Hercules Double IPA - Great Divide Brewing Company

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap @ Boulders On Broadway in Tempe, AZ for a Colorado Tap Takeover on 5/17/12.

A: Beautiful golden-amber with a fluffy, pillowy, white head. Hangs around for a long time and leaves behind a ton of lace.

S: Fruity, hoppy, malty booze.

T: Holy booze, Batman. Not a bad thing...just didn't expect it from this style and this specific beer. Sweet, sugary, roasted malt with fruity hops in the finish. More like an American Barleywine but hoppy enough to keep it a Dub.

M: Sweet and delicious malt and booze with a slight tingle from the carbonation.

O: A damn good beer whether you think it's a Double/Imperial IPA or an American Barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2012 16:46:34 | More by Gatch

rickyleepotts

Arizona

3.13/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I played 18 holes of golf today, so I wanted to celebrate. Nothing beats celebrating with a BIG bottle of beer with a TON of booze. This beer is 10% ABV, and is just loaded with flavor. I have had it before, but it was a LONG time ago. Why am I using so many CAPITAL letters tonight? Who cares. I am ready to drink.

In the Glass: This is a healthy looking IPA. It is rich in copper color and produces a very thick head. The head is white, and sits on top for a LONG time. There I go again with the capital letters. I will stop. No more. Anyway, this looks like a good strong IPA. A double IPA perhaps! (It is fair for me to put IPA in all caps… that is the point!)

Nose: For a beer that has this much booze and is loaded with that many IBUs, I expected a more overwhelming nose. But it is weak. Their Titan IPA smells a lot better. But I am hoping the aroma starts to come out when this beer heats up. We pulled this from the fridge, so it is ice cold.

Flavor: The flavor is also not what I expected. As the tasting notes say, it is very well balanced. The flavor is never overwhelming and slides from the front of the palate and into the aftertaste without much focus on hops. I am surprised that this beer is just exploding with flavor… but maybe that is the point. They focused more on the overall enjoyment rather than making this a “knock your socks off” kind of beer.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is quite boring. There is a subtle hint of hops on the back of the palate, but is is quick and isn’t obvious. You can smell as you drink to get more of the citrus notes that you expect… but the flavor is just polished (it makes sense when you drink it) from the start to the finish. This is like a domestic for a fan of IPAs.

Aftertaste: There isn’t much of an aftertaste. It is smooth all the way through, and the aftertaste is pretty boring. Now, having said all that… the beer is good. It is solid. It is… you got it, polished. It doesn’t have to be a big punch of hops that knocks me over. I wanted that, but the beer is good. The booze isn’t obvious either.

I like Great Divide, and while I had higher exceptions, this one is still a good IPA from a great portfolio of beers.

Hercules Double IPA - The bottle says: “HERCULES DOUBLE IPA is not for the faint of heart. It is, however, fit for gods. HERCULES delivers a huge amount of hops from start to finish. Its hefty backbone of nutty, malty sweetness balances its aggressive hop profile. 85 IBUs.”

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 03:19:17 | More by rickyleepotts

Sunnanek

Sweden

4.63/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: A generous warm orange slightly hazy pour with a large compact tan head that takes quite some time to dissipate, nice lacings.

S: Tropical and citric fruits from the floral hops; pineapple, grapefruit and lemon. Nice balanced sweetness in the rich malt.

T: Sweet molasses-like malts, some caramell balances the awsome hops, both bitter as well as floral. Lots of fruits.

M: Body is syrupy and full, almost heavy. Carbonation is really low. Aftertaste lingers with sweet bitterness. Warmth from the high ABV.

O: Very complex and well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 18:16:51 | More by Sunnanek

Drinkerofales

California

4.28/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Golden orange in color, on tap, so not much head. The ring on the beer has a nice coating of lace however.

Smells of tropical and citrus fruits. A bit of malt as well, but the right amount for the style.

Taste follows perfectly. Plenty of tropical and citrus, with an excellent underlying(and sometimes powerful) bitterness throughout.

