Great Divide Hibernation Ale

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Old Ale
Denver, Colorado USA

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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Enjoyed on tap at Wild Monk. Served in a snifter. A: Pours a dark ruby/light brown combination with an off white head forming on the pour. Great retention has it slowly recedes down the glass. Sticky sheets of lace are left behind. S: Light, roasty malts with a little dark fruit. Creamy sugar with a touch of chocolate. T: Dark fruits with an underlying malty sweetness. A little complimenting alcohol. Slightly nutty with some unsweetened chocolate and just a touch some mineral-like yeasty notes. M: Surprising light in body for an old ale, but it’s pretty drinkable for that reason. Mediumish bodied with a medium carbonation level. O: I’m more of a fan of the leathery, highly malted old ales. This was one was just a tad light more for, me it still had nice flavors and was pretty drinkable. Serving type: on-tap

UPDATED: JAN 24, 2013 Beautiful beer... dark brown/amber, foamy tan head. A tiny bit of coffee, tiny bit of fig aroma, with malt and definitely some alcohol. Taste is quite complex; fig, earthy hops, malt and dark chocolate. Has an old basement essence to it. Palate has an alcohol burn, mellow and the bubbly head sticks around. It’s like a hybrid of a -bock or amber ale and a bourbon stout. Good.

Copper brown with small light tan head. Aroma fresh pine hops, strong brown sugar background. Medium full body. Pleasant alcohol warming. Flavor is a strong and mostly balanced mix of bitter hops and sweet malts. Actually thought it was a little better on the cold side, as it warms it gets a little too sticky and the hops balance fades. Very good regardless.

The aroma is primarily malts. The pour is a reddish brown with a tiny white head that does not leave lacing. The taste is a deep and complex blend of malts and hops. They are intertwined beautifully as the taste goes from malt to hop back to malt and leaves a bitter finish on the tongue. It’s slightly thick and a touch chewy but the 8.7% doesn’t overpower the flavors. Pretty deep beer!

roasted flavors that are strong and flavorful.... could only drink one because of this though...high alcohol content that can be tasted...takes away from taste a bit

Bottle. Pretty amber with crimson to orange tints. Nose of caramel, fudge, port. Aged flavor, slightly oxidizes, with caramel, earthy hops, nice fudge. Dry. Good drinking.

Aged 2 years, 3 months (2010 vintage): Wow, there was alot of yeast (and/or other beer stuffs) sediment that poured out of the bottle. I’m having to let the glass sit for a while just so I can get it to settle so I don’t get a mouthful of it. After letting it settle, it now looks like the caked dust you’d find on computer fan blades or outside neglected air conditioning filters. It’s dark brown in color, very muddy in appearance, with an off-white head. Despite how ugly this beer is, it smells great! It reminds me of sweet, sticky maple syrup, raisins, and spiced cake. The flavor tastes so much like fresh, unfermented wort from partially roasted malts that it’s easy to forget you’re drinking an Old Ale, let alone anything fermented. It has become very soft and dull with a pasty smoothness that seems to be all thanks to the heavy suspension of caked matter that’s formed over the years. As the supernate forms, the body almost begins to turn a garnet color. It’s definitely interesting, but I think two-plus years is a little too much for this beer. My advice: drink before two.

Draft at craft ale house. Pours dark reddish brown with a small off white head. The aroma Is very malty with some caramel, nuts, and light vanilla. The taste is nutty, some caramel, some chocolate maybe. Very nice big brown ale

Kaatuu lasiin mahonginruskeana, kirkkaana ja niukalla vaahdolla. Haju on vahvan keksinen, pähkinäinen, karamellinen, maltainen ja hennon puumainen. Maku on todella makean karamellinen, pähkinäinen, maltainen, siirappinen, keksinen ja lievän pihkainen. Suutuntuma on tahmean keskitäyteläinen. Kokonaisuutena suht maistuva, mutta todella makea olut, joka rupesi tökkimään loppua kohti. Jännä kokemus.

Complex aroma - malt, caramel, slight hopiness even. Copper color with very little head. Very woody/earthy up front, slight sweetness, then a bit of a piney finish.