Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout

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

Coffee, chocolate and hops scent and taste, I’ve been here before. But what makes this stand out is the hugeness of it all. Damn tasty stuff.

Pours black with a small bubbly creamy tan head. Rich fruity, licorice, creamy chocolate, hoppy aroma with strong roasted malt notes. The hoppiness in the aroma is a defining characteristic. This stuff is intense, sooo hoppy for an IS. Some of that fridge/ambrosia hop flavor. The mouthful sizzles, medium/full syrupy with larger carbonation that provides an airy feeling. Flavor is ultra sugary sweet, like cane sugar, and also extremely bitter with nothing in the middle. Lots of grapefruit and caramelized burnt molasses. Very dark bitter licorice finish. Seems more like an imperial dark IPA.

Dark brown/black pour with a smal but creamy tan head that sticks around, quite literally. Great aroma and flavor of dark roasted malt and grain, espresso, semi-sweet chocolate, and even a hint of vanilla and citrusy hops. A touch thinner than some impy’s, but still creamy and full feeling on the palate. Nice warming alcohol bite on the finish. Poured from a year old bottle, the age seems to have mellowed it a bit. Yummy.

I’m going to settle my curiosity once and for all. I’m doing a blind test with Yeti and Yeti’s wooden brother to see if I can tell the difference and which one I like better. Of course they look identical when poured heads both dark brown with a pitch black body. I was actually stuck on this one when I tried to distinguish the difference between the two. I ended up realizing that I had to cleanse my palate between the two brews in order to pick up the subtle difference between the Yetis. After I drank some water it was obvious which one was the Yeti and which was the Oak Yeti. The Yeti was lighter in body than it’s oak counterpart and was slightly more watery than the oak yeti. The finish of the yeti was roasted, bittersweet chocolate. Not as deep as the Oaked Yeti. The Oak adds a depth that this beer really needs. The reviews are pretty close to spot on, the oaked yeti is better than the regular yeti only because the Oaked adds a level of depth that isn’t in the regular yeti. A complexity that even my wife can distinguish. I’d have to agree with scrizzz on his review that it’s a little thin but that’s about it. I feel it’s still prety well balanced with the alcohol and hops. If anything I would say that the regular yeti is slightly overrated whereas the oaked yeti is almost dead on in ratings.

(Draught at Plan B, Copenhagen, 25 July 2008) Black colour with creamy, brown head. Roasted nose with strong black coffee, espresso, pine needles and citrussy hops. Roasted, malty taste with notes of sweet espresso, pine needles, and serious doses of citrussy/piney hops in a long, bitter finish. Almost full bodied, really bitter and with balanced sweetness. Absolutely superb!

coffee aroma and hot alcohol. jet black. heavy weighted body yet thin too. much too warm.

Bottle from AgentSteve. Thanks Steve! Thick mixed bubble dark reddish brown head. Thick body. Malty, chocolate, aroma notes. Not overpowering. Flavor is a nice balance of sweetness and dryness. Lots of hop bitterness blend well with the roasted grains. No burnt notes, or sour dry notes. Very nice. Easy to drink and tasty. Even better as it warms up.

Delicious beer. Smells of roasted malt with a hint of chocolate. Nice dark cola like coloring with a rich dark tan head. Great flavor. Filled with a dark chocolate taste and delicious roasted malt. A touch of a bitter kickback. Warm going down. Heavy impact. Nice brew!