Hercules Double IPA - Great Divide Brewing Company

bigdonniebrasco

Kansas

5/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Recommended to me at my favorite Lawrence, KS bottle shop - MASS Beverage.

From a 22 oz. brown bomber. Pours out a brilliant clear russet copper (think amber), just the right amount of carbonation, thick creamy, spongy head with a whipped cream texture and an unfaltering retention. left a resiny web on my glass as I drank it down Gorgeous looking stuff.

The nose is fantastic, not overly intense, but rather a perfect balance. Tangerine and ruby red grapefruit from the hops, followed at a distance by some sticky pine, and held up by a chewy, almost candy-like malt sweetness.

GREAT balance in the flavor as well. Hops are let loose from the beginning, but almost equally matched with the malt, a smooth blending.
Biscuity and light caramel malt, creamy texture, slow rising of orange citrus in the middle along with some floral hops, building to a contained finish of pine and grapefruit rind, it really only starts ripping the tongue and palate in the aftertaste, then instantly, and gently the perfect amount of malty sweetness creeps in to temper the bite.

Creamy, silky smooth mouthfeel. To me this is what I want in a beer! just bold enough that the smallest sip caresses every single taste bud you have! Leaving you with the faintest of trace stickiness well into the aftertaste, but slick enough it make you instantly reach for another sip to reinforce your previous impression.

One of the smoothest and most balanced DIPA's I've ever had. Almost no trace of alcohol content in the flavor whatsoever, it only really sinks in about half way through the bottle. This brew REALLY met my lofty expectations!

*my only perfect score in 2 years*

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2009 03:16:33 | More by bigdonniebrasco

bcsbeer

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

06-18-2013 02:33:27 | More by bcsbeer

phooky

New York

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

06-17-2013 18:41:15 | More by phooky

lcdawg

Mississippi

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

06-17-2013 00:58:43 | More by lcdawg

Shnanign

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

06-15-2013 20:28:25 | More by Shnanign

Eaglefan344

Missouri

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%

06-15-2013 00:01:45 | More by Eaglefan344

psuscott1

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

06-14-2013 22:06:29 | More by psuscott1

gleemonger

California

4.4/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Slightly hazy yellowish orange with a small, creamy white head. Very refreshing looking.

Fairly subtle fruity hop aromas mixed with some sweet malt. Not the huge kick I look for in the style, but not bad.

Much more hoppy in flavor than in the aroma, but leans more toward the bitter side than anything - but doesn't linger much. Hops definitely pretty complex, with citrusy taking the lead followed by some pine. Really pretty mellow overall with not much of an alcohol presence despite the size.

Moderate body with a lighter carbonation, but with a little bite. Doesn't linger on the tongue. Pretty smooth DIPA.

Much more subtle than I expected - not as huge and complex as I normally like for the style, but a very good beer. This is one of those where you have to watch yourself, since it's so smooth and easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 19:49:48 | More by gleemonger

hoosier222002

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

06-13-2013 03:16:06 | More by hoosier222002

MPSTARR

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -15.7%

06-13-2013 01:52:52 | More by MPSTARR

Gschaf

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

06-12-2013 13:59:34 | More by Gschaf

OC_Beer_Fan

California

3/5  rDev -27.7%

06-11-2013 13:11:10 | More by OC_Beer_Fan

pkalix

California

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

06-10-2013 13:03:02 | More by pkalix

NastyNate11

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

06-10-2013 02:05:40 | More by NastyNate11

Skunkyluvmuffin

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

06-10-2013 01:08:15 | More by Skunkyluvmuffin

Erice78

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

06-09-2013 21:07:19 | More by Erice78

sea2mountain

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

06-09-2013 20:49:20 | More by sea2mountain

CB2maltygoodness

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -3.6%

06-08-2013 22:47:10 | More by CB2maltygoodness

RayUF07

Florida

4/5  rDev -3.6%

06-08-2013 15:24:07 | More by RayUF07

drewsif

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

06-08-2013 08:00:45 | More by drewsif

DeeMalloy

Florida

4/5  rDev -3.6%

06-08-2013 03:54:03 | More by DeeMalloy

cgentzkow

California

3.5/5  rDev -15.7%

06-08-2013 03:21:17 | More by cgentzkow

Pando

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

06-07-2013 23:33:28 | More by Pando

TastefulNudity

California

4.13/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Given to me by my girlfriend's mother, always wanted to try this one.

12oz poured in to a Tulip.

Appearance: Honey amber. One finger head on a non-aggressive pour dissipated pretty quickly. Constant carbonation from the bottom of the glass which I like to see. Little darker than expected.

Smell: Barleywine. Extreme sweet malt presence, honey, floral hops. Smell reminds me of Stone's Old Guardian with a little more hop kick and a little less sweetness.

Taste: Continuation of the smell. Starts with the malt sweetness at the front of the tongue. Transfers to a floral hop bitterness that lingers between sips. Almost no trace of alcohol which is very impressive for 10% ABV.

Mouthfeel: Chewy and a little syrupy, tiny bite of carbonation but not too much. Leaves a nice lingering hop presence at the back of the throat. Again, 10%? No burn or alcohol presence.

Overall: This is a great beer, but I felt less inclined to call it a DIPA and more inclined to call it a barleywine. I've never had their Old Ruffian, but I want to try it now to see how it stacks up. Good taste, just a little unexpected.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2013 20:21:41 | More by TastefulNudity

thegerm87

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -27.7%

06-07-2013 15:45:21 | More by thegerm87