Review: Great Divide Titan IPA and Goose Island Pepe Nero

Great Divide Titan IPA

Presentation: 12 oz bottle poured into a Bridge Brew Works pint glass.

Appearance: It has an orange color with a two finger off white head that left great lacing. The lacing on this was definitely better than most IPAs.

Aroma: This has a wonderful hoppy aroma. Tons of pine/resin, orange, grapefruit, and some sugary sweetness.

Taste: Pretty balanced for an IPA. It's bitter, but not overly so. There are hops up front immediately that last through the entire taste. It slowly progresses through malt, pine, and citrus. The citrus is much harder to discern in the taste than the nose. It's also slightly floral with a hint of sweetness, which I feel like tones down the hops a bit. It keeps the hops from just being one constant note.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a high amount of carbonation. Standard IPA mouthfeel with this one.

Overall: Other than Yeti, this is my only other Great Divide beer and I would say they definitely hit the nail on the head with this one. This is one solid IPA.

4.5/5

Goose Island Pepe Nero

I picked this up last weekend due to the fact that I love saisons. Little did I know that this wasn't a traditional take.

Presentation: 2011 vintage 12 oz. bottle poured into a tulip.

Appearance: Okay, this doesn't look promising. This thing is pitch black and has a fluffy tan head. This is supposed to be a saison? I can't even get light to permeate it.

Aroma: Alright, this is just downright confusing. There's spice, banana, yeast, and... chocolate? What on earth is chocolate doing in a saison? I sure hope GI knows where their doing here and the taste pulls through.

Taste: A swing and a miss. This is just a mess. It's somehow clean and dry, yet there's roasted malt and chocolate. I just can't figure this out. It gets more confusing with the spice element along with hints of chocolate and dark fruit. It's as if this beer can't find its identity. One moment I can totally see this as a saison and the next moment I feel like this could be a porter or strong dark ale.

Mouthfeel: Thin body with tons of carbonation. At least this resembles a saison.

Overall: I just don't get this beer at all. I feel like all of these breweries that are experimenting with saisons (ie. Saison du Buff) are completely missing the mark. Thankfully, this is nowhere near the abomination that Dogfish Head's Saison du Buff is, but I seriously doubt I will be revisiting this.

3.5/5

- Jeff