Great Divide 15th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

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

Bottle. Poured a darker orangish brown with big white head. Aroma of citrus hops, sweet malt, lots of oak & vanilla. Taste is also hoppy, with lots of oak, and smooth malt balance. The oak is a little overwhelming. I’m not sure if it will subside with a little age (2-3months) or not. Overall, a good oaked IIPA, with a touch too much oak. Finish is smooth and vanilla. Pretty nice.

Bottle. Head is initially large, frothy, off-white, mostly lasting. Body is medium amber. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (caramel, cookie), moderately hoppy (resin, apricot), with notes of peach, vanilla, raw wood, dried mango. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, velvety/oily texture, lively/soft carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Well, it’s definitely mellow for a DIPA, no question about that...in fact, I dunno if I’d even call it that. It seems like more of a generic "American Strong" than anything, not having the strong hop presence in either nose or mouth that one would expect from the former style. Not that that’s a bad thing, but for hopheads I could see this disappointing in that regard. GD’s obsession with oak chipping still confuses me, but if you dig that sawdusty, concentrated vanilla nose, this definitely has it. There’s some pleasant fruit character in this as well, so it has some allure behind the chips. Pretty good, overall.

didnt get much head from my bomber. malty upfront then saturated by earth and wood. some citrusy hop at the end adds some nice balance while the wood lingers on the palate. fairly acidic, moderate etoh. could def do again.

Bomber from Total Beverage in Westminster. Nice looking bottle. Pours copper with massive off-white head. Aroma is heavy with oak and earthy malt with some citrus and hops. Flavor is loaded with big oak flavor, hops, caramel, citrus, and some vanilla. Hides alcohol well. Nice mouthfeel and really easy to drink especially for the high ABV. Not the most hoppy DIPA but really like what the oak brought to the table. Good stuff.

An amalgamation of reviews taken at the Brick Store Pub and later Taco Mac in Buford, GA. Appearance: Served up a clear, mahogany-hued body with a smallish, though lasting white head. Scant lacing on the way down. Smell: Sweetish, caramelly malts coupled with ground vanilla and sturdy oak wood. Hops delivers some whiffs of grapefruit, resin, as well as hints of other tasy tropical fruits. A sniff or two of basic alcohol. Taste: Quality pale malts with what seems to be crystal malts yielding a candyish, caramel-minded sweetness. The taste plunges into a strong oak flavor right from the get-go. Earthy, citrusy, resinous hop presence with a moderate amount of bitterness dispensed. Also, some tropical fruits -- touches of mango and papaya. Geez Louise, there’s a lot of oak in this thing, delivering plenty of vanilla and spicy wood qualities. More caramel-coated grains on the latter half. The finish is dry, bitter, and adequately warming. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Smooth, delicately sticky mouthfeel. Drinkability: Well, it’s nice to have an anniversary brew that doesn’t pull any punches. While Great Divide’s 15th Anniversary is certainly satisfying and a joy to drink, it was also quite a task to finish off each helping.

Dark copper pour with a huge, rocky, off-white head. Lots of rich, earthy caramel malt balanced with zesty citrus, cherry, pepper, vanilla and damp wood. The flavor has notes of dark fruit, caramel, grapefruit, orange peel, spice an oak. Nice complexity of flavors but it’s very astringent and a touch alcoholic. Sticky, medium-full body with lots of carbonation.

Pours pale copper with a bit of white head. Moderate nose with some dirty earthy hops and oak. Upfront oak flavors with some back ground hop character. Medium body with a lingering wood aftertaste. No signs of 10% alcohol.

On tap at Fat Heads in Pittsburgh. Really nice balance with the whiskey cask flavors contributing but not overwhelming a really Nice IPA. Light mahogony color, modest head, florals but less than in some double IPAs but plenty of hop flavor and clean slightly sweet finish. 10/09 great from the bottle, with plenty of value and effort in the brew