Great Divide Titan IPA

In the liquor store tonight I was looking for a new local beer to try, when I stumbled on this 6 pack of Great Divide Brewing CO's Titan IPA. Great Divide Brewing CO [GDBC] is located just a few blocks down from Coors Field in the LoDo district of Denver, CO. GDBC is a fairly young brewery being established in 1994, but they have already established an impressive trophy case. Great Divide beers have earned twelve Great American Beer Festival medals and 4 World Beer Cup awards. Not bad for a young, small brewery out of Denver, CO. They are a brewery which describe themselves as, "brewing some of the globe's most balanced yet assertive and flavorful beers."

Titan IPA

This Titan IPA, "is a big, aggressively hopped India Pale Ale brewed for hop disciples. It starts out with piney hop aromas and cirtus hop flavors, and finishes with a nice rich, malty sweetness that is balanced with crisp hop bitterness. 7.1% ABV." The Titan IPA received Silver Medals at the Australian International Beer Awards in 2008, and at the European Beer Star, Nuremberg, 2007, as well as a Bronze Medal at the Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival in 2006. Titan IPA is brewed with heavy doses of Simcoe, Amarillo, and Columbus Hops. It comes in with a rating of 65 International Bittering Units [IBUs].

Style: Inida Pale Ale

Alcohol by Volume: 7.1%

Hops: Simcoe, Amarillo, Columbus 

Bitterness: 65 IBUs

Color: Rich Amber Red

Two great CO breweries: New Belgium sifter glass and Great Divide Brewing CO Titan IPA

Appearance: This beer poured with little resistance producing a slight head approximately 1/8" that was very frothy and dissipates quickly. The beer itself is a rich amber red that has a very nice tone. 

Aroma: Initial scent is an earthy, piny, bitter smell. A strong underline of dry hoppy-iness exists, preparing you for the heavily hopped taste of the Titan. 

Taste: For being a 7.1% ABV beer, it is very enjoyable and extremely easy to drink. You can tell that it was brewed with a lot of hops, but none of the hop flavor is over powering at all. The most noticable being the Simcoe's. It leaves a dry bitter taste at the back of the tongue and throat. The beer finishes with a sticky warm feeling in the throat making you want another sip!

Mouthfeel: It is not overly carbonated at all, the alcohol is not very noticable, overall everything in this beer is extremely evenly balanced. 

Overall: This is a very nice beer and I could easily drink a few too many in one sitting. The piney earthy flavor is very well blended and leaves a sticky slightly bitter flavor in the back of the throat and tongue. After drinking the Titan for myself I see why it's earned a 98/1OO on ratebeer.com from over 1607 individual ratings. This beer is from a microbrewery, but is listed as having a broad distribution, so if you can get your hands on some, give it ago! And as the GDBC moto says, "Great Minds Drink Alike."

Cheers, 

~Crea

Great Minds Drink Alike