Since 1969, restaurant, hotel, travel & other witty reviews by a handpicked, worldwide team of discerning professionals—and your views, too.

Great Divide "Fresh Hop Pale Ale"

Top 10 Fall Beers

Great Divide Fresh Hop Pale Ale, one of our great Fall Beers

AMERICAN CRAFT BREW
Great Divide "Fresh Hop Pale Ale"

Colorado is crazy about beer. The state is home to some of the country’s most creative craft brewers. Inspired by the annual September hop harvest, Great Divide in Denver brews this once-a-year specialty with freshly picked hop flowers rather than standard dried or pelletized hops. Fresh hops look like little fluffy green pine cones, palpably sticky with the resinous oils that deliver the beer’s distinctive bitterness and herbal aromatics. This beer practically bursts with juicy green hop aromas, vivid enough for surfers and college students to recognize the hop’s family resemblance to its cousin cannabis by smell alone. Yet, despite the hop aroma overload, the "Fresh Hop Pale Ale" finishes without an overly harsh bitter bite.

Price: $7 (22 oz.)

More Fall Beers
Top 10 Sipping Beers
Top 10 Oktoberfest Beers
More Beer Reviews and Features

PET061110
(Updated: 09/08/11 BH)

TOP 10 WINES UNDER $10

Good wine comes in all price ranges, including $10 bucks or less. Check out our latest selections for those on a budget or who love a good deal.

TOP 10 WINTER BEERS

While beer is associated more with cooling, winter beers are fuller in body and maltier than standard styles, giving imbibers that warm, fuzzy feeling.