Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Denver, Colorado USA

It’s a freakin black hole. Hold your glass up to a light if you drink this and see if any rays pass through. My current glass is a St. Bernardus snifter. There was a nice brown head about a finger’s worth on the top of the beer when I finished filling up my glass from the 22 ounce bomber. The head lasted about 2 minutes and then became a ring around the inside of the glass. You can’t see the carbonation bubbles rising to the top; remember this is a black hole. The aroma is hops! Yeah! And you can also get the aroma of roasted malts and chocolate. To me this is one of the best smelling things I ever smelt. (Hell yeah!) Now I’d say the hop smell is herbal and hits your nose well before you get the glass near it. If I sit here an inhale the bouquet long enough I can smell the alcohol and it is like rubbing alcohol. So, I quit doing that. I’m not even half way through this bottle and I’m feeling that 9.5% ABV. (Hell yeah!) This one has a flavor whilst in your mouth and then as you swallow and then that aftertaste. In your mouth you can get a note of sweetness through the hops though there is a definite battle going on for your taste buds. I also got hints of the roasted malts and the chocolate malts. Now swallow it. Bang! Hops win! Hops win! In the end there is a bit of a bitter after taste on the back of the tongue. The body of this stout is surprisingly light. I think the carbonation is just right. I’d drink it if it were flat. It’s smooth and I could drink it all night. My only problem is that I only have 1 other bottle waiting in the wings. The beer’s overall ease of consumption is great! This is Heaven in a bottle. It seems Yetis get better the older they get.

Wow. I love this beer. If you’ve had the standard Yeti before, then you know what to expect. Dark chocolate malt flavors with dark fruits like raisons and figs. The bonus with this beer is that it’s been oak aged so you get that nice oak, vanilla like flavor pulling through nicely. The oak aging really does improve this beer. Nice and creamy mouth-feel, an imperial stout that is perfect in just about every way. I really wanted to give this a perfect score, but I just couldn’t... it’s hard to achieve "perfect" status, but this is as close as i’ve ever had. I highly recommend this beer to anyone, especially you stout guzzlers. This can be found on tap at Old Chicago in Colorado.

On tap at the Great Divide tasting room. Pour is total blackness with a creamy tan head that laces the glass nicely. Complex aroma with notes of coffee, vanilla, and oak. Mouthfeel is velvety smooth with light carbonation - perfect. Oak comes through in the flavor, but not too much. Nice warming alcohol finsh, a bit of whiskey, coffee, and chocolate in the middle. It is damn near perfection in a glass.

One of the best imperials i’ve ever had. Only knock is that the aroma is a bit faint but just need to let it open. Pour is black and thick with an aromatic head. Flavor is amazing. Chocolate, creamy expresso. I really didn’t taste a lot of hops; very malty, creamy and smooth. Finish left the mouth with a very flavorful, creamy chocolate treat. Amazing.

Pours a completely opaque black with a thick, tan head. The head fades to a thin layer of unevenly-sized bubbles and leaves a little (though not much) lace on the glass. The aroma is really something else: a beautiful mix of alcohol, fruit, chocolate, espresso, wood, and sugar. The flavor is also quite special: it starts dry, hoppy, and bitter but balanced with a serious dose of dark chocolate covered espresso-bean with sugar-candy shell. The nuances are deep and numerous: smoke, coffee, vanilla, burnt wood, grass, prunes, banana, and earthy hops. Spectacular. The finish is very strong with alcohol, hops, and rich, heavily roasted grain. The after-taste is very hoppy with a touch of sweet malts and gourmet dark chocolate. The mouthfeel is velvety and silky - medium in body and perfectly carbonated. The more sips I have, the more spectacular it gets. Very complex and multi-faceted.

Pours black with a thin brown head that sticks around. Aroma has way too much going on (in a good way) vanilla, chocolate, rich black coffee, bourbon notes, and a nice hint of the oak. Lots of vanilla and oak hit right away, overtones of mocha and sweet cream throughout, notes of bourbon from the oak and alcohol, and very nice bitterness on the finish. Palate is nice and full, bitter, and full of vanilla, mocha, and oak. This is an awesome imperial stout, meticulously balanced, and great complexity.

Had the 22 oz. poured into pint glass. Light on the head and aroma. Packed a barleywine-esque hop punch at the very beginning, the the roasted malt flavor hit and I was in love. They dont make them much better than this beer.

Mmmmmm. This is the reason I drink stouts. Roasty with hints of coffee. I think I can taste the alcohol content but this a) could be all in my head and b) does not take away from the overall greatness of this beer. Not sure what I’ll do to top this. Excellent carbonation. My most favourite stout thus far.