Plenty bite to the beer, a bit too much, me feels, but that is my only complaint.

Very nice and fresh, this is quite good on tap. Maybe a fresher bottle is needed for the old review.

DOA

Serving type: on-tap

05-12-2012 20:40:17 | More by Drinkerofales

Cold

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Dk. Amber/Orange, modest, but dense tan head
S: Sweet, toasty malt over strong piney hop
T: Intensely bitter piney, floral, perfume-y hop, barely balanced by light malt sweetness and graininess as well as thickness and body from aggressive carbonation.
M: Surprisingly thick, given the color and taste.
A: Piney hop bitter, slightly astringent, and clean.

Overall: Here's a beer that lives up to its double IPA promises proudly displayed on its label. Hop profile kicks off in a burst of pine with each sip, introduces other, well-layered notes of citrus, perfume, and floral, but comes back to the pine in the end. Manages to showcase the intense hops while still maintaining its own version of balance. It's 10.0% ABV is incredibly well-masked, so proceed at your own risk, and the advertised 85 IBUs seem accurate, and possibly even a bit modest.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 02:51:29 | More by Cold

tylerprince

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle dated 2/7/12, admittedly a tad older than ideal.

A: Quite a bit of yeast floating around the bottom of the bottle - pour this one very softly. Pours a beautiful hazy orange-copper. Unfortunately, no head or lacing whatsoever, and yes, my glass was clean.

S: A well balanced citrus/grapefruit with a caramel/biscuit malt profile. Well balanced. Some yeast throughout. Wish this had more of a head so I could describe it more accurately.

T: Yummy. Starts with gobs of citrus, clear grapefruit and lemon zest. Not a heck of a lot else going on here. A nice round malt finish, but very weak and hardly noticeable. Yeasty, non-bitter finish. Citrus lingers.

M: Crisp, albeit a tad watery. Resinous. I don't say this much, but this could use a tad more carbonation.

O: This is disappointing - I'm a huge fan of GD and was really looking forward to trying their DIPA. I'll have to try a fresh batch to see if it lives up to the hype.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 02:19:16 | More by tylerprince

DM1293

California

3.85/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The taste of this Double IPA is like my tongue being suplexed right from the word go. Malts and piney hops slam the tongue here. This beer is a 10% and its not afraid to show you it is. The afterbite isn't too bad though, so while this beer has plenty of punch its not going to wreck your palate, and it'll go down fairly smooth.

While the initial taste is fine (and what I've come to expect from most IPA's or DIPA's), I can't help but feel that for a beer to have such a strong initial punch, the finish goes kinda dull and boring.

Aside from the odd finish, its an otherwise fine drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 19:32:56 | More by DM1293

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.88/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy copper amber colour with tinges of orange. A half centimetre tall, foamy head that fades to a thin lacing after about 30 sec.

Malts and a strong helping of hops that make for a bitter sweet aroma with plenty of pine notes following this up. Great fruity notes and even some mango follow this up along with citrus and a touch of pineapple and caramel finish.

Lots of hops and malts as the nose suggested with lots of sweet fruits and a touch of citrus too. There is a huge amount bitterness to this one and some mango along with strong grapefruit flavours.

Smooth with a medium body and moderate carbonation. There is plenty of bitterness to this one and a touch of sweetness in there too.

Good and very drinkable although the huge amount of bitter to this one is pushing it for me. It was still a beer that I enjoyed and the mango on the nose was a particularly nice.

1001 Beers Blog:
http://abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 17:51:15 | More by flyingpig

merc7186

New York

4.4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this beer poured on tap at Mr Goodbar, into a pint glass.

A: Deep Oranish/Amber Hue, Passes Mild Light, White Head, Good Lacing

S: Oranges, Sweet Malts, Belgian Sugars

T: Floral, Sweet Malts, Citrus

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Semi Sweet, Semi Drying

Overall, a really solid DIPA with a very sweet malty taste.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2012 02:24:56 | More by merc7186

LeeryLeprechaun

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

An excellent Double IPA from one of my favorite breweries.

