Great Divide Barrel Aged Yeti

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

Bottle 66/470 Big thanks to maltdawg for dropping this one by for us to all sample. Perfect light black-brown body with minimal head. Great aroma, whiskey is blended perfectly with some nice malts and coffee accents. Taste is very balanced, toffee, some dark fruit, hazel nut with some light dark fruit accents. Ending is smooth with a great sweet balance.

Bottle #256/470 at February 27, 2009 beer club meeting. What an honor is was to drink this. Made me feel special. Luckily, the beer was good, too. Pitch black (at least in the room’s lighting) with a light brown, frothy head and a nice bubbly lacing that slides down the glass ever so gently. Its aroma is that of a great whiskey... fibrous, even. Flavor is rich and fantastic. You can even feel the alcohol in the throat with this one. A thin mouthfeel, but strong, and sweet in the cheeks. This is a definitely man’s beer.

750 ml bottle at miketd’s tasting
Thanks to whomever brought this along. It has been a while since I have tried Yeti in any form; now I will have to go pick up a bottle to reacquaint myself with its charms. This has many of the characteristics of the regular version along with the typical barrel aspects.

Aroma / Appearance - Deep black as any good imperial stout is it swirls in a oily way around the glass. Creamy lacing clings to the sides creating a dirty sheen. Malty with black coffee, anise, vanilla, smoke, whiskey, and some chocolate create a good aroma but it feels as if something is missing.

Flavor / Palate - The oily mouthfeel unleashes several flavors in quick succession starting with smoke and moving on to vanilla, light whiskey, chocolate, and finally rich black coffee. Nice and warm it pleases the senses without being over the top like some imperial stouts - at 12% Great Divide strikes a nice balance between big and balanced.

Bottle 156/470. Poured a deep brown color with a good sized beige head and brown staining legs. The aroma was big on the vanilla and bigger on the wood. Roasty with a touch of smoke. Wait not done. Chocolate and a little alcohol. Then the beer warmed and whisky came through. The flavor was better than the aroma. I guess because it seemed to blend more for me. vanilla, whisky and chocolate. Roasty and sweet. Some vanilla notes. Very warming with a full body. Smooth mouthfeel.

Bottle shared by Larry, thanks a lot! Pours a black body with a very dark tan coffee head. Oaky chocolate bourbon in abundance. Coffee accents, very creamy with a moderate etoh warming. Lingering chocolate and coco but not cloying by any means. I loved it!

Bottled from Goldtwins. Very dark pour with a nice head. Very dry, espresso-y aroma, loaded with coffee and an alcohol burn. Bitter, dry, cocoa powder flavor, with a fair bit of bourbon burn, but overall after even 20 months this really shows very little bourbon character. I’m not exactly crazy about it, its so harsh and I’d rather drink regular Yeti, but I must admit it is not nearly as harsh as I was expecting.

#444/470 bottle thanks to Lumpy. WOW this beer is amazing. poured motor oil black with ruby edges and some nice legs. aroma of fudge, oak, vanilla caramel, and alcohol. flavor was wood, chocolate, dark roasts, and alcohol. body was like a velvet cloth being draped across my tongue. this may very well be the best beer ever.

(750ml bottle, #444 of 470, bottled Aug 08, courtesy of Lumpy) Pours an opaque black body with a spare brown head. Aroma of roasted malt, coffee, oak, and chocolate. Flavor of caramel, vanilla, coffee, roasted malt, and light bourbon with a dry oak finish. Excellent!