Hercules Double IPA - Great Divide Brewing Company

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.43/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Jay for the 12 oz bottle! Poured into a generic tulip.

A: Pours a reddish copper color. The head is a one finger offwhite shade. Definitely an attractive DIPA with a nice amount of lacing left on the glass.

S: There is a lot of caramel, plummy expressions, and faint pine on the nose. Surely, this one is past its prime.

T: A sweet caramel opening gives way to plenty of earthy, boozy, and piny qualities on the finish and aftertaste. Past its prime? Yeah - even still, I'm impressed by how balanced and mellow this one comes across. The boozy notes in no way ruin my moderate enjoyment of this one.

M: The texture is medium, and thankfully isn't too syrupy or boozy either way. It also lacks some of the sharpness some DIPAs develop - but to be fair, this IS an older bottle.

O: Quite good, considering its advanced age. Fresh, this is one to keep an eye on.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 22:56:29 | More by ThisWangsChung

shbobdb

Indiana

3.45/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Thanks ColoradoBobs!

This beer reminds me a lot of Double Crooked Tree, or, to a lesser extent, Ruination -- it has a lot of hops, but it also has a lot of alcohol hotness.

The beer looks wonderful, a nice creamy heady and a delicious brown body, The head collapses all too quickly, but a faint ring remains.

The smell is resinous hops and alcohol heat. The taste is essentially the same. The alcohol hotness fades as I drink (no surprise! This is hoppy enough to cause major tastebud fatigue).

A very good DIPA, but IMHO, it is a touch too dry. The heat makes an interesting (and quickly becoming traditional) partner to the hops, but I dunno.

A solid, good beer. Essentially everything their Titan IPA offers, just more, more more. Less gymsock then their Titan as well.

A good representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2006 21:19:51 | More by shbobdb

Edgecrusher

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Cloudy-unfiltered. A nice golden copper color-very opaque. Minimal head and with a decent lacing.

Smell: Hoppy aroma-not overbearing but pleasant. Sweet caramel overtones are present-from the malt.

Taste: Hoppy as the aroma indicates-malt presence is noted-adds a sort of sweet taste.

Mouthfeel: Good-Very slightly oily with medium carbonation-just about the right combo.

Drinkability: Above average-one or two a session is good.

Overall a good beer-Would like to get my hands on one right off the beer truck to sample-of course fresher is better with this style

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2008 17:27:21 | More by Edgecrusher

bassmantin

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pour a nice golden orange with minimal head. Pour it fairly quickly.

The smell is very woody. The hops remind me of the SN Bigfoot Barelywine. The taste is similar to the smell. Very strong, woody hoppiness that overpowers everything. Minimal malt flavor. I can detect some faint malts that might be interesting if I could perceive them better.

I think might be one to age, given the high abv and the over-intesity of the hops when fresh. I might give it a shot.

Overall: I am a hophead of sorts, but this one is too hoppy. One surprise - the alcohol is incredibly well concealed.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2009 00:54:04 | More by bassmantin

Mistofminn

Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Fresh 2010 bottle, bomber into Celebration pint glass.

Pours redder than I expected. A slightly off-white cap sits on top with great retention and extremely sticky lacing.

The nose starts out with a earthy bitterness, very resiny. A light sweet malt backbone comes out on a good swirl.

The taste starts out with a dry astringency, followed shortly by a very dry resiny hop bitterness. Intense sweet malts come out next, followed by an ethanol burn I haven't experienced in some time. This tastes like fresh Bigfoot, with more malts and more alcohol, but worse.

Mouthfeel is heavy, with a smooth feel and lingering bitter aftertaste. Drinkability is ok, nothing special.

Overall, I'm kind of disappointed with this one. I was expecting something floral and citrus like from a fresh IPA, but I definitely didn't get it. Either the store I got this at lied about it being a "fresh 2010" bottle or this just isn's as good as I thought it would be.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2010 03:15:23 | More by Mistofminn

DanThomas

Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A very good double IPA. This beer doesn't mess around.

A- Beautiful clear copper, orange tint, white rim that stays on throughout.

S- Spicy pine and citrus, lots of hops.

T- Exactly what the smell suggests. Citrus comes through even more, though, and the pine stays solid throughout and really hits you on the back; bit of an alcohol taste on the way down (and there's nothing wrong with that!).

