Fresh Hop Pale Ale - Great Divide Brewing Company

TexIndy

Texas

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

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a Duvel tulip glass. No bottling info even though there is a spot on the label for it. Saw other reviews that had a date so guessing this batch got missed for some reason? Just hit the market here so still pretty fresh. It was a clear light copper color with plenty of carb streams. It had a 2 finger foamy, white head that slowly settled into a constant foam cap. Great lacing with lots sticking.

The aroma was excellent with pine resin and plenty of citric hops alongside it. Not a hop bomb aroma since an APA and not an IPA - just great hop aroma without overdoing it. The taste was also excellent and again feature the resin battling with the citric hops for dominance. Just a little sweet in there to balance it out a little. Moderate bitterness. Creamy mouthfeel with good carb levels and a slight bitter aftertaste.

Overall, an excellent beer that I highly recommend especially if you can get fresh. I missed this one the last couple seasons so was very excited when I was able to get a couple this year. Really loved the aroma and taste on this one. Very smooth. Avail here in TX - limited release seasonal. Rotation - got one more that I'll drink while super fresh and see if I can get on-tap this weekend. Definitely going to seek several bottles each year. [H;Y]

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 00:52:36 | More by TexIndy

quirkzoo

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled Sept. 29th, de-bottled Oct. 21st.

Pours a hazy bright orange with a good two fingers of off white head. Boom! Aroma is pure hops. I homebrew and it smells exactly like when you open a bag of whole leaf hops. Really grassy (but in a fresh, complex, vegetal, lightly green way, not in a bad old musty hops way). A little bit of hop citrus on the nose but it is definitely 80% grassy notes. Taste is more of the same. The bitterness is really quite mild as compared to the strong hop flavor. The flavor of the hops really opens up on the palate and I started to get more herbal (mint, chives...) flavors. Malt is present but only as a stage for the hops. Mouthfeel was smooth but nothing amazing. Overall this beer accentuates the fresh hop flavors and gives you something a little different than your basic APA, but not quite the strong bitterness of an IPA. Definitely worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 03:41:13 | More by quirkzoo

rab53

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Clear medium amber with a small even white head. Aroma dominated by grass and citrus pith. Not unpleasant, but not quite what I was expecting. Taste is biscuity malt and grassy hops. Very earthy overall, unlike the citrus heavy California IPAs. Easy-drinking, dangerous with the ABV. Not the best wet hop ale I've had, but one to revisit.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 03:55:56 | More by rab53

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

one of the better fresh hop pales i've had this year. pours a sappy golden color with a lively head. nose is awesome, fresh west drippy oily hops all the way, but not bitter or sharp at all. taste is more balanced up front than anticipated, with a medium body and moderate carbonation. the hop kick comes late, and it just slips in and out, crafty and patient, but a measure less than subtle. delicious brew, perfect out back after a good raking of the yard!

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 04:01:43 | More by StonedTrippin

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

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

A-Pours a very vibrant amber color. Transparent hue. Dense off-white head. Head is compact but still stands quite high and retains. Head leaves some lighter clumps of lacing on the glass.

S-This is exactly what I wanted in the nose. Big, super fresh, hoppy nose. Heaps of citrus. Orange, grapefruit, and even some other more tropical fruits. Also hints of grass and pine. Malt is sweet but subdued when compared to the hops. Smells great.

T-This is delicious. Incredibly grassy. Tastes very ripe and fresh. Citrus rind and pine hops match the grass. Bready malt and caramel malt sweetness too. Taste matches the name "Fresh Hop". I am really enjoying the flavor here. Lightly bitter.

M-Awesome feel. Medium bodied. Carbonation massages the palate. A bit resiny. Light bitter aftertaste.

O/D-I was expecting this to be good, but I am surprised by how much I like this. I love the hop profile here. Oh so drinkable. Smooth and flavorful. I would like to say that I wish this beer was year-round. But I prefer it once a year because now I have a hoppy Fall offering to really look forward too.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 02:28:32 | More by VelvetExtract

Mora2000

Texas

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a clear orange color with a decent-sized white head. The aroma is full of papaya, orange and orange, with some biscuit malt. The tropical fruit hop aroma is very fresh and dominates the smell. Very nice. The flavor also features a lot of tropical fruit. I get some nice pineapple and papaya notes, with a low amount of bitterness. The biscuit malt is also present, but it takes a back seat to the fresh hops. The alcohol is very well hidden. Medium, soft mouthfeel and low to medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 01:54:04 | More by Mora2000

codsmith

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled Oct 3rd, 2011 - Consumed Oct 19th, 2011

A: Nice clear light golden amber with a thick creamy white head that laces the glass very nicely and stays around throughout the beer

S: Wonderful citrus and grass hop aroma coming off the top. Very clean hop aroma.

