Great Divide Hibernation Ale

Brewer: Great Divide Brewery
Style: English Style Old Ale
ABV: 8.7%

This not my first time with a Great Divide brew nor this one in particular. Yeti was recently reviewed by Bo. This beer was bought after recommendation from the guys at Ashburn Wine Shop.

The beer comes in a beautiful red/brown with a very red outline and an off-white/yellowish head that dissipates to a thin, stick lace not too long after pouring.

The aroma, although not strong is more of malt than hops even though it is a dry hopped beer. The taste on the other hand is much more powerful and complex. The initial taste revelas the hoppy characteristics of the beer which finishes with a slightly sweet maltiness. The final taste lingers just enough to make you want to take down more. After a few sips, ok maybe not sips its just too good, the brew reveals its warming characteristics making it a great winter beer.

I enjoyed this beer with some honey maple glazed chicken which is slightly over-powered.

I would happily recommend this to friends especially if you like a decent hoppy beer and will be picking up some more when my 6 pack runs out. Overall B+

-Roy

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Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout

Great Divide is a brewery in Denver Colorado that has been putting out some amazing stouts. I don't like to check online ratings of a beer before I post my review, but I looked up Great Divide on www.ratebeer.com and found them to have 3 different varieties of their imperial stout that all score the highest rating of 100.

This particular version comes in at 9.5% ABV and an amazing 75 IBU's (for a stout). It pours like motor oil, and instantly gives off a strong and delicious roasted coffee aroma when you start to pour. It has virtually no carbonation or head to speak of. Initially this beer tastes typical of a roasty stout, but has a toffee-like quality to it. It is a very heavy bodied stout. This beer shines in the aftertaste. After having this delicious nectar in your mouth for a few seconds and swallowing it, you get an amazingly complex taste in the aftertaste. I actually couldn't put my finger on it at first, until I read that this beer has 75 IBU (International Bittering Unit's), which is high for a stout. I also hadn't realized that it was 9.5% ABV until I was half way through with it and was wondering why my body was instinctively telling me to take it slow with this beer :)

I had this beer with a spicy chili... which probably wasn't the best pairing for such a heavy beer, but it was a great experience nonetheless. I'd give this a solid A rating.

-Bo