Great Divide Titan IPA review

Four years ago when I started this blog I had never tried an India Pale Ale (IPA). The very first IPA I ever had I nearly poured it out because my palate for hoppy beers hadn't developed. It took a good 6 months for me to develop a taste for the IPA. Now that I enjoy them I look forward to trying more of them.

Today's review was picked up as part of a "make your own" six-pack at my local beer store (Bittersweet Liquors in Greeley). I chose to get 6 different local Colorado IPA's as a warm up for the 1st ever International #IPADay on August 4th, 2011.

I figured what better way to get my mouth ready for hop madness than to have a different IPA per day for the week leading up to #IPADay.

The first IPA I chose was Great Divide Titan IPA from Denver, Colorado. This is one of Great Divide's year-round standards and it weighs in at 7.1% ABV.

Read on for the full review of this IPA.

Appearance: Great Divide Titan IPA poured a beautiful copper-orange color with a hefty off-white head. For a single 12oz bottle that's probably been on the shelf for a while, this brew was still amply carbonated. The brew was clear with no visible residue from yeast or hop.

Aroma:Immediately I smelled a rich aroma of pine and citrus as I would expect of an IPA. I could tell Great Divide put a generous amount of hops in this beer. Titan has around 65 IBU. Behind the hop I could detect a semi-sweet hint of malt.

Mouthfeel:TItan IPA was full bodied and creamy. The bitterness swept over my tongue immediately and dried my mouth slightly. There was just a slight bit of heat initially but that faded after a couple more sips.

Taste:While the hops dominated the initial tasting, the maltiness came across at the end. There was just the right amount of sweet malt to offset the bitterness of the hops. A very well made IPA.

Pairing: I chose to pair this IPA with a mild cheddar and pretzel crackers. Just the right amount of cheese and cracker to take the bite off of the IPA. I always insist on eating some cheese with an IPA as by itself, an IPA will leave you wanting something to counter the hop.

Overall:I was surprised that my first IPA in many months was so good. I've been wanting to try all of Great Divide's line of year-round brews and I'm finally getting around to it. I highly suggest that if you are going to drink an IPA that you stick with that style for the night.

Great Divide has a solid IPA that I think is probably underrated. I never expected the company who puts out one of my favorite Imperial Stouts (Yeti) to score so well with an IPA. Thumbs way up to Great Divide for making a solid IPA that I would be more than happy to buy again.



Have you had a similar experience with Titan IPA? How would you compare it to other Colorado IPAs?


Related articles you may enjoy:
- Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout review.
- Great Divide Hades Ale review.
- More articles on IPAs.
- Great Divide Hoss Rye Lager review.

This article came from FermentedlyChallenged.com
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