T: Delicious light malt body that provide backbone to the beer but do not over power and allows for the hop flavors to hit the palette. The ending bitterness is very well balanced and not overly done. It leaves a really bitter grassy hop aftertaste that lingers

M: Light-to-medium body that has excellent carbonation and a very clean mouthfeel

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 00:32:14 | More by codsmith

doughanson78

Washington

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

22oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: Orange with a slight yellow tint. Perfectly clear. Two finger rocky white head with amazing retention and damn good lacing.

S: Very resinous. Citrus and earthy hops. Pineapple mainly with some orange peel. Just a hint of caramel.

T: Resinous and earthy. Touches of caramel. I know it's a pale ale but no bitterness at all. Very dirty/earthy finish with none of the citrus that was in the nose. Almost to much resin in the flavors.

M: Medium bodied. Medium carbonation. Very dry finish. Slick and oily.

O: A great beer. Not near the likes of Zombie Dust. But definitely tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 05:19:48 | More by doughanson78

CoalPorter

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber bottled on Oct 14, 2010, poured into a Harpoon tulip on Sep 2, 2011

A - 3 pillowy fingers of eggshell head leaving very pretty lacing all the way through. Color is rich amber-orange, clear at first pour and a little cloudy with sediment on the second glass

S - wet earth and citrus, lemon oil, mango, grapefruit, and tangerine

T - Remarkably smooth at first sip given the aggressive nose. Light floral notes and a hint of crackery malt before descending into an onslaught of various bitter hop flavors. Lemon rind, dandelion greens, and fresh cut grass

M - light and bubbly

O - A very nice pale ale, with an extra flavor spike you'd expect from fresh hopping. Nicely drinkable at 6.1%

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 14:46:56 | More by CoalPorter

lacqueredmouse

Australia

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

Purchased from New Beer Distributors in New York.

Pours a lovely, slightly hazed orange golden colour, with a full, thick and frothy head of off-white. Lacing is riotous and speckled. Body is light and supple. Looks really good.

Nose is bright and fresh, with characters of crushed vegetation and rubbed citrus rind. Zesty and sharp, but very smooth. The sort of beer that's going to be great to drink, you can just tell.

Crisp and zesty on the palate, with pleasant citric bite and a sweetness like musk and grain. It's supremely refreshing, and extremely well balanced. It's the sort of beer that's bursting with flavour, but which you also just want to drink and drink and drink. Feel is light and fresh. Matches beautifully.

Gorgeous beer, eminently drinkable and extremely refreshing. Even for 6.1%, it's an amazingly sessionable beer. So clean, so light and just so damn good. One of the best APAs I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 17:42:47 | More by lacqueredmouse

CHADMC3

Connecticut

3.93/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a light copper to orange body with golden hues beneath the massive, foamy off-white head that erupts from the pour and is packed with dense bubbles of carbonation.

Generous aromas of sweet malt and piney and citrus hops float from the glass although it is tough to tell which is the headliner. As it warms, there are hints of wood and grass as well.

The immediate flavor is citrus hops, followed by the sweet maltiness, and ending with the grassy and pine hop notes.

Medium in body with generous carbonation, with an oily coated finish.

A very nice AIPA overall, although it seemed a bit metallic at the finish, I would write this off to the fact that the bottle was just over a year old (did not notice when purchased).

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2011 02:28:56 | More by CHADMC3

DrinkingDrake

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A minimal amount of foamy head on top of a pale copper body. Aroma hits you with a large amount of hops. Lemon/Lime citrus, grapefruit and honeydew melon. Some malts are also present but this is all hop. Before I go on about hops the pale, subtly sweet caramel, malt bill is a great base for the hops that go over it. With that as a base there is a great mix of hop flavors. Juicy grapefruit, pineapple and melon upfront. The finish is a mix of pine and grass but the lingering bitterness is fruity. Awesome balance of juicy and bitter. Medium/light body, hop bomb but not bitter bomb. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2011 15:13:46 | More by DrinkingDrake

Kromes

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Cloudy orange with big white chunks. Bottle has sat undisturbed for about a week. Not sure why the chunks are there. A thick off-white head that leaves oily laces down the glass.

S: A grassy hop aroma with some candy sweetness.

T: Nice sweet malt flavor with some smooth citrus and grass hop flavors. There is also a light fruitiness to the beer. Flavors are balanced very well and continue to the finish which is slightly bitter and dry with a subtle sweetness that remains.

