Great Divide Oak Aged Hibernation Ale

Formerly brewed at Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Denver, Colorado USA

(draft) Hazy dark red-brown body with creamy tan head. Aroma is moderately sweet,caramel, raisin, faint oak. Taste is moderately sweet, caramel, chocolate, some raisin, light oak. Creamy medium body with a light alcohol burn.

Draft at Great Divide. Immensely enduring beige head keeps the goal over the hazy caramel colored ale. Beefy, chewy cereal, caramel and biscuity malts are gently offered compliments by polite earthy and floral hops. The peachy and plum whispers fit into the vanilla laden like old mates. Medium bodied, silky smooth, no acidity, engaging light carbonation. Exceptional barrel-aging work that never appears aggressive, they might be one of the greatest at this.

Draft... Mid-GABF ’06, Great Divide Open House, Denver... Dark, ruby ale with a tight, tan head. Excellent retention. The aroma is a medley of caramel, chocolate, black cherries and woodsy vanilla. Cocoa, vanilla, oak and caramel flavor with mild bitterness. Full-bodied and creamy with tender carbonation. Sweet, chocolatey, earthy finish.

Dang, am I the only one that thought this smelled like peanuts? Had a weird, funky BO or moldy peanut scent mixed within a light oak flavor and behind a little but of some starchy berries. Small bite at the back of the tongue. I thought it would be better, but I was pretty dissappointed. Sorry about spitting it all over you Facto.

Chocolate aroma with a thick, rich, malty sweetness, some light vanilla and oak notes that are nicely present without overwhelming. Dark ruby brown body is topped by a dense, fine bubbled, tan head that lasts well and laces. Thick, rich, chocolate flavour with vailla and roasty overtones that spar in the aftertaste. Medium full body with moderate, soft bubbled carbonation. Enjoyed on tap at the brewery during the GABF Ratebeer session.

On tap at brewery to start Day 2 of the GABF party:

Hazy amber hue with a small head and a bit of lace. The aroma has notes of carmel, toffee, spicy and grassy hops, earthy esters and some oaky notes. The taste starts quite balance with the woody character working well with the light bitter and spice notes. Nice malty and light sweet fruit background as well. The feel is velvery smooth and slightly sticky. A very good beer and well wood aged. The mjames spit take beer!

Tap @ Great Divide GABF ’06: Clear chestnut color with a medium off-white head. The aroma had huge vanilla and wood notes that lay over a Hershey chocolate bar. YUM! The flavor had a perfect mix of hops, vanilla and chocolate over woodiness. Sweet malty finish. Creamy medium body.

On draught at the brewery, 9/30/2005. Pours a murky, unfiltered maroon to deep chocolate brown-beige with some darker espresso-yellow hues on the edges. Nice to see a creamy, well-retained tan-beige head with some light auburn flecks in there. Great Divide always seems to do very well with appearance/head retention, even in their oak-aged beers and this is no exception. Left spotty lacing on the glass as it receded, but it was a heavy, almost limp liquid that did not produce sheets of lacing. Aroma smelled of very sweet, soft vanilla-cream, butterscotch and hints of bakers chocolate. Notes of dates, old cherries and gingerbread, with a pleasant, almost vinous mix of raisins and cola and more butter toffee. Fairly dry overall, and the oak chips are well restrained. The flavor begins with a mix of light alcohol notes, not sharp and offensive, but strong and warming. Cherries, dates, toffee and buttercream, with a moderate amount of woodiness and lightly bitter chocolate on the end. Very easygoing mouthfeel, low to moderate carbonation, with the texture ranging from sweet and lightly sticky, to lightly slippery on the end. The oak chips seem to replace the spices, and sweet cream and chocolate seem to dominate the finish, with a low hops bitterness and flavor. Served very cold to start, it’s an easy, simple drink and needed a good deal of warming before the many subtle flavors of this English Old ale meets American oak-aged strong ale came forth. Medium-full body overall, though never heavy or burdensome on the palate.