Fresh Hop Pale Ale - Great Divide Brewing Company

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the South Philly Tap Room, served in a goblet

Appears an orange/amber with a fluffy white head. Excellent retention and light, whispy streaks of lace on the glass.

Big, fresh hop aroma. Grapefruit, orange, pine needles, and fresh cut grass. A mild malt sweetness holds things down, but the hops really jump out at you.

The earthy, grassy, pine needle hops shine through more on the flavor, with the citrus hops taking more of a backseat. However, they still lend a big hand in the bright hop profile. I am really surprised this is not an ipa.

Medium bodied, maybe a little thin. Finishes crisp and clean.

This is a clean, bright hopped, pale ale and should not be overlooked. Very easy to drink, and extremely fresh.

Serving type: on-tap

11-12-2008 16:16:28 | More by ColForbinBC

miketd

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Beer Engine.

Pours a golden, straw color with a decent size whitish head. Nice looking beer. Aroma is wet hops and grain...a bit nutty as well. Flavor is mildly hoppy with a good malt backbone. Decent palate and almost sweet finish. Good brew.

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2008 03:18:57 | More by miketd

Kadonny

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a nonic pint glass at TJs in Paoli from draft.

A: A deep orange amber color with a one finger head. Not a ton of glass lacing, but a just a good looking beer.

S: Massive hops, fresh hops. Smells of citrus, pine and grass with some subtle sweetness of malt.

T: Wow, this is a pale ale? Yes it is. The huge amounts of wet hops really stand out with that fresh cut grass flavors, grapefruit, pine and a bit of earthly floral flavors. The deep malt sweetness lies in the backround, but the hops keep beating it down. What a fabulous pale ale, maybe the best I have ever had. Hop head rejoice in this one.

M: Medium to thin. This is where you realize this is not an IPA, but an APA. Mouthfeel is a bit thin, but for an APA it is outstanding. Nice lingering bitterness.

D: Uber high. Nuff said.

Overall probably the best pale ale I have ever had, but you must like hops. If you don't like hops, stay away...far away. Bravo GD, you continue to impress the hell out of me.

Serving type: on-tap

11-06-2008 18:47:40 | More by Kadonny

glid02

Georgia

4.45/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on-tap at the Brick Store in Atlanta.

Pours a clear copper color with a one-finger off-white head. The head sticks around for a while before dissipating into a patchy layer on top and a thick ring around the glass. The lacing is pretty sticky.

Smells largely of citrus and floral hop aromas with some light pine. Very hoppy, I'm excited to sip on it.

Tastes just as good as the smell would indicate. Sweet malts mixed with a slight citrus flavor up front, followed shortly by a nice wallop of bitterness. The flavors linger for a moment but then disappear, making me want to take another sip.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a good thickness and solid carbonation, but nothing special.

Drinkability is great. This is an easy drinking APA that I could easily have a few more of.

Overall this is one of the better APA's I've had recently. Be sure to give this one a shot if you see it around.

Serving type: on-tap

10-30-2008 03:08:27 | More by glid02

Onslow

Texas

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lots of pine and american hops ... no alcohol detected ... smooth as a new bowling ball... this is an IPA right?? no APA here ... it actually tastes fresh with a great bitter backbone...One of the nicer american pales available on the market today, just hope the quality doesn't get effected by the hop shortage..

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2008 17:15:47 | More by Onslow

jim102864

Connecticut

3.83/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a hazy copper recently at E and into my porcelin mug. Noted a puffy head with lacing that clung in there throughout the experience.

Aroma was mildly hoppy, perhaps less ballsy than I expected but not suprising given the interpretation of the style. Green tea in the background hops all around.

Taste was also milder than expected. Somewhat earthy with hints of pine hops, grass and green tea. Nice moderate hoppy finisht.

Thinish mouthfeel but in a pleasant way.

Drinkable, though not a session brew. Something one could enjoy x 2 in one sitting then would likely seek to move on. Nice effort by a solid brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2007 10:14:17 | More by jim102864

Damian

Massachusetts

3.05/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Drank on-tap at Spuyten Duyvil, Brooklyn, NY

Poured a clear, glowing, orange-amber with a frothy, bubbly, khaki, one-finger head that slowly faded to a stubborn film. Large patches of lacing stuck all down the glass.

The aroma was very faint. Mild, herbal hops were barely detectable. Even as the beer warmed, the aroma remained placid.

The taste was all hops from start to finish. Piney, resiny hops hit hard up front and never let up. A spicy alcohol kick appeared mid-palate. The long-lasting finish was an intense mix of pine and bitter grapefruit.

Mouthfeel was medium/light bodied with a crisp, lively carbonation.

As with many other fresh hop ales I have sampled, this beer was overwhelmingly hoppy, bitter and unbalanced. I actually had a difficult time finishing my pint.

I would recommend this to only the most devoted of hop heads.