M: medium body and good carbonation. Slight oily feel to it.

O: Very good beer. Definitely recommend this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 16:18:53 | More by Kromes

BeerNemesis

New York

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Fresh Hop Pale Ale | 650 ml. | 6.1% ABV | 2010

Brewer: Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
Glass: pint

Appearance:
Basic amber—the color everyone associates with "beer"—with some nice streaming bubbles and a foamy white head.

Aroma:
Wild herbs, musty pine, citrus, light malts, floral hops.

Taste:
The floral hops and soft pine come through first, backed up by lightly toasted bread crust and wild herbs. Citrusy hops cut through mid sip. It finishes with a leafy/grassy flavor.

Mouthfeel:
Clean and slightly creamy. Medium-bodied, on the lighter end of the spectrum.

Harmony:
A compact, mildy hoppy experience with some added complexity due to the herbal and floral notes.

Would I get it again?:
Yes.

Bottled: October 4, 2010
Served: January 29, 2011

Price = ?

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2011 03:03:18 | More by BeerNemesis

mlazzaro

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear, amber with white head. Smells good, just a very mild hop smell. Soft but very present bitterness. Highly drinkable beer. Maltiness is sort of lost. Considering the IBUs and overall hop presence, this is pretty much an mild American IPA. Luckily I love IPAs. I was surprised to read the ABV, I assumed much less. Pretty good beer, kind of expensive.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2011 13:55:11 | More by mlazzaro

NODAK

Tennessee

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

Aroma is of pine, a bit of resin, perhaps grass. Biscuit in the background. Not strong at all, though. Very subdued.

Pours a dark golden color in the glass. Fair head.

Initial taste is a decent pine floral hoppiness that is about on par with many APA's. There is a somewhat small biscuit malt profile underneath that peeks through but never becomes very prominent. On the finish, a renewed grassy floral hoppiness pages across the tongue with a little bit of astringency.

Not a bad offering, though I don't know that I would consider this one of the very best in style. It's refreshing though, and drinks well despite that lack of real malt balance.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2011 00:58:08 | More by NODAK

RoyalT

Ohio

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

Appearance - This is a nice, bright orange in color with an easy, gorgeous white head that showed nice retention.

Smell - The hops are clean if a little dull and I really don't get much of the malt. The aroma is good it just lacks diversity.

Taste - The malts sweeten up a bit at the taste but again they are a bit bland. The hops are good though. They aren't very fruity but have a nice, leafy character that is a bit heavy at times but satisfies nevertheless.

Mouthfeel - This is definitely medium-bodied with some mild but firm carbonation and a velvety, smooth mouthfeel.

Drinkability - The feel in the cheeks really made this for me. I really like this brewery but this was one of their lesser offerings. It was good but not great.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2011 03:51:15 | More by RoyalT

Bfarr

Washington

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy orange amber and foamy tan head with good retention and spotty lacing. Sweet grassy and bright fruit aromas. Taste follows immediately with hints of lemon, pineapple, and ranier cherry. Grassy takes a back seat but is omnipresent in the background. Smooth, clean finish with a light linger.

Fairly robust and nicely balanced, this has great flavor and very complex for a pale ale. Certainly not a backyard chug-a-bunch but a wonderful sipper and probably ideal for pairing.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 00:50:41 | More by Bfarr

JackieTH

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Orange/amber with an inch of off-white head.

Smell: Grass and herbal notes, malty.

Taste: Slightly spicy, herbal and resin hop but predominantly malty, carmelly and slghtly sweet. Slightly bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium with average carbonation.

Drinkability: Here is a bottled on date of October 14, 2010. Now four months later, I Probably should have skipped it. Almost certainly would be better "Fresh". Will look for it in the future, fresher.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 19:45:14 | More by JackieTH

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Say, since when did it become customary to leave this beer on the shelves for so long? I had stopped in at one of my up-and-coming bottle shops to score some CANs for a CANTrade and snagged this while I was there. I now notice a "Bottled On OCT 14 2010" stamp on the label! WTF, over?!? It's not the bottle shop's fault, per se as they are just recently stepping up their game, but their master distro must have decided to unload some outdated beers on them. Fooled me once, shame on you. Oh well, I like beer.

From the bottle: "Fresh Hop Pale Ale is brewed with fresh whole cone hops from the Pacific Northwest. We ship these "wet" hops to Denver overnight and brew shortly after harvest, imparting an intensely grassy hop aroma and citrus hop flavor in a medium-bodied ale."; "Suggested Food Pairings: Grilled trout, grilled bratwurst, garlic/ginger sweet potatoes, Epoisses (a rich, washed rind cow's milk cheese from France.)"

