Great Divide 15th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

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

This ale pours a very nice hazy copper color with a nice head that leaves great lacing. Flavor is nice. Nice hop character with a great balance. The middle palate and finish are a bit nutty with a hint of mild vanilla.Great job!

Bomber from Palmer’s Beverage Center in Columbus, OH. Pours an amber orange with a white head. Nose is a ton of pine, malt, caramel, and Christmas tree-esque piney sprucey goodness. Detectable citrus presence, but barely noticeable barrel in the nose. Flavor is malt, pine, Christmas Tree, and some sweet oak as it is enjoyed. The barreled pieces come out as the beer warms, and as the flavor is explored. Interesting beer, but barrel is in the background of this medium-bodied, smooth beer.

bottle, thanks to bu11zeye, orange golden color with good foam, aroma of sour lemon and grapefruit, flavors of caramel, citrus, melon rind, buttery finish

Pours a pretty cloudy copper/orange color body with a 2 finger thick fluffy off-white head. After sitting for a few minutes, the head drops only a little bit leaving a sticky residue. The aroma is a sweet earthy blend of brown sugar, vanilla, carmel, oranges, and mildew with some alcohol peeking through. The flavor starts of a little soapy with some vanilla and maple notes followed by a quick shot of spiced rum that dries out fast leaving a moldy wood and cigar finish with some mild citrus undertones.

Pours a clear dark copper with a medium sized long lasting off-white head. Aroma is definitely earthier and maltier than typical, but that doesn’t mean the hops are absent, just masked a bit. Aroma of toffee, white chocolate, vanilla, pine apple, orange, and a little toast. Tastes strongly of wood qualities, some good, some obnoxious with vanilla, and a sort of plywood quality that kinda cheapens the beer. Plenty of caramel, white chocolate, dirt, citrus and earthy hops. Finishes with the wood and malt still dominating and the aftertaste being a weird mix of dirt, char, toast, plywood and vanilla. Thick slightly sticky body with plenty of carbonation and quite a bit of heat. Very interesting beer, lots to like, but there’s some weird things going on as well.

bottle thanks to bu11zeye. poured copper with a great white head. aroma of caramel, pepper, cedar, citrus, and pineapple. flavor was just as good as the nose with sweet caramel, pepper, cedar, citrus, pineapple, and some good bitter. medium body with medium carbonation. an excellent beer.

Bomber from Sam’s, Durham. Decent enough pour, a bright amber with a medium creamy head. Strong fruit syrup nose, sweet and malty, and suggesting it lacks the balance of the base beer. Sharp oak notes come across as phenolic. The mouthfeel is medium. Flavor is a bit rough to me, though not quite as harsh as the Southern Tier version (which is, in other ways, a better brew). Some vanilla and toasted flavors, but a weird mentholated finish as well. A tough beer to get a read on, and a tough one to fully enjoy.

Pours a copperish amber with a slight tan head. Has aromas of vanilla, caramal, and hops. Flavor is balanced between caramel and slight grapefruit flavor of the hops.