No 74-75 - Great Divide Titan IPA & Hercules Double IPA (USA)

Had a fun time tasting these two big beers from the Great Divide Brewery.

The Titan IPA opens up with a big, expressive nose with notes of peach, orange peel, summer flowers and detergent (in a positive way!). Very deep and complex. There is a touch of urinal also, but, that too, in a good way! Very, very good.

The taste is big but fresh as a daisy with notes of peach, almonds, warm grass and tangerine. Very long and intense. Lots of sweet, fresh hops. This reminds med of Indianvikens Pale Ale from Nynäshamn, and that is a great reference. This is a stunning beer!

95p   (tasted from cask - 2011/01)

The Hercules Double IPA is a big but kind hoppy monster with lovely notes of lemoncello, white peppar, summer flowers and bucketloads of sweet peaches. Very deep, complex and fine.

But the taste...it doesn´t by far live up to the expectations that the nose brings. It is massive with lots of bitterness and dried fruits. And that fruit has been soaking in alcohol... Flat in the middle. The finish is very long and intense but the bitterness is a tad too high for my liking. Loved the nose but the taste was only ok.

88p   (tasted from bottle - 2011/01)