M- Strangely satisfying velvety feel, very substantial. If you could imagine squeezing one of those water filled tubes, the kind that shoot out of your hand, that's what the mouthfeel is like. Warming alcohol is nice.

D- Strong for an IIPA, but let's be honest, this isn't a hugely drinkable style in general. Really great to have, though, and it's a wonderful beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2010 05:09:00 | More by DanThomas

Dave128

Kentucky

3.45/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled Sept 30 2010.. Enjoying Feb 13 2011...

A - This beer has a beautiful way of making the bubbles fill the glass. I'm using a standard unetched pint glass and bubbles are just slowly kinda drifting to the top not necessarily racing indicating a nice body. Head is DIPA ish. Not much oomph initially but has lasting power. Very pretty amber color.

S - Not really that much going on in the aroma besides some piney/floral smells its clearly all hops. There is a slight metallic smell thats hard to put my finger on.. Maybe it will come through on the taste.

T - Very bitter. Maybe my palate is not quite ready for this beer. The metallic (for lack of a better descriptive word) smell was just the alcohol which is pretty evident in this offering. I feel like I'm not actually getting much flavor. It seems like its all bitterness and alcohol. I know some people are into just that combination but it seems just a little imbalanced to me. Tastes like pinecones.

M - Excellent body and carbonation. Exactly how a DIPA should feel in your mouth.

D - Ehh... idk.. this is a tough call for me. I don't want to call out a beer that may not be the freshest of its kind... but I was not too impressed by this offering. I would certainly try it again given the opportunity... but I won't be seeking out Hercules IPA as my DIPA of choice.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 06:22:01 | More by Dave128

airheadmtrcycle

Georgia

3.45/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Deep orange color with a thick foamy head with tons of lacing. The brew is more opaque than clear.

Smells of citrus and pine hops and biscuit-like malt. All the flavors that go along with those aromas plus a spicy alcohol kick and a semi-bitter finish. The mouth feel is meaty and carbonated.

A nice DIPA that any self-respecting hop head should try. The highlights are its fantastic looks and excellent mouth feel. There are other DIPAs that I prefer for taste, but Hercules is hard to beat for an all around brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2011 23:16:10 | More by airheadmtrcycle

BB1313

Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on Feb. 9, 2011.. very fresh! 12oz bottle poured into a standard pint glass. Pours a burnt golden, pushing being orange; completely transparent. Not the biggest head, but great lacing. I'm picking up lots of pine mixed with some citrus, specifically grapefruit. Tastes extremely bitter, slightly sweet. Lots of pine and resin in the mix; sticky. Pretty malty with hints of caramel giving it some sweetness.. but like I mentioned, extremely bitter. Mouthfeel is nice.. it started off fizzy, but became more smooth as you get more into it; full-bodied. Drinkablity is average, alcohol is noticeable, finishes warm and sticky. This is a huge beer.

This beer could be really great, IMO, but it's completely unbalanced. I understand the DIPA style is based on not being balanced.. but I wasn't feeling this one, and I really wanted to. I'm a huge fan of Great Divide, so I feel a tad let down. It's worthy though. I completely understand why so many people like this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 12:04:26 | More by BB1313

Luk13

Quebec (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

355 ml bottle @ Volo. Copper colored beer with an off-white to pale yellow head. Aroma is heavy, sappy pine hops. Taste is very much the same caramel with tons of pine bitterness. The label calls it hefty, and it is. Mouthfeel is almost gritty it's so bitter and it has almost no carbonation feel

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 20:55:51 | More by Luk13

iabeerbaron

Iowa

3.45/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A nice dark rusty pour with a nice thick head. Lacing was thick and lasted. Smell of citrus, especially grapefruit and floral. Flavor is lightly bitter with citrus flavor. A good brew. Especially great if you make it to Great Divide in Denver and get to enjoy it on tap. Great place!

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 19:04:18 | More by iabeerbaron

battlekow

Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Well, I just had Great Divide's Yeti and Oak Aged Yeti stouts, so I figure I'll give another of their Big Beers a shot. Hello, Hercules.

Hercules pours a very cloudy reddish-gold color, with a small head but ample lacing. Looks like a nice apple cider.

It smells, interestingly enough, a lot like the Oak Aged Yeti: very hoppy.

