Great Divide Seasonal Release Party!

Join us Friday, October 3rd from 5pm-8pm for the much anticipated 2008 release of Fresh Hop Pale Ale and Hibernation Ale. Fresh Hop is an American-style pale ale brewed with freshly picked “wet hops” from the Yakima Valley of Washington. Hibernation Ale is Great Divide’s celebrated winter tradition and many consider it to be Colorado’s original strong ale.

Both beers will be available on draft and paired with a fine assortment of artisan cheeses and cured meats. $15 per person.

Fresh Hop Pale Ale
The September hop harvest is a once-a-year opportunity to brew with fresh hops, also called “wet hops.” Given the perishable nature of just-harvested hop cones, they are shipped overnight to Great Divide shortly after harvest. The morning of the scheduled hop delivery in Denver, Great Divide’s brewers begin brewing Fresh Hop and are ready to hop the beer just as the fresh hops are delivered.

Using fresh hops is a big endeavor, requiring four to five times the volume of hops compared to the usual process of using pelletized hops. This complex process brings impressive results: Fresh Hop is an American-Style Pale Ale with moderate hop bitterness marked by a unique and intensely grassy hop flavor and aroma. Fresh Hop is a superbly refreshing, medium bodied, light-copper colored pale ale.

55 International Bittering Units (IBUs) – Alcohol by Volume: 6.1%

Suggested food pairings:

• The fresh, grassy hops of Fresh Hop pair extremely well with Epoisses, a runny, rich intensely perfumed cheese from Burgundy, France
• Grilled trout
• Bratwurst
• Garlic/ginger sweet potatoes

Availability:
22 ounce bombers and draft, released in early-October

Hibernation Ale

Great Divide’s award-winning Hibernation Ale is Colorado’s original strong ale – it has been our winter seasonal each year since 1995. Since that time, Hibernation has become the most sought-after winter beer in Colorado. Hibernation’s massive flavors are so intense that it requires over three months of aging each year. Each summer, while our brewers are still spending their weekends in flip-flops and shorts, they prepare for July’s Hibernation brewing schedule.

We cellar Hibernation until late October, when it reaches the peak of perfection. This lengthy aging process gives Hibernation its revered malty richness, complex hop profile and hearty warming character, which is perfect right out of the bottle or cellared for longer periods of time. Hibernation is a lively treat that really beats the winter chill. This scrumptious, collectible, and imminently cellarable ale is only available for six weeks each year, from November 1 to December 15. Hibernation Ale is the perfect gift or accompaniment to your winter festivities.

Alcohol by volume: 8.1%

Suggested food pairings:

Our friends Kate and David at Denver’s finest artesian cheese and exotic food shop, The Truffle, pair Hibernation with two specialty cheeses:

• Roomano – a four-year aged, hard Dutch cow’s milk cheese, with a nutty, toffee-like sweetness
• Mimolette – a nutty, sweet, gouda-like French cow’s milk cheese

Availability:

Six-packs and draft, November 1 until December 15