Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

This beer poured an almost jet black color with a big brown head that lasted a while. The aroma is of roasted barley, chocolate, some espresso, and maybe just a hint of the oak. Flavor is similar, but some vanilla and caramel also come through. The mouthfeel is good, maybe just a tad thinner than I had anticipated. I did not even notice the 9.5% alcohol. This is a great beer that I will have again (and again).

22oz bottle. Black with a small tan head. Piney hops, sawdust, and light cocoa aroma. Bitter, hoppy, and very oaky with a light chocolate sweetness. This is just a totally astringent oak overload. Feels like there is sawdust drying out the tongue. The finish is like wood scraping out the inside of your mouth and it feels horrible. (2.2) Rerate: I had to try this again to see if my first experience was a palate freak-out, and it might have been, just a little bit. I still find this to be horribly unbalanced, with way to much bitterness and tannic astringency, but it wasn’t unbearable like last time. The aroma was actually nice, but the flavor domination of bitterness and oak chips is still something that I’m not really keen on.

On tap at Brouwer’s. This one grows on me every time I have it, if nothing else for the fact that the oak comes through so beautifully. Pours black, with a solid tan head. Aroma and flavor match wonderfully - dark chocolate and oak (to the point of pine, almost) predominate, with molasses and a bit of coffee on the back end. Thick mouthfeel, with enough carbonation to keep it clean. Masks the alcohol pretty well. Great stuff, especially for how often I find it available.

Glass at brewery tasting room 10/14/2008. Nice roasty aroma with oak notes coming through. Almost opaque with small tan head and lots of lacing. Clean dry woody finish with roast and some grain astringency. Excellent.

Brewed in the USA........ Pours a sweet black color with a med-tan head and some nice lacing. Aroma of coffee, vanilla, wood, and roasted malts. Taste is of dark chocolate, coffee, molasses and bitter hops. The mouthfeel is robust but smooth with some lingering bitterness at the finish. If you want to sample a fine imperial stout look no further then this brew from Great Divide.

Bottle. This is a beautiful beer. It pours a very black with a dark caramel coloured head. It’s super smooth and has fantastic hints of oak and vanilla.

Very similar in all aspects to the original with a bit of wood in the aroma. Flavor is sweeter with good woodsiness in it, as well as some peat or dirt. Fantastic.

Bottled at Stockholm Beer Festival 2008. Black color with dark tan head. Sweetish, perfumed, coffeish and very oaky aroma with plenty of vanilla. Bittersweet strongly roasty and oaky flavor with chocolate, coffee and vanilla. 4 years ago I liked this beer but now this is too oaky, feels like sucking a wooden pencil.