Great Divide 15th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Denver, Colorado USA

Bottled, shared with Narnad. Brownish amber with a slight haze. Medium-sized off-white head. Fruity nose, some nectarine and sharp pine, caramel, and something akin to freeze dried strawberries. Moderately bitter flavor, pineyness definitely more pronounced than the aroma would have you expect, with a little black pepper spice. Citric grapefruit finish with some definite green/leafy notes. Nice soft carbonation. If this was aged on wood, I’m not sure what it did to it, as I couldn’t really detect any.

A rather dark pour that is somewhat murky with a thick head. Wood and hoppy spice are present and plentiful in the aroma. Well balanced wood in this one. I have to say, I was not looking forward to an over-oaked mess but that is not at all what this beer was. Nicely blended malt with light wood notes, spicy hops that are also in more of a balance than you might expect in a DIPA. Smooth and creamy, full mouth feel. A winner in my book

Bottle thanks to bu11zeye. The smell is wood, malts, hops, cedar fencing, earth, and more hops. The look is clear, beige colored head, orange copper colored. The taste is hoppy, woody, fruits, and citrus.

On tap at Kickbacks. Pours a clear, dark amber with a one finger tan head. Good retention and lacing. Aroma of spice, alcohol, big herbal hops. Taste has lots of herbal hops, chestnuts, some oaky dryness and tons of that Hercules nutty bitterness. Though this was ’fresh’, it has obviously been aged, which is a death sentence to DIPAs. Rather than getting tropical, citrus, and juicy notes this has dried out, become nutty and chalk-like. Overall light to medium bodied. Lackluster.

Bottle Pours a clear amber with a big tan head. The lasts welland makes some nice lacing rings. Has a nice aroma of citrus, light floral, wood, and a touch of vanilla. Has a good carbonation. The flavor is good. Has good hoppy base with hints of the wood. Well balanced and blended. Alcohol is present but not harsh. Has a full body. Has an oily texture. The finish is good with a light aftertaste. This is very good.

honestly a beautifil looking beer, golden honey in colour with lots of white lacing. Giner, vanilla, spicy ,sweet aroma. Floral, spice, hop taste that is very well balanced with sweet malts. Overall a great beer.

Bottle from Liquor Max in Loveland. Pours a nice copper with a large, foamy beige head. Very floral aroma, with some roasted caramel and a hint of oak. Near full bodied with creamy carbonation. Flavor is mild oak and floral hop over a sturdy malt backbone. Very nice mouthfeel. Floral goes citrus towards the finish. Which is bitter. Quite tasty.

Bomber from the Sam’s in Downers Grove, Illinois: This poured a clear amber body with a foamy off-white head. Nice lacework. The aroma is woody and has juicy sweet malts and floral/citrusy hop scents. Soft and smooth in the mouth. There’s more hop flavor than bite in the taste, smoothly complemented by swet caramel amlt and enhanced by oak, vanilla, and a peppery heat from the strong alcohol content. The finish was bitterly dry with a low alcohol burn. Nice.