The appearance is golden and hazzy. A nice sticky head sits atop the beer and forms an excellent lace on the glass.

You can smell the beer as soon as you crack it open and it makes itself known from across the table. Floral and citrus hops greet the drinker. A strong malt backbone is also present with some hints of the underlying alcohol in this beer. I also pick up esters, pineapple, and some grapefruit.

The first sip is malty with a toffeeish backbone. Bitter hops round out the sip and the beer finishes with an alcohols kick.

The medium body and nutty malt taste help to balance out the hop profile of this medium body and somewhat sticky beer.

This is an awesome double IPA that more than lives up to its name. The malt backbone supports the hops without overpowering them. Beware of the 10% ABV that is almost undetectable.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 23:22:11 | More by LeeryLeprechaun

Hopdaemon39

Massachusetts

4.63/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at Lord Hobo- pours a slightly hazy orange/copper color with a finger head, nice retention, and pretty white lacing.

Smell is nice, hoppy and open. Kinda subdued but very attractive- floral and pine hop scents with a touch of malt sweetness.

Tastes excellent- moderate hop bitterness, good pale malt backbone, floral and pine hops well balanced with malt. Alcohol is extremely well hidden.

Mouthfeel is excellent as well- medium bodied with light carbonation. A decent amount of hop resin. Exceptional DIPA- seek it out!

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2012 23:27:10 | More by Hopdaemon39

draheim

Washington

3.9/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle (bottled 11/7/2011) into a tulip. Pours an orange amber w/ a 1-finger off-white head, some chunks floating about. Better let this settle for a bit.

Aroma is lots of caramel malt and sweet mango and other fermenting fruit. Hops are there too, but either this one is showing its age or it's a malt bomb.

Taste is plentiful caramel malt and lots of bittering hops to balance things out. Not as sweet and caramelly as the nose, but not a super-hoppy beer either. Bold and assertive.

Mouthfeel is slick and coating, a little chewy.

Overall this is pretty good beer, but it wouldn't make my top 10 list of DIPAs.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 21:39:28 | More by draheim

grannaniwa

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brewed Nov 2011, tasted Apr 2012.

Hazy golden-amber color, with tons of particles floating around. Nose has some citrus/orange hops, some piney hops, and something much sweeter. Hops are definitely not overpowering on the nose.

Hops and malts race to make the first impression on the first sip. Obviously heavily-hopped, but has a more complicated set of flavors than many of the hop bombs out there. Carbonation holds up well in the middle. Leaves a sour tang in the back of the throat, while tongue is covered in bitter aftertaste. Not as bitter as I expected, though, at 85 IBUs. Alcohol is a little jarring on the first few sips, but less noticeable afterward and sneaks by despite the 10% ABV.

Overall: B+/A-, fits together well

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 00:42:08 | More by grannaniwa

spunionring

3.83/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is a delicious dipa, yet a bit unusual in its flavor. The smell of this beer doesnt seem to quite match the taste, being quite a delicious piney ipa smell. I have to say that the taste distinctively resembles the Yeti (stout from the same company). I can only assume they share some malt/hops combo that are not commonly used in other ipa's. Its not necessarily a bad thing, but it is an overwhelming flavor on the end swallow.

On the whole this is a delicious and well balanced beer, you will definitely want to try it if you've grown bored with "typical" ipa's.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 00:14:41 | More by spunionring

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

4.53/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 Oz bomber poured into a tulip glass

A- Pours ultra hazy burnt orange, cant see anything through it. A one finger of quickly dissipating head with some pretty good lacing. A dank looking IPA, just what I love to see.

S- A well balanced and pungent smell. Overly ripened grapefruits, some old fruits like pineapple and some figs even. A sweet maltiness here. A little caramel and a good deal of breadyness. A tiny touch of alcohol. Very fruity and rank, an awesome smelling brew.

