Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti

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

Bottle from Liquor Max in Loveland, so it’s likely very fresh. Pours a very dark brown with a large dark tan head. The aroma is pretty much chocolate and wood. Medium body at best with frothy carbonation. The flavors are intense. Lots of treacle. Lots of dark malt. Chocolate, smoke/oak, finishes with something peppery. Treacle and chocolate go a long ways in the end. Sweet? Sorta. Dry. Not really. Delicious? Oh yeah!

22oz bottle. Pours very deep brown, topped with a moderate-sized brown head. Aroma begins with dark chocolate and roasted malt, with highlights of espresso, pepper, hops and chili. Flavor of bakers chocolate, espresso, smoke, ash, and molasses, with oak in the background to round things out. There’s a little bitterness of dark chocolate and hops towards the finish, which are gradually overcome by chili pepper. Another nice interpretation of the Yeti!

Bottled on 07-09. Similar pour as the others with an opaque black body and a dark tan, mostly full, mostly lasting, pillowy, frothy head which a leaves significant frothy head throughout and a frothy lace all over. Wow, the nose is much different than the others with less oak presence as well as less hop presence; notes of dark chocolate, dry cocoa, brown sugar, light molasses, burnt caramel, certainly some hot peppers, light vanilla, light scorched oak, and hops which are almost floral but still cedar-like. Flavor is similar but certainly different from the others; creamy chocolate malt and dark chocolate is prominent, some dry cocoa, spicy pepper is more than notable, burnt caramel, molasses, some dark fruits are now there (maybe date?, almost plum-like), light cedar, and some light vanilla and dry oak notes. Palate is good but not quite great with a full body, light warmth (seemingly more due to the cayenne), soft to lively carbonation, velvety, but not round or chewy and seemingly warmer than it is. Finishes very long with more scorched oak than the flavor started with, light cedar notes, but mostly chocolate, cayenne, and plum lingering. I do not know where to begin. Very different with less oak and hop notes than the other oaked Yeti’s and more malt complexities. I cannot say that I this was better than the others but just different. The cayenne was a little more dominant than I would have liked, and that is coming from a person who loves spicy foods; it takes a little away from the malts. All in all, another great addition to the pack of Yeti but not quite the level of the original oaked Yeti. GD restores my faith in them as a very good brewery after their poor performance in Belgian-type beers recently. You gotta love the Yeti.

Complex aroma of oak, spruce, chocolate, raisins, and brown sugar. Black pour with a medium creamy brown head, abundant lacing. Full bodied, alcohol evident. Flavors of prunes, raisins, and charred oak, black cherries up front. Dates and dark chocolate at midpalate. Vaporous and warm peppery plum finish. Fantastically complex, dynamic transitions, and reasonably good balance. Fruitier than expected. Not exactly what I look for in a beer, but it is making me rethink that. Eye opening and distinctive.

Dan’s Bachelor Party Extended Weekend Rating #12 of 90. Bottle from Wine and Cheese Place. Pours pitch black with nothing more to say. I think the nose is chocolate heaven, lots of malt, some vanilla. I think the taste is one ton of chocolate, some minimal coffee (maybe). I second guess myself because this baby capped Thursday night around 4am...a re-rate is definitely in order, I would like a legitimate shot at tasting the pepper. Regardless, 4am or not, this was tasty, I can tell you that!

Pours a deep black with a large creamy tan head that left lacing. Aroma of chocolate, oak, vanilla, lightly roasted malt, caramel, light floral and citrusy hops and coconut cream eggs. Flavor of cocoa, oak, vanilla, caramel, nuts, roasted malt, toffee and yes...that cayenne pepper is there. The pepper was the most unique thing about this this. While not over the top at all and barely noticeable it was there and complimented the chocolate and roasted malt very nicely. The cayenne lingers a bit...nice.

Bomber pours deep darkness with full impressive brown head with lighter mocha streaks here and there. The aroma starts with a whiff of booze then oak. It then moves into notes of chocolate, vanilla, a bit of roasted malts and booze. The taste begins smooth and velvety with an initial flux of sweetness and chocolate quickly picking up solid notes of fresh oak cubes. It gets a bit boozy midway and into the finish where dark chocolate escorts your palate to the after taste with the aid of persistent fresh oak notes.

Aroma is oak, dark malt, alcohol, some dark fruit. The Taste is pretty much the same with a bitter chocolate bite. Very nice