Fresh Hop Pale Ale
Great Divide Brewing Company in Denver, Colorado, United States 🇺🇸
Pale Ale - American Style / APA Regular|
Score
7.23
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Brewing with fresh hops is a big endeavor, requiring four to five times the hop volume compared to using pelletized hops. Although the process is complex, it brings impressive results: Fresh Hop is an American-style pale ale with moderate hop bitterness marked by a unique and intensely grassy hop flavor and aroma. Fresh Hop is a superbly refreshing, medium bodied, light-copper colored pale ale weighing in at 55 IBUs and 6.1% ABV.
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7.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
From Mar 2007
Pours from 22oz bottle a clear medium gold with little foam that leaves just a fine broken layer but there's plenty of lacing.
The smell is very hoppy with lots of grass and grapefruit.
The taste is pretty darned bitter for the style! Lots of citrus, some grass, and a wee bit of malt sweetness *just* before the finish and the actual finish ends up being on the bitter side....fancy that! ;^)
Man, this is what I call paying homage to the almighty hop and to see it done so nicely in an American Pale Ale impresses the heck out of me.
Okay, I'm just pouring in the last bit in my glass and there's some sediment that I didn't expect to see but it *is* very fine so I'm not going to deduct any points in the appearance category. Nor in the taste category....this one started off well and remained so to the very last drop. Yum.
Bottom line: I'm glad I have another bottle of this stuff because this is an APA that is all about, no celebrates the hops. Good job Great Divide!
Pours from 22oz bottle a clear medium gold with little foam that leaves just a fine broken layer but there's plenty of lacing.
The smell is very hoppy with lots of grass and grapefruit.
The taste is pretty darned bitter for the style! Lots of citrus, some grass, and a wee bit of malt sweetness *just* before the finish and the actual finish ends up being on the bitter side....fancy that! ;^)
Man, this is what I call paying homage to the almighty hop and to see it done so nicely in an American Pale Ale impresses the heck out of me.
Okay, I'm just pouring in the last bit in my glass and there's some sediment that I didn't expect to see but it *is* very fine so I'm not going to deduct any points in the appearance category. Nor in the taste category....this one started off well and remained so to the very last drop. Yum.
Bottom line: I'm glad I have another bottle of this stuff because this is an APA that is all about, no celebrates the hops. Good job Great Divide!
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Oct 2017
at 11:26
5.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
5 month old can > IPA A: Pours whole glassful of foam so off to a bad start. Eventually had to trowel it off the top. Otherwise, nice deep orange color with rocky beige head. Busy bubbles. S: Pine resin and sweet caramel scent. T: Big pine bitterness with just a faint caramel sweetness. More toasty or woody. A little grapefruit pith eventually shows up adding more bitterness but also some complexity. M: Medium body with average carbonation level. Bitter resinous finish. O: Fairly average overall though to be fair, it is very old. Still not a repeat purchase.
Tried
from Can
on 26 Mar 2017
at 13:56
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Can date of 10/12/2016.
This was poured into a becher pint glass.
The appearance was a hazy to transparent orange color. Sly carbonation rises. One finger white foamy head. Messy foamy lacing.
The aroma had a super nice sweet to bitter piney hoppiness bursting over a nice malt backbone, not overbearing.
The flavor leads with the piney hops, bitter and sweet. Dry piney aftertaste leading into the finish.
On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a great sessionability about it. Good carbonation and doesn’t distract from bitterness. Malt level seems appropriate to provide enough body.
Overall, really nice APA surprisingly enough even with the date, I could drink this again, preferably fresher.
This was poured into a becher pint glass.
The appearance was a hazy to transparent orange color. Sly carbonation rises. One finger white foamy head. Messy foamy lacing.
The aroma had a super nice sweet to bitter piney hoppiness bursting over a nice malt backbone, not overbearing.
The flavor leads with the piney hops, bitter and sweet. Dry piney aftertaste leading into the finish.
On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a great sessionability about it. Good carbonation and doesn’t distract from bitterness. Malt level seems appropriate to provide enough body.
Overall, really nice APA surprisingly enough even with the date, I could drink this again, preferably fresher.
Tried
from Can
on 07 Dec 2016
at 21:07
7/10
Tried
on 01 May 2016
at 16:37
8/10
Tried
on 09 Jul 2015
at 11:55
6/10
Nice citrus aroma. Easy drinking. Thanks Nosferatu Bill.
Tried
on 04 Dec 2014
at 20:29
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Refrigerated brown bomber, best before December 31, 2014, poured into a snifter. Clear light amber with small white head. Aroma is fresh grass hops, medium body, low carbonation, and little small-bubble lacing. Taste is grapefruit hops, grassy hops, and caramel malt backbone. Solid american pale ale.
Tried
from Can
on 29 Nov 2014
at 17:53
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Pours an amber-copper, with medium head (nice lacing). Aromas of malt, grass, citrus. Flavor is very bitter, with nice backbone of sweetness. Some grassiness, a touch of citrus. Pretty good overall.
Tried
on 21 Nov 2014
at 13:33
7.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Draft - Fresh grapefruit and peel. Clear gold with a nice rich white head. Lots of grapefruit pee and a nice sweetness. Not bad.
Tried
from Draft
on 07 Nov 2014
at 12:35
8/10
Tried
on 16 Apr 2014
at 14:28