Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout

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

2003 Bottle: This Imperial pours a thick syrupy black with a dark brown head. Nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma consists of coffee, caramel and hops. Rich bodied and overly bitter for my tastes. The label boasts of the hoppiness of this beer at 75 IBUs, and it threw off the balance of it in my estimation. I learned that while I like hoppy beers I do not like hoppy Imperial Stouts. The bitterness overpowers the malt, roasted coffee and chocolate flavors that would otherwise make this more enjoyable. The finish remains bitter with hops and coffee. Overall this beer would be much better if the the scales were not tipped so far on the bitter side. The one saving grace is that by the time it really, really warmed the balance was noticeably better.

Roasted coffee aroma, deep brown, pours a huge coffee coloured head. Roasted coffee and burnt toast flavour, full bodied, bitter, oily. Terrific!

Pours black with a tall brown head that lasts and leaves medium lacing behind. Rich roasts in the aroma, hints of chocolate and coffee. This stout had a bit more carbonation than I was expecting, it thinned out the heaviness of the brew a bit but still had a good thickness to it. Very balanced taste with rich caramel taste mixed in with the chocolate and a hint of plum fruitiness, finishing with bitterness to balance.

On tap at Brasserie 4:20, Roma. Almost black with a light brown, lacing head. Coffee and potent chocolate and rummy flavours and aroma. Full-bodied. A great monster of a beer.

12-oz. Pours a deep opaque black with a towering, moussy, rocky, dark tan head. Plenty of clingy lace here and there. Nose shows good chocolate, caramel, and roast, with a bit of sourness in there. Attack is bold, with high-medium body, active carb, and plenty of flavor. The chocolate, caramel and roast come through right from the attack and carry across the mid palate, joined by coffee and toffee, and a bit of black cherry in there. Big hollow piney, clingy finish. Great stuff, but I definitely gotta give the nod to the oaked version, especially since it’s so widely available.

Verre de dégustation, provenant d’une bouteille de 22 oz, dégusté au Mondial de la Bière 2007 (Montréal, QC). Arôme: Odeur de chocolat riche et de petits fruits foncés. Apparence: La couleur est noire opaque. Présence d’un large col crémeux beige et d’une large dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de chocolat, de figues et de petits fruits. Longue durée de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est plein avec une texture crémeuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Présence de café en arrière goût. (Rating #1061)

Texas gold in color. Huge, long-lasting, tightly packed dark-tan head made me think of dust (keeping with the Texas analogy). Texture was thick enough to chew. I actually felt like sucking it out of a thick and wide straw, as it was very milkshake-like. Very hoppy, to say the least. Citric, bitter and somewhat acidic. Malts were very chocolaty (dark), and had lovely aromas of tobacco and black licorice. Bold and edgy. Aged ’03 Maverick: Fruity and very roasted. Creamy smooth texture; dryish finish. Dry cocoa throughout. Sour chocolate with subtle hints of cherries. Good.

Poured motor oil-ish with brown head. Big aroma of syrupy molasses, caramel malts, chocolate and alcohol. Flows into my mouth thick and chewy yet silky smooth. Wow! Loads of malt flavors: Caramel, chocolate, coffee, alcohol too, brown sugar and black patent roasted (burnt) malt. Very nice chatty beer.