! Has a sweet malty scent bursting with a spectacular floral hop scent. The smell is perfectly strong, not to weak, not to powerful, filling my nose nicely.

T-Sweet upfront with a tad of bitterness, as the sweetness begins to fade in the middle, the bitterness begins to grow, finishing with a nice hoppy kick at the finish. I would describe the sweetness as sort of a citrus, floral flavor.

MF-Actually feels a bit thinner than expected. Still a medium body though, just on the thinner end. Nice creamy feel to it on the aftertaste, along with a hint of citrus. Well balanced carbonation.

O-This is a pretty good beer. I enjoy the bitterness a lot. Would prefer a bit more of a caramel body but this is still a damn good beer at a pretty nice price.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 07:11:51 | More by Swim424

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

4.03/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a standard pint glass. The beer is a sort of faded light copper color. A thick creamy head sits on top and slowly dissipates to a chunky film? Lots of sticky lacing. The smell is a balance between hops and malts. The taste is also well-balanced. A fight between sweet caramel malts and sharp bitter hops takes hold. Also some toffee sweetness in there as well. It seems like the hops are tasted first. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a bitter hop finish.

Overall, this is a good pale ale. The balance between hops and malts is what I think of in a pale ale, and Great Divide gets this one right in that aspect.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 18:57:43 | More by JuicesFlowing

elNopalero

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to XicanoBeerRun for sharing this one.

This pours an amber golden color in the glass. I get a pleasing orange hop aroma followed by some toasted malt notes. The flavor has an upfront bittering with a light orange citrus and a pleasing finish.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 00:05:08 | More by elNopalero

BucannonXC5

California

3.35/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12-oz. bottle into a pint glass. About a 1 ½ fingers of head. Color was pale honey. Nice layer of white lacing with some tiny bubbles spread out on the top. Film was a bit wet and soggy on the sides, fairly even as well.

Liked the smell right from the get-go. Got a mixture of light citrus hops, caramel and sweet, sugary floral notes.

Decent taste of pale notes, but then got a metallic, watery finish. Got some light caramel sweet floral notes, but nowhere close to the nose.

Medium body. Creamy texture. Average-to-above average carbonation. Abrupt watery finish, slight bitterness.

Pretty average pale ale overall. The sight and smell were above average, but the taste and feel was fairly average overall.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 05:08:47 | More by BucannonXC5

yamar68

Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a dark gold with a finger of white head, minimal beading. Definitely smells English. Malt forward - nutty/bready malt presence supported by a minimal amount of earthy hops. Little bit of wood if you really snort for it. The taste brings a lot of the same plus a bit of metallic malty afterburn. Perfectly drinkable but not too exciting. Don’t mind getting this one in a mixer but wouldn’t ever seek it out on its own.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 05:23:40 | More by yamar68