It tastes very hoppy, very piney and floral. There's some malty sweetness but it's overwhelmed by the hoppiness, as would suit a double IPA, I suppose. Surprisingly, there's a little bit of roasted maltiness here as well. There's some spicy alcohol character as well.

I'm not a hophead, but even if I was, I don't think I'd love this. It doesn't have much character besides an abundance of hoppiness. Really, I'm surprised at the similarities between this and the Oak Aged Yeti. This is a far inferior version, however: all the hoppiness, little of the backbone and depth.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2005 07:44:43 | More by battlekow

hoppymeal

Michigan

3.48/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours light copper and hazy in color with a nice size cream head that slowly recedes. Smell is not overly hoppy, but there is some fresh herbaceous aromas, a little 'smoky' hoppiness, as well as a very light orange and berry sweetness. Taste shows only the smallest amount of citrusy hops, there is a nice peppery bite of bitterness mid taste that blends into a spicy alcohol and piney hop finish that is fairly drying. Nice and creamy malt body balances the good sized bite of hops well. Not a bad beer at all but I definitely wasn't blown away flavor or aroma wise, not too much happening. Mouthfeel is quite nice though and if you are in need of a hop bite it can definitely suffice there.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2007 04:38:35 | More by hoppymeal

wspscott

Kentucky

3.48/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber in pint glass

I got a gusher when I opened the bottle so I am not sure this beer is at its best, take this for what its worth

A: Dark copper color with a creamy white head. Lots of lace.
S: Virtually non-existent nose, even as it warms up, there is not a lot going on. The malts are almost more obvious than the hops.
T: Very one dimensional, it is mostly bitter without much flavor. The hops are very present and there is a nice malt backbone. There are hints of sweetness before the hops dominate.
M: The best part of the beer, a nice creamy mouthfeel. I hate beers that come across as watery, this beer is rich but not thick.
D: This is a good but not great beer. I like their Titan IPA better. Worth trying but that is about it.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2007 00:09:10 | More by wspscott

Keith238

New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

Rich thick head and tight lacing. Caramel colored with strong floral and citrus aroma. Very malty in my opinion for a double IPA. It was like a Scotch Ale mixed with an IPA. I would prefer a little less of the malt flavor but overall it was pretty well balanced. 1 more bottle in the fridge so I'll give it another shot and update if necessary.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2009 23:23:58 | More by Keith238

charlzm

California

3.48/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Consumed October 7th 2010 at Lucky Baldwin's, Pasadena.

Beer is a clear burnished copper color, very deep and rich color. Plenty of active carbonation. Head is thick, luxurious, cream colored and quite sticky. A winner in the glass.

Aromas are a bit wanting, however. Almost nothing but a faint whiff of pine.

At first sip, the flavor seems brutally skewed towards hops. Resiny, piny hops with a middling bitterness. After a few sips, the caramel flavor of the malt begins to peek through and provides some welcome balance. Traces of citrus in the hops as well, but hardly a major flavor component.

Mouthfeel is somewhat dry which does not quite cut the oily feeling left behind after each sip.

Overall, while this doesn't bring anything new to the DIPA table, it is utterly a joy to drink. And at 10% ABV, one must watch one's intake!

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2010 02:08:44 | More by charlzm

Preismj

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

a: rich red/amber with a quarter inch head, good retention and nicely sticky.

s: smells of hints of floral, though I am getting a lot of malt in here and a bit of a turn off as I wasn't expecting nor was I in the mood for it.

t: more of a combination IPA and Red if you ask me. I get a tremendous amount of nutty toffee and the thick syrup taste...considerably more than any hops I taste. I am not a fan of reds and this reminds of a red with it's strong malt profile.

m: nice feel in the mouth, coats the palette and finished dry enough for me to be satisfied. good fizz to it too.

o: won't actively search this out again, again the malt was too strong for the style and not something I was in the mood for.

Serving type: on-tap

04-14-2011 20:25:11 | More by Preismj

pburland23

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I think I may have a had a bad bottle of this one.

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into my Great Divide Brussels glass.

Beer poured an extremely hazy orange with lots and lots of floating sediment. Reading other reviews, I can't help but think this was extremely abnormal. Very thin head with no lacing.

The beer smelled like a muted version of what a good DIPA should smell like. There were hints of piney, resinous hops but the overall aroma was fairly weak.