T- The taste really reflects the smell. A heap of funky fruits up front like that old grapefruit, figs and rotting citrus, I mean that in a good way. Sort of stings the tongue with bitterness and carbonation, a really live beer. The hop profile in this beer is complex, funky and bizarre, it changes with every sip and keeps me guessing. A caramel breadiness lies beneath the crazy hop profile but still has a strong presence in the beer. A fantastic and very interesting tasting beer.

M- This beer is not lacking in the flavor department and is far from watered down, but having said that, this brew isn't too hard to get down, not a daily drinker but not quite a sipper. Leaves the mouth with a robust bitterness and a funky fruit aftertaste. A creamy feeling beer but isn't over bearing.

O- This is an amazing DIPA, A dank appearance, a pungent and funky smell and taste that is very complex and ever changing. Its fairly easy to get down yet wont gonna make you sick. I recommend this to all my friends who like a good hoppy beer, this is a real winner. Reminds me a bit of Stones 14th, as good if not better.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 01:26:55 | More by TwelveOunces

cooler4life

Quebec (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured a deep hue of sunset burnt orange. Half finger head that settled to a few bubbles around the middle. Some carbonation can been seen speckled through the cloudiness. Appears heavy and viscous. Little to no lacing.

S: Light pine, fruitcake, orange zest, molasses. The nose is rather subdued even after the beer has warmed.

T: Begins with a twinge of malty fruitiness then transitions to a fusion of molasses, grapefruit, tangerine, and aged pine. The bitter and sweet flavors intertwine fantastically.

M: Thick and chewy. The carbonation is just a tingly afterthought. This beer is incredibly smooth, the ABV is expertly masked by the delicate flavors.

O: Another smooth sippin' DIPA. When life takes you to the open range, better saddle up with some Hercules....and bring a partner.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 18:44:02 | More by cooler4life

jhtipton

Spain

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Great find in Madrid. Tad steep in price, about 5$ but hey I've paid $10 for bombers of less ambitious beers. Pours a deep golden in my wine glass with a one inch beige head. Realitively clear with some sediment. Bold smell; malt and heavy pine presence. Powerful hop presence and some malt but the alcohol does shine through. Mouthfeel is medium hop oil presence gives it a syrupy feel. Overall a great DIPA and will try again. Not sessionable. Two of these is like drinking a whole bottle of wine.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 17:23:33 | More by jhtipton

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

#66 on my Beers of Fame list!

Pour is amber. white head floats in little sections.

The best words that come to mind about the smell is IDK. Semi sweet malt backbone, leafy dried hops, but no fresh hop flavors. hm.

Full body. Sticky sweet malt reminiscent of Hopslam and Two-Hearted. it feels so thick, like literal honey. Now enough with the malt, lets get to the hops, or the lack of. Theres a nice bittering hop presence which makes an attempt at balancing out the sweet malt, but it loses. Theres no ry hop flavors. What I get is very slight hints of pine, but its faint. Too faint.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 23:35:16 | More by VncentLIFE

EMPotter

4/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Very nice IPA, in the top 10 class. Poured a beautiful frothy orange head with a rich cloudy amber/caramel color.
S- very light sweet hoppy with a hint of malt.
T- very rich hop blast on the tongue with very light bitterness.
M- coats the palate with a bold richness that last to the next sip.
O- would rank this IPA in the top class, great appearance with a great flavor. Light smell gives to a nice hoppy flavor without a lot of bitterness. Well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 23:08:14 | More by EMPotter

C20Percent

Virginia

4.13/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

*Review taken from notes*

A: Hazy copper color with reddish tint. Reddish egg-white head that disappears rather quickly.

S: Heavy citrus aroma with piney notes. Not particularly aromatic -- even flat.

T: Grapefruit splash followed by a boozy finish. The citrus flavors do overwhelm the boozy fight, which is impressive for the high abv. Crisp. Surprisingly easy drinking.

M: Light-heavy body.

