Great Divide – Hercules Double IPA: Perhaps as strong as Hercules, this Imperial IPA brewed in Denver, CO was brewed at a strength of 10.0% abv and 85 IBU’s. I poured it into my usual IPA glass, hoping for yet another gem of a beer
Aroma and Appearance: It pours a dark cloudy copper with 1 finger of foam, some suspended gunk and a bit of bubble action. The aroma is floral, sweet agave, tropical mango with caramel and bready malt.
Flavour: This craft beer started with a nice bready malt with some heavy caramels and toffees in the middle and balanced bitter pine and herbal finish. It’s amazing that at 10% you can’t taste booze in this.
Overall Impression: Very nice, highlights both the hops and the malts very well. A bit gunky but not in a bothersome way.
Rating: I give it an excellent rating of 8/10, these reliable USA Double IPA’s are so balanced and drinkable yet they each have their own intricacies and complexities.
Food Pairing: With the heavy toffee and caramel, a grilled burger topped with some caramelized onions and something to give it a spicy kick would be perfect.
I really like it when places sells Imperial IPA’s in 12 oz bottles, as singles. It’s nice to have one and still be able to walk around or stay awake at home versus an entire 22 oz bottle. I hope more breweries do this with their stronger beers.
West Coast Beer Geek 
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