Fresh Hop

Brewer: Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver, Colorado
Alcohol Content: 6.1%

Official Description from Brewer:
"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."

Wilk's Take:
For any purist reading this blog I realize that I poured a pale ale into a Guinness glass.  Behold, the world did not come to an end.  Regardless of the vessel I choose the beer tastes the same.  I do not worship at the beer glassware altar, at least not yet.

I love Great Divide.  I am never hesitant to heap praise on their beers.  Then I met Fresh Hop.  Great Divide description of the beer is pretty spot on.  I poured the ale specifically to avoid developing any head per Bamforth's suggestion.  I inhaled the aroma deeply and could barely make out the citrus from the hops but the grassy scent was very prominent.  The color was a beautiful dark orange but the liquid was cloudy.

Fresh Hop was smooth.  You could probably take down a glass in less than three minutes and not even realize it.  The taste was very blah, for lack of a description.  I wasn't impressed, nor was I necessarily disappointed.  I could not differentiate the taste of Fresh Hop from any other pale ale I've met in the past.  At 55 IBUs I was surprised to find that the only bite to the beer came in the aftertaste.  Then, only then did my taste buds take notice.

Suggestion: Eh, don't go out of your way to get Fresh Hop.  If you're a hop head you'll be sorely disappointed.  If you like a standard pale ale, feel free.

Value: Fresh Hop is brewed from October-December.  As a seasonal beer the price was $9 for a 22oz bomber.  I see no value as I can get Sierra Nevada Pale Ale any day of the week cheaper and I think it tastes better.

Michelle Factor:  Michelle wasn't impressed either.  She really did not care for the bitter aftertaste.  In her words, "that makes it distinctly beer."  To be honest, that means it wasn't hoppy enough.  I think the extra hops in Double-Wide created the sweetness that she was fond of.  Maybe Michelle is a hop head in disguise.  No wonder she hates porters and stouts!

Denver

I wouldn't want to label my trip to Great Divide Brewery as a pilgrimage, but it certainly had that feel to it.  After drinking the YETI for my first microbrew review I almost felt I owed them some loyalty.  Luckily for me, Great Divide did not disappoint and my stay there was certainly memorable.

I sampled five of Great Divide's beers and Dave, my traveling companion (although in realty I'm his), sampled the other five.  Of those ten beers, not a single one was disappointing.  The only disappointing aspect was the fact that we were heading to a Rockies game and we could not take a growler to go.  Since their beers are available where I live, I wasn't entirely heart broken.

Two beers that really got my attention at Great Divide were their seasonal fare: Chocolate Oak Aged YETI and the 17th anniversary wood aged Double IPA.  The YETI, unlike the original, has an even more intense flavor and is even complemented with cayenne undertones.  It makes for rich, roasty, spicy flavor.  If you're are going to choose between the two, I'd recommend the original YETI.  The cayenne flavor lingers on a bit too long.  The Double IPA is lacking the usually bitterness you would expect to find.  When I asked the bartender about the IBU content he told me around 50.  The brew was smooth and flavorful with the perfect touch of hops.

Wilk sneaking a peek at Great Divide aging barrels

After Great Divide we walked up to Breckenridge Brewery directly across from Coors Field.  I started out with the requisite flagship brew, Avalanche Amber Ale.  The perfect amber color was a beautiful sight after the amber attempt from Upstream.  The beer went well with the wings we grabbed.  There is a reason this is Breckenridge's most popular beer, it's damn good.  Afterwards I switched to their Scotch ale and was also pleased with the result.  I regret that I can't give a thorough analysis of these beers because the visit was more about socializing with friends than critiquing beer.  Both styles were great and if I come across any other Breckenridge beers I will pick them up willingly.

Home of 70 on tap microbrews from around the world and twice as many bottles

After the game we went to Falling Rock Tap House where I continued sampling the best Denver had to offer.  I went with two more selections to round out the evening: Left Hand Brewing Company's Milk Stout and Bull and Bush's Man Beer.  Left Hand redeemed itself completely after the TNT fiasco.  The Milk Stout was so deliciously creamy, it was as if I was drinking a White Russian.  Bull and Bush's Man Beer was a hoppy amber that was perfectly bitter and refreshing.  I think after the spoil of Denver microbrews I may have found my hop desire.

Stay tuned for points west...

YETI Imperial Stout

Brewer: Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver, Colorado
Alcohol Content: 9.5%

Official Description from Brewer:
"YETI Imperial Stout is an onslaught of the senses.  It starts with big, roasty malt flavor that gives way to rich caramel and toffee notes.  YETI gets its bold hop character from an enormous quantity of American hops.  It weighs in at a hefty 75 IBUs."

Wilk's Take:
As I tilted the bottle to fill my favorite pint glass I was reminded of synthetic motor oil spilling out of my car after 15,000 miles.  After I filled the glass I snapped the picture just to capture the perfect 3/4" head that finished the pour.  For a stout, you get the dark liquid you would expect.  Unusually, when held to the light I caught a hint of an amber hue that I never noticed in a stout before.  With that, I was ready to enjoy my dessert beer.

When you bring the glass to your lips you catch a whiff of the caramel and toffee notes the brewer insists is in the beer.  The smell is distinct and worth mentioning because it resonates continuously from the first sip to the last gulp.  This invites you to keep on keeping on and barrel through what you expect to be a rich beer.  Surprisingly, YETI is a smoother drink than the alcohol content suggests.  I tend to find that heavier beers are almost a meal and insist on smaller drinks than say (I'll go there) a Miller Lite.  This beer flowed as well as a Guinness, in that the darkness of the beer is deceiving to its actual consistency.

The toffee notes are more prevalent than the caramel and the roasty malt flavor is so bold that it can at times drown out the notes the brewer intended to display.  The rich flavor definitely leaves a finish in your mouth that you can't escape, not that you want to, but you'd be hard pressed to try and taste anything else after drinking it.  Great Divide suggests pairing the beer with grilled steak, strong cheese, or chocolate.  I think I'd skip the steak because as my favorite food I would hate to lose the flavor of the steak in the brew.  I can see the strong cheese because the stout might not over power it.  Chocolate, well, if you are that adventurous, I'd go with dark chocolate.

YETI was a recommendation from my brother so I gave it the old college try.  I probably would go back to the well for this over and over as it did not disappoint.  However, as mentioned above, my night would end with this beer.

Suggestion:  If you have YETI available, go and get it.  It is certainly on par with other stouts and Great Divide offers YETI in Espresso Oak Aged, Chocolate Oak Aged, and Oak Aged.  Buyer beware though, if you don't like roasted anything, avoid at all costs.

Value: I purchased a 22 oz bottle for around $8.  After finishing the bottle I feel I certainly got my money's worth.  Based on the alcohol content a 22 oz bottle could certainly relax you after a long day of work without having to mix a cocktail to garner the same effect.

Michelle Factor:  I joked with Michelle the other day that I should take pictures of her face after she tried every beer.  For this particular picture imagine she just smelled a freshly run over skunk.  I don't even know if that analogy truly captures the grimace that was on her face.  "It tastes like coffee!"  For a non beer drinker this is a no-no.