Great Divide’s Yeti Imperial Stout is a hugely popular beer, but it’s one that never really connected with me (I gave it a B). I wouldn’t call it bad, but perhaps a bit overrated. Well, Great Divide has taken this beer and used it as a chance to experiment. There’s a version with Brett, a version with Belgian yeast, and several oak aged varieties – including this one, aged on oak chips with cocoa nibs (apparently there’s a “hint of cayenne” as well, though I certainly didn’t pick up on that). The regular Yeti sorta emphasizes the things I don’t particularly love about stouts, but this treatment – less of the bitter hops and roasted coffee flavors, more in the way of chocolate and vanilla character – is right up my alley:
Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti – Pours a thick black color with a finger or so of brown head. Aroma is full of roasted malts and, yes, chocolate. Taste is very sweet, with less of the roastiness than I was expecting (though it’s still there), a little bitter dark chocolate, and a very nice vanilla oak character, along with a heaping helping of booze. The finish is relatively dry and bitter, with that bitterness lingering into the aftertaste. I remember the regular Yeti being very bitter too, but this version seems to have a more pleasing bitterness. Mouthfeel is full bodied and boozy, a little bit of alcohol burn, but it works quite well. Overall, I’m much happier with this than I was with the regular yeti. I actually kinda love it, which was surprising… A
Beer Nerd Details: 9.5% ABV bottled (22 oz.) Drank out of a snifter on 2/11/12.
Great Divide has a bunch of these oak aged Yetis, and I’d like to try some of the other ones… The Bourbon Barrel aged version sounds particularly enticing, though the Espresso Oak Aged one might not be my thing…