Type: Beer – Belgium Strong Ale
Name: Great Divide Brewing Co. – Hades Ale  @GreatDivideBrew
Price: $2.09
Made: Denver, Colorado
Alc/Vol: 7.8%

According to what the Great Divide Brewing Co. shared with me on twitter, Hades Ale was originally a seasonal beer in 22oz bottles but became  so popular that they started brewing it year round in 6 packs. Now that to me is bad-ass, but then again when you have a name like Hades you know your in for one hell of a good beer.   They surely talk a big game on their website boasting the awards they have won, and challenge others to, “Crack open a bottle and decide for yourself.” Although, if you are dealing out the good stuff why not throw on a Greek god and his three headed puppy, Cerberus, and call it a day.

Pale Ale beers are not a commonly popular beer next to the pilsner beers that dominate the US market, and probably for good reason – because it has flavor. The down side is that it makes it hard to compare the beer to anything commonly available to you, unless you search out a microbrewery which is probably a good thing. What makes this Pale Ale special is that it is, “a Belgian-Style golden ale brewed with a rare Belgian yeast strain that gives a complex spicy flavor and aroma. Noticeable hops and medium malt character make it a very well balanced, crisp ale.” Yeah, pretty fancy like, spicy and medium, that’s like the guy who apologizes for making fun of you then put’s a ‘Kick Me’ sign on your back – and you know what I like that guy.

The beer had a faint apple vinegar type scent, at least that is the best I can describe it. I loved the fact that it gives you food pairings with it, and I am sure it would go well with “fresh mussels, crusty bread and artisan cheese” but I’ll tell you what it doesn’t pair with – pancakes. Don’t get all, you shouldn’t be drinking that early on me, because I wasn’t, although it’s not like I never have before it happens to be a favorite weekend hobby of mine. This time, however, I was enjoying Brinner (that’s breakfast dinner for you non-Scrubs watching readers) and that is how I learned that Hades + pancakes ≠ yummy but Hades by itself does.

Hades has a strong ale taste but brings a hoppy flavor to it without a strong taste of alcohol even though it is 7.8% This is a mark of a quality beer and if you don’t understand what I’m flinging let me break it to you this way Guinness is strong and Colt 45 is strong but the former taste yummy and the latter taste like piss water alcohol. Got it? Good.

If I just went off the smell of this beer it would be questionable, then again it was up against sweet pancakes. The aftertaste gave off a good bitter bite to it that didn’t over carry itself, it was there then gone. The one major noticeable thing was the fact that this little monkey was feeling good after one beer, maybe that’s why they call it Hades? Overall I give this beer 4 out of 5 bananas. Have you ever had it before, what’s your take?

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New Brew Tuesday: Great Divide’s Hades Ale is a post from: Monkey Brewster

I come from humble beer beginning where Natural Light was the household favorite. I know you just made that, what I like to call ‘EwWwWwww’ face – that’s OK I understand but we all have to start somewhere. Today I enjoy a slightly more refined taste, but I won’t pass down a free Natty. Some personal favorites are Guinness, George Killians Irish Red, Negra Modelo and Itaipava (served super chilled on a beach of course), but as I said there are too few beers I know to really say I have a refined taste.

The only true way to know beer (wine and liquor) is to drink them all. Since I am now an educated monkey on the ways of drinking who lived passed that special night in the USA when a young primate becomes of age and can slam down their ID at a bar and say such things as, “Beer me blazer.” Oh that special night where I did try to consume every beverage the world had to offer in a champ like bar crawl, I have learned from you. No, I will respectively space out my drinks to one a week, or at least my posts so it looks like I drink only one a week. New Brew Tuesday, yeah you wish you thought of it.

To be honest if you have a refined pallet for beer tasting try sites like Beer Advocate or Rate Beer which I can proudly state gave a similar rating of my first New Brew Tuesday choice of drink. I did learn this fact after I rated my beer so don’t get started on this monkey see monkey do crap up on your high and mighty human high horse. Yeah, that’s right you have to be on a horse to be high up because you can’t do it on your own without the help of an animal. Yet, I digress so without further ado…

Name: Marke Altenmünster Maibock

Price: $7.99 (for the bottle not a six pack)

Made: Kempten, Germany

Alcohol: 7.5% Alc/Vol

The Maibock gave off a sweet almost honey like smell which I believe gave it its’ mild sweetness at first. The premature sweet taste gives way to a smooth dry bitterness a rich beer should have. I liked the label from one animal to another I can appreciate how awesome it must be to be immortalized on a beer bottle. If I were a nit picky monkey I would point out that the red stopper should have been green as well to add balance, but I’m not that shallow to mention such little details.

Overall I would have to give it 3.5 bananas out of 5. It is good, I can’t deny them that but for the cost I don’t know if it is worth purchasing over another typical German ale. There was nothing that stood out enough to warrant the fact that I could buy a six pack of something similar in flavor for close to the same price.

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New Brew Tuesday – Altenmünster Maibock is a post from: Monkey Brewster