I loved the visual aspect of this beer! I got two-plus fingers of tawny head off of my pour, and the color was a deep-orangish/ coppery amber with NE-quality clarity. The nose had a very earthy, grassy, hay-like aspect underlain by a caramel/biscuit sweetness. I'll bet that this would have been killer, had it been fresh. I was reminded of summers in my youth, when my maternal grandparents were still largely surrounded by farms and the meadows were freshly mown and left to dry before raking. Mouthfeel was medium with an initial hit of grassy, minty hops before allowing a caramel sweetness to pop up like Whack-a-Mole. Finish had a slight hoppy bite, and again, I wept for what might have been. It was as if the Volume knob had been turned to "2", vice "11". Awww, man. The sticky lacing that appeared looked like it was going to require a jackhammer to remove later.

If it is still on their shelves on my next visit, I am going to bring this to their attention. This travesty is on their distro, not them.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 19:47:39 | More by woodychandler

Brabander

Netherlands

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

This is actually a very good APA! I got this bottle is a trade with my buddy Sietse, Apophis666. Thanks again my friend. Poured in my struise glass this beer looks very nice with his big broken white head and cloudy fluid.

This beer has a very good taste with much floral and grassy hops in it. Some nice citrus notes in the beer also.

Worth drinking!

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 13:11:35 | More by Brabander

grittybrews

Washington

4.1/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 10/2010, consumed 01/2011, so not overly fresh.

Poured a vivid orange-amber into a tulip with two fingers of sticky, bright white head that left a good amount of dotty lacing. Somewhat gentle floral aroma with hints of toffee and pine.

Moderate carbonation and a full, slightly slick mouthfeel. I'm guessing the hops had faded a bit with this bottle, and the initial flavors were dominated by a mild caramel sweetness, biscuit, and a hint of apricot. Not overly bitter with a nice floral/pine crispness on the finish.

Well-balanced pale ale; would love to try this one again fresh.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 18:07:28 | More by grittybrews

jsh420

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

bottled on oct. 14 2014

pours clear golden copper with a 2 finger head that left lacing all down the glass

smell is very close to SN celebration - a good balance of hops and malts - has a bit of a musty smell

taste - has that moth ball musty taste?? and an overall watered down flavor

mouthfeel is good light body good carbonation slightly crisp and creamy

drinkability is so so - the overall musty mothball taste kills this for me but others might enjoy

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 05:11:52 | More by jsh420

jwinship83

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

consumed on 1/12/2010. 650ml bottle drank from my samuel adams perfect pint glass.

A- this one pours out of the bottle a bright copperish colored body with a small finger of bright white head. the body is somewhat hazy. the head lasts for a while and leaves behind small spots of lacing are left on the sides of my glass.

S- when i picked this one up, i was afraid that i might have a beer with faded hops. the smell on this one tells me that that isnt the case. plenty of grapefruit coming from my glass. theres also alot of piny hops as well as some grassy hops in here. a small amount of caramel malts make it through.

T- this one starts out with some of the sweet caramel malts that i could smell. after that its all about the hops. plenty of bitter grapefruit and resiny pine. there are also some grassy hops.

M- light bodied, bordering on medium. there is a pleasant level of carbonation. nice and bitter. my mouth is left feeling pretty dry.

D- this is a seriously hoppy pale ale, even in mid january. im going to look for this one as soon as it comes out again this year. i bet its intense.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 04:50:07 | More by jwinship83

obywan59

Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

650 ml bottle poured into a pint glass.

Crystal clear golden amber to amber depending on the light. 1 1/2 finger white head with good lacing. Really pretty.

Fresh sprightly citrus and herb early. A bit of bread dough. Later, more of a ripe citrus that at times seems more like a "bitter aroma" of hops, if that's possible.

Obviously, hops predominate, but the malt here is no slacker. Plenty of bitter, herbal, citrusy hops, but always the underlying sweetness of the malt. Call is 60:40. Grapefruit and grapefruit rind. Some grassines as well.

Incredible mouthfeel. Medium-bodied. Sticky, but not over the top. Warmth of alcohol in the throat and sting of pepper on the tongue--especially early on.

If I would have had more, I would have drunk more, but it's just as well. That 6.1% was kickin' my ass. I ate lightly today.

This beer started out almost a bit too bitter for my taste, but soon mellowed out as my taste buds were surrounded and beaten into submission.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 07:48:10 | More by obywan59