O: This is a good beer. Better than average to be sure. But, there's nothing especially great that stands out here. Flavor holds up very well versus the abv.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 20:41:50 | More by C20Percent

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

3.78/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed 3/17/12

Appearance: Dark copper/amber color, very clear - moderately sized, creamy white head, leaves some wispy lacing

Smell: Aggressively hoppy and malty - almost like they were going for some balance - wet, oily hops - orange and grapefruit rind, resiny pine, slightly herbal - caramel malts, toasted biscuits, bread dough - sweet, but not excessive

Taste: Somewhat beastly - tons of hops, very oily and resinous - orange and grapefruit rind, some pith, and a ton of juicy pine - above average bitterness, with lingering bitterness - chewy malts - caramel malts, biscuits, bread, bread crust - sweet, but not unpleasant

Mouthfeel: Thick, full body - sticky and resiny, a little chewy, but the carbonation holds it together quite impressively

Overall: Big, even for the style

This almost feels more like a hoppy American Barleywine than a typical DIPA. In general, I like this style to be dryer and less heavy. But somehow, I actually like this. It's borderline too sweet, but it doesn't actually cross the border. And it hides the alcohol pretty well.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 02:55:00 | More by angrybabboon

MacQ32

South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a nice golden orange/amber color with about a quarter inch of seemingly dense near white head, retention is mediocre, lacing is good.

S - Sweet caramel malts, citrusy/tropical hops, a little bready. (my nose just went for a dip in the beer.. oops). Pretty malty smelling brew overall.

T - Very very nicely bitter, alcohol is detectable but not undesirable (for some it could be), some nice citrusy grapefruit flavors. I still pick up on the malt & bready quality in the back end a bit but the bitterness definitely dominates the sweetness from the malts

M - Medium bodied or more, fair amount of carbonation. not quite a sipper but definitely not a chugger.

O - All in all very solid brew, love the aggressiveness but still not overbearing

Serving type: growler

03-14-2012 00:23:19 | More by MacQ32

thegodfather2701

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at First Street Draught House. It was served in a snifter.

A-A nice amber with a thin white head that dissipated quickly. No real lacing to speak of.

S-Hoppy and slightly fruity.

T-Very hop forward of course, citrussy, fruity, with some caramel malt in the finnish. It tasted more like an American Barelywine to me than a double ipa.

M-Thick and syrupy, which was great.

D-A sipper for sure.

Overall, this is another solid beer from a great brewery. However, to me, this drank more like a barleywine than a double ipa. I will drink this again in the future for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

03-11-2012 22:25:30 | More by thegodfather2701

greencovesteve

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: cloudy orange, very bubbly. Average off white head.

S: citrus smells are dominate, orange, lemon, hint of banana. Also hints of cinnamon and dark chocolate.

T: not what I expected. Malty, sweet, and smooth. A very nutty brown taste.

M: smooth on entry, warming, and a subtle dry finish.

O: Solid offering. One of the smoothest 10%ers I had. This one has a moonshine quality about it, smooth and warming. It really taste like this one should be brown in color.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 00:24:53 | More by greencovesteve

One2Remeber

Florida

4.1/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass

A: Off-white, creamy thick head that stays put. Light copper color with an amber/orange hue. Transparent body. Head covers throughout entire drinking experience while leaving thick, sticky legs.

S: Citrus, tropical fruits, sweet malts, clean and crisp. Not too explosive in aroma. Faint smell of toasted grain.

T: Grapefruit, tangy, citrus hops come strong to be undercut by a hefty caramel malt backbone. Big one two punch of hops than malts compared to a graceful slide all the way down. Not crazy in complexity.

M: One of the smoothest IPAs. On feel alone the beer flows without any boozy burn (esp for Imperial IPA) and only a subtle hop presence lingers leaving a secured, satisfied pallet.

O: Does not blow me away in flavor but for style not much compare. Reminds me a 90 minute IPA with a more pronounced hop presence. GD knocks every style out of the park.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2012 03:38:17 | More by One2Remeber