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2007 23:38:47 | More by Damian

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -31.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in pint glass at Smokin' Joes in Pittsburgh, PA on 11/23/07.

A - Clear, amber/orange body with one-finger of frothy, white head that mostly diminished and left a fair amount of lacing around the glass. Thin density with not much carbonaiton at all.

S - Traces of sweet caramel, some graininess and some burnt maltiness. Hops are a mix of flowers, perfume and some citrus as well. Not a very strong hoppy nose for the style.

T - Lightly sweet and moderately hoppy at first, with a fairly long bitter finish. Nothing spectacular.

M - Light to medium bodied with some oily hops. More watery than sticky. Virtually no carbonation at all. Slightly metallic, bitter finish.

D - Eh? Pretty run-of-the-mill offering. Again, I'd like to try a bottle with a freshness date to re-evaluate this brew.

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2007 20:34:58 | More by ffejherb

timmy2b

New York

4.7/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

growled from consumers beverage in East Amherst NY.

poured a nice amber color with a nice white head, and had an awesome smell with the scent of pine and hops!

Feels light in the mouth and is very easy to drink! I would reccomend this as a nice beer to drink while watching football on a saturday or sunday as I am doing right now!

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2007 01:13:48 | More by timmy2b

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served as a medium copper colored beer with slightly off-white head.
Smell is loaded with hops which supresses any other scents.
Taste is also loaded with piney and citrusy hops. Malt takes a backseat with this beer, som much so as to be barely detectable.
Finishes dry, dry, dry.
A very one-dimensional beer. that being said, it was still enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2007 00:27:37 | More by tgbljb

beerphan

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on tap->pint
BBT

Poured a clear straw orange, with a small white head. Lace of sheets up and down the glass. Mild carbonation.

Nose: Grassy herbal hops

Clean start with the hop nose letting you know whats coming. Dominated by grassy hops. Mild quick bitterness. All about the hop flavor and aroma.

Something to try once and move along, pretty standard as the fresh hop brews go,especially at $6 bucks a pint. Ouch.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2007 16:51:18 | More by beerphan

Redrover

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

This was just added to the tap list at the Flying Saucer in Houston.

It came in a 14 oz hefe style glass. The beer is copper with a chill haze and off-white head and lacing.

As advertised, fresh hop aroma abounds. There is lots of pine with a bit of citrus. I could smell it as it sat on the bar!

The taste is pleasantly biter with pinesap notes. There is caramel in the background for balance. The bitterness builds nicely as the beer coats your mouth.

The beer is easy to partake of. I'm not sure it’s a session beer, but it’s damn tasty!

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2007 20:16:06 | More by Redrover

dashirey

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I enjoyed this tasty beer (on tap from a pint glass) at Canal Street Pub in Reading, PA. A big thanks to bigsplash for letting me know it was on tap! This is my first review of a beer...so here it goes!

A - The orange / copper like color drew me in from the beginning. The thumb of head that I started with dissipated rather quickly, but left behind a small amount a lacing. The beer was neither clear nor cloudy but somewhere in between.

S - Very complex especially for a beginner. Lots of smells from this beer; grassy from the start, from the fresh hops. But later more pine and citrus really overwhelm the nose.

T - Again very complex, it tasted a little different every time I sipped. At first there was a metallic/copper taste - not bad. Followed with more floral then some citrus - but not nearly a overwhelming citrus taste

M - Smooth medium beer with a "twang" at the back of the throat right before it goes down. Carbonation was right on target!

D - Very easy to drink. I would have followed it with another, but more than 2 or 3 would be pushing it for my tastes. I would look for this beer again any time.

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2007 02:49:38 | More by dashirey

3.58/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Flying Saucer.

Clear, orange-amber in color. Generous, off-white head.

Very hoppy aroma, citrus & grass. Malt very much second fiddle - hints of caramel/molasses?

Taste was a bit of a let down for me, in that I expected more from the hops. They were definately showcased, but seemed mild and well balanced.

Body was light, with medium carbonation. A bit drying, but still quite refreshing.

Overall, may be a case of too high of an expectation. Beer is quite good. What is odd, is that the bottle version seems hoppier to me. A bit smoother as well.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2006 15:53:26 | More by

WesWes

New York

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The beer pours a dark gold color with a towering white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a rich and complex malt scent that is comprised of pale, carapils, and bisquit malts. It has a nice bisquity aroma that balances well with the hops. The hop aroma is very nice. It has a grassy hop scent that is bitter and rich, but not over the top. The taste is great. It has a well balanced attack of malt and hops. It has a light crystal and bisquit malt flavor along with a bitter, citrus hop finish. This beer is incredibly smooth and easy drinking. It has tremendous mouthfeel. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a near perfect beer. I like everything about it. Just another great beer from Great Divide.

Serving type: on-tap

01-19-2006 02:03:30 | More by WesWes