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Great Divide Brewing Company |
In 1994, Brian Dunn channeled his passion for home brewing and his love of flavorful, assertive beer into a major professional gamble – by committing to open a microbrewery in Denver’s emerging beer scene, then consisting of just four brewpubs.
Today Denver is regarded as the beer capital of the US with hundreds of brewpubs and beefs but when Brian recognized Denver’s untapped potential as a craft beer hotspot, he capitalized on his experience |
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in developing and implementing business plans for overseas ventures (and many years of sampling the local beers during his international travels), and opened one of Colorado’s best-known breweries, Great Divide Brewing Co., in downtown Denver. Brian knew that Great Divide’s adventurous beers would reflect the best of the Colorado lifestyle that is a big part of his life – the duality of Denver’s urban energy and Colorado’s sublime, awe-inspiring mountain scene.
Building on Brian's vision of brewing the most balanced, yet assertive and flavorful beers possible, Great Divide quickly gained national and international recognition for its imminently-balanced, but challenging ales. Among these accolades, Great Divide swiftly amassed twelve Great American Beer Festival Medals (winning its first GABF medal just |
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three months after brewing its first batch of beer). In addition, Great Divide garnered four World Beer Cup Awards, for its wildly-popular Denver Pale Ale and Hibernation Ale, among others. Unwilling to rest its successes with amber, English-style pale, and strong ales, two years ago, in 2006, Great Divide answered the challenge of the next craft beer frontier – by committing to brew the boldest, edgiest, massively hoppy, "big beers" possible. Their commitment has not gone unrewarded. Most recently Great Divide was rated 23rd Best Brewer in the World in Ratebeer.com’s World's Top 100 Brewers, (2007). Check out the lineup below and see for yourself wh at the excitement is about – and then introduce your friends to the new frontier of beer. |
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Titan IPA |
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Traditionally India Pale Ales, the hoppiest of all pales, were brewed with more alcohol and large quantities of hops in order to survive the lengthy ocean journey from the U.K. to India. Unlike our brewing forefathers, Great Divide enjoys the modern benefits of refrigeration and we don’t have any plans to ship Titan IPA to India. Instead, we brew Titan IPA for hop disciples – independent beer drinkers seeking out robust, flavorful beers characterized by their abundance of hops flavor, aroma and bitterness. As a big, aggressively hopped India Pale Ale, Titan IPA fills this bill – beginning with piney hop aromas and citrus hop flavors, and finishing with a rich, malty sweetness that is carefully balanced with crisp hop bitterness.
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Titan IPA weighs in at a considerable 65 IBUs.
Alcohol by volume: 6.8%
Ratebeer.com: "... a hophead’s delight... everything you’d want in a super-hoppy brew!” |
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Hercules Double IPA |
Hoppier, maltier and with more alcohol than a standard IPA, Hercules Double IPA definitely is not for the faint of heart. Hercules Double IPA is, however, an elixir fit for the gods. A brash but creamy wonder, Hercules pours a deep orange-coppery color, forming substantial lace in the glass. Hercules Double IPA delivers a huge amount of piney, floral, and citrusy hop aroma and flavor from start to finish. A hefty backbone of nutty, toffee-like malt character balances Hercules’ aggressive, punchy hop profile.
85 IBUs.
Alcohol by volume: 9.1% |
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Ratebeer.com “Top 100 Beers in the World” 2004 – 10th Best Beer in the World |
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Hibernation Ale |
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Great Divide’s award-winning Hibernation Ale is Colorado’s original strong ale – it has been our winter seasonal each year since 1995. Since that time, Hibernation has become the most sought-after winter beer in Colorado. Hibernation’s massive flavors are so intense that it requires over three months of aging each year. Each summer, while our brewers are still spending their weekends in flip-flops and shorts, they prepare for July’s Hibernation brewing schedule.
We cellar Hibernation until late October, when it reaches the peak of perfection. This lengthy aging process gives Hibernation its revered malty richness, complex hop profile and hearty warming character, which is perfect right out of the bottle or cellared for longer periods of time. Hibernation is a lively treat that really beats the winter chill. This scrumptious, collectible, and imminently cellarable ale is only available for six weeks each year, from November 1 to December 15. Hibernation Ale is the perfect gift or accompaniment to your winter festivities.
Alcohol by volume: 8.1%
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Yeti Imperial Stout |
Traditionally, Imperial Stouts, the biggest and boldest of all stouts, were brewed with massive amounts of roasted malts and hops, resulting in a velvety smooth but robust beer characterized by high alcohol content and extremely high hop bitterness. Meeting the challenge of this aggressive, challenging beer style, Great Divide’s Yeti Imperial Stout is an onslaught of the senses. An almost viscous, inky-black brew, Yeti opens with a massive, roasty, chocolate, coffee malt flavor that eventually gives way to rich toffee and burnt caramel notes. Packed with an enormous quantity of American hops, Yeti’s hop profile reveals a slightly citrusy, piney, and wonderfully dry hoppy finish.
A hefty 75 IBUs.
Alcohol by volume: 9.5%
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Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout |
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Crack open Yeti Imperial Stout’s sophisticated sibling – Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout. Although these beers come from the same clan, they have entirely different personalities. Aging on a blend of French and toasted oak chips infuses a subtle oak and vanilla character into Yeti’s already intense chocolate, roasted coffee malt flavor and hugely assertive hop profile. Who says you can’t tame a Yeti? |
A respectable 75 IBUs
Alcohol by volume: 9.5% |
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Fresh Hop Pale Ale |
The September hop harvest is a once-a-year opportunity to brew with fresh hops, also called “wet hops.” Given the perishable nature of just-harvested hop cones, they are shipped overnight to Great Divide shortly after harvest. The morning of the scheduled hop delivery in Denver, Great Divide’s brewers begin brewing Fresh Hop and are ready to hop the beer just as the fresh hops are delivered.
Using fresh hops is a big endeavor, requiring four to five times the volume of hops compared to the usual process of using pelletized hops. This complex process 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.
55 IBUs
Alcohol by Volume: 6.1% |
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Old Ruffian Barley Wine |
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Old Ruffian is a hefty, hop-forward Barley Wine. Seemingly mellow at first sniff, with its subtle fruit aromas and complex caramel sweetness, this deep mahogany-hued ale quickly shows its true character marked by bold hop flavors and massive hop bitterness. Old Ruffian’s rich, slightly creamy, caramel malt mouthfeel balances its grapefruit, pine, and floral hop flavors, working wonders on your palate. |
A mind-numbing 90 IBUs
Alcohol by volume: 10.2% |
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Samurai |
Looking for something a little different? Brewed with rice and barley malts, Samurai is an easy drinking, unfiltered ale that changes the status quo for unfiltered beers. The addition of rice gives Samurai a slightly fruity, crisp, refreshing and clean taste. This is definitely not your everyday unfiltered beer.
| Alcohol by Volume: 5.1% |
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