Prior to our evening of spirits and fun at Spirits Confidential Philadelphia, G-LO, Crazy-Eye, and I connected at the Cooperage for a “pre-game” drink. Given my planned trip to Colorado in the spring I opted for a Great Divide Hercules Double IPA to sample more of what the CO based brewery has to offer.
The brewery’s description on this one read more like a warning label than your typical description. They say the Hercules “… is not for the faint of heart …” and that it “… delivers a huge amount of hops from start to finish”. Well these are warnings that are more likely to pull me in than scare me off so let’s dive in.
Brew Stats
- Appearance: Clear and pale copper with a white two finger head
- Aroma: Hoppy and floral with hint of toasted nuts the reminded me of the smell of the nut and taffy shops from the AC Boardwalk when I a kid.
- Taste: BAM! Hop explosion. Very piney. Very floral. The nuttiness comes through almost like nutty toasted granola. The finish is astringent with a mouth puckering hop bite.
- ABV: 10%
If you “kinda like hoppy beers” this beer is kinda going to kick you in the mouth. If you, like me, are a a hop head you’ll love it. But take heed of the brewer’s warning, at 10% this one will hit you in the mouth with hops and kick you in the ass with the ABV. You can tell it’s a high-test brew but this one goes down way too easy so enjoy it responsibly.
Cooperage note: G-LO had visited the Cooperage before but this was my first time. It is a gorgeous bar with an industrial “steampunk” feel. Their whisk(e)y list is impressive and their beer list, for this occasion, was great. While we only got to stop in for a quick drink I could tell I need to explore the place a little more. I will definitely be back to try some of those whiskeys and perhaps pick up some interior design ideas for my planned industrial themed basement man cave.