The taste was very hoppy...piney with some citrus notes. Again, though it felt like something was missing. There just wasn't enough flavor in this one. Makes me think the bottle was off since Great Divide packs the flavor into their brews.

Mouthfeel was slightly resinous and sticky. The sediment really detracted from the overall mouthfeel as did a noticeable lack of carbonation.

Overall, this was certainly disappointing. I'm eager to try this one again given I'm not certain that this bottle was representative of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2011 00:44:44 | More by pburland23

TheHoppiest

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a tulip glass. The bottle bears a "bottled-on" date of April 11, 2011.

Hercules has a strong, resinous aroma, with healthy doses of yeast, alcohol, and malt, with hints of pine.

Intense in flavor, with alcohol, resin, yeast, malt and pine combining for a wallop of hop. The bitterness is cut by the malt, but is still quite prevalent with a dry finish.

Medium bodied, the resin from the hops gives this a sticky, almost tacky feel.

This was one of the first DIPA's I had when I began my craft beer quest, and was a favorite at that time. While exposure to other breweries has widened my interests beyond simple hop monsters, I will always have a soft spot for this brew. Still, in my opinion there are many better DIPA offerings out there that you should consider before buying a four-pack of this ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 22:31:39 | More by TheHoppiest

beerandcycling88

Washington

3.48/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Collins pub.

A pours a deep copper with a nice white head that leaves a ton of lacing.

S some resin, a hint of pine, and some sweet malt.

T some resin and pine up front which is balanced out with a lot of caramel malt.

M very thick almost syrupy.

Overall this is a pretty good but not great dipa. However it OS enjoyable to drink and I would consider getting this again.

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2011 19:21:36 | More by beerandcycling88

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Hercules has a very hazy, orange-brown body with a thin tan head. The retention is great, and some pretty nice lacing is left behind as well.

The aroma is sweet and powerful. Lots of malt, lots of citrus from the hops.

The best way to describe Hercules is Big. It has a ton of everything. The hop profile is huge, with loads of citrus. The focus is on grapefruit, and there are loads of bitterness. The malt profile is at least as big as the hop profile. Hercules is really sweet, with lots of caramel flavors, as well as sweet bread. The finish has some more bitterness, and a good kick of warmth.

The mouthfeel is creamy and full, with a slightly oily feel from the hops. The bitterness is palpable.

Hercules has a huge hop profile, which is nice, but it is insanely sweet and a little bit boozy.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2012 21:03:20 | More by Hojaminbag

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.48/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Off tap into a tulip glass. One finger of head on a dark copper body.
It has a strong smell of orange and lemon, which it nice.
The taste is solid bitterness and a little sour orange. Bold and in your face.
The mouthfeel is normal moderate carbonation and medium body.
Overall a nice drink and I liked the orange scent and flavor that came through.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2012 04:43:53 | More by Fatehunter

hoppytobehere

Colorado

3.49/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

22 oz, bottled on Jan 10.

A: Hazy copper body, with nice head that sticks around a while. Not much for lacing.

S: Malt dominates the nose. Sweet rolls, very similar to their Titan. Alcohol. Hardly any hop aroma, which is troubling.

T: Hop flavors are subdued. I've had this on tap at their brewery and I remember it being better. A double IPA less than 2 months old shouldn't have a hop profile so diminished.

M: Could maybe use a little more carbonation, but otherwise it's fine.

O: Great Divide's IPAs just don't age well at all. I think from now on, I'll only buy bottles I can find that were bottled less than a month ago.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 01:05:46 | More by hoppytobehere

OldYoda

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle with no dating into my Troeg's pint. Comes out a semi-hazy amber with a minimal head and some lacing.

Smell is dominant with piney hops and a whiff of grass and malt, but primarily and overwelmingly hops.

Taste follows smell, hops and more hops with enough malt backbone to support this hopbomb.
Alcohol is present but well disguised

Mouthfeel is good, velvety and smooth.

Drinkability is limited at this ABV but one was very enjoyable. A durable and drinkable DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2008 02:01:03 | More by OldYoda

orangedive

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Amber-orange color - 1-inch head

S - Citrus, hops, little bit of alcohol

T - Bitter, orange, alcohol, not too complex, not too syrupy like some double IPAs

M - soft, good, medium bodied

D - easy and nice drinking except for a little alcohol burn

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2008 02:59:15 | More by orangedive