Great Divide Overhauls Denver Pale Ale

Great Divide Brewing Company reimagines their classic Denver Pale Ale with a new recipe and design. The new variation will be released exclusively in cans and draft starting this June.

“This city has changed a lot since we first launched Denver Pale Ale almost 20 years ago, and so have the palates of craft beer drinkers,” said Brian Dunn, Great Divide founder and president. “The original Denver Pale Ale is a great beer, and has won a lot of awards throughout the years, but we decided it was time to update the beer to better represent everything that this city has become.”

Great Divide is changing the beer from an English-style Pale Ale to an American-style Pale Ale. Denver Pale Ale (5% ABV) opens with big citrus and pine notes, then smooths out with a faint toasted malt character and dry, slightly bitter finish. Denver Pale Ale is the go-to beer from city to trail and back again, no matter what the time or season.

As part of this revamp, Great Divide reached out to local artist Josh Holland to design the can. To pay homage to their new location in the River North Arts District, which houses their canning line, the brewery decided to let local artists turn the can into a canvas with Artist Series designs that will change yearly.

“This series goes beyond the beer and is an opportunity to highlight the varied craft industries of Denver,” said Shannon Berner, marketing manger at Great Divide. “Each year a new local artist will have the opportunity to wrap the can in an expression of what Denver means to them. We are involved throughout the process, but overall, we are really giving the artists a lot of freedom.”

When approached, Holland wanted to do more than design a can with Denver’s cityscape. He wanted to create a piece of art that embodies the spirit and how he personally feels about the city.

“The people of Denver are very proud to live here,” said Holland. “I took that inspiration and thought carefully about each element I designed for this can. The can captures the hybrid lifestyle of Denver, city and small town, laid-back and adventurous, inspiring and creative.”

The new Denver Pale Ale 6-packs will first be released exclusively in Colorado, and will also be available in Candemonium Mixed 12 Packs throughout the country.