Yeti
Great Divide Brewing Company

YetiYeti
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From:
Great Divide Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,055
ABV:
9.5%
Score:
94
Ranked #2,675
Avg:
4.21 | pDev: 9.5%
Reviews:
1,902
Ratings:
5,805
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 10, 2024
Added:
Aug 09, 2003
Wants:
  348
Gots:
  1,242
Yeti Imperial Stout is an onslaught of the senses. It starts with big, roasty malt flavor that gives way to rich caramel and toffee notes. Yeti gets its bold hop character from an enormous quantity of American hops. It weighs in at a hefty 75 IBUs.

2005 Great American Beer Festival, Silver Medal, Imperial Stout
2008 Great American Beer Festival, Bronze Medal, Imperial Stout
2009 Great American Beer Festival, Silver Medal, Imperial Stout
2010 BeerAdvocate “Top 100 Beers On Planet Earth,” #36
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by RoyalT:
Photo of RoyalT
Reviewed by RoyalT from Michigan

4.58/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance - This beer is darker than dark with a beautiful, full head. The head is very dark as well, a solid milky brown I'd say, and laced the hell out of my class. It was a beauty shop in the best sense.

Smell - This bouquet is a nice mix of roasty malts, coffee grounds, and dark chocolate from the finest shop in San Francisco. The raw coffee grounds and dark chocolate work incredibly well together, giving this one a very bitter nose.

Taste - Oh, this is really good. The notes from the nose are here in spade, but the roasted malts are super-juiced and are much sweeter at the tongue. It's a dark sweetness, again like chocolate, maybe mixed with some brown sugar. The alcohol, which I didn't pick up at the nose, is very much present at the taste. This is very rich and has what I call a "pre-aged" flavor, meaning that it takes on that good, syrupy flavor that you get after aging a strong, complex stout.

Mouthfeel - This medium to full-bodied stout is slick in the mouth and very bitter. The big sugars take the bite out of the bitterness and the huge alcohol warms the throat. All the flavors play amazingly well in the mouth. This has what I consider to be a perfect balance of dark, bitter malts, light leafy hop dryness, mouth-puckering sugars, and a sharp but mature alcohol warmth.

Drinkability - This was beer, dinner, and dessert all rolled into one. It was incredibly drinkable for such a big ADS.

Comments - Do not age this beer. Drink as is for best results.

Update - It had been five years since I've had this beer before they started selling it in SoCal so thought I'd give my original review an update.

I wrote before about how dark and beautiful the head was but just can't emphasize it enough. It is absolutely one of the most beautiful heads I have ever seen and it sticks around for eternity. As you drink the beer the film leaves thick rings on the inside of your mug almost like ring on a tree bark.

The only other thing that I would add, which I mentioned at the end of my original review, is that although this style of beer is good for aging, this should be consumed upon purchase. You age a big, dark, malty beer like this to bring out the sugars but the sweets here are so well-developed that there's no need to hold this in a cellar.
Jul 10, 2005
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.31 by BlueMountain from Iowa

Mar 10, 2024
 
Rated: 4.19 by RPBeerdude from Colorado

Mar 06, 2024
 
Rated: 4.5 by bigred89 from Maryland

Feb 10, 2024
 
Rated: 4.25 by saymike32 from New Jersey

Dec 24, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by Nyoder

Nov 26, 2023
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

4.59/5  rDev +9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Look: It pours black with a dark brown head. It has very good head retention.

Smell: It has strong roasted aromas with chocolate. There are some coffee notes with a bit of burnt elements in the background. There are some hints of dark fruits as well.

Taste: It has strong roasted and coffee flavors with a decent amount of chocolate mixed in. There are some slightly burnt elements in the background. It has some dried cherry elements with pine and a bit of floral.

Feel: It has a full body with pleasant alcohol warming.

Overall: A great combination of roasted malts and hops.
Nov 17, 2023
Photo of kflorence
Reviewed by kflorence from Texas

4.48/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Date on can: 02/15/23.

Pours a clear, pitch black in color with a gorgeous two finger thick frothy, brown foam on top with excellent retention. Tons of lacing as you drink. Pretty much a perfect appearance.

Aroma is a blend of dark roast and hoppiness with notes of cacao, coffee, melon and tropical fruit. Yasss.

This is very intense stuff. Starts off with roasty malts, vanilla and a hint of sweetness. Then comes cacao, coffee, burnt caramel. The hops come in towards the middle with a ton of spice. It's an almost overpowering assault on th taste buds. I do get some pine and a hint of citrus pithe. There's also a very earthy quality on the swallow that I find a bit off-putting. Finishes extremely bitter with burnt malts and hop bitterness. This is quite strong and complex.

Mouthfeel is rather heavy as you'd expect with excellent creaminess and average, but zesty on the swallow, carbonation. Alcohol is detectable but not overbearing. This is a bit syrupy and somewhat of a palate wrecker.

Wow, this is intense stuff. I mostly like it, but I wouldn't drink more than one at a time. A sipper, for sure. Other than some off notes in the tasting profile, this is very high quality stuff. If you're a fan of Imperial Stouts this is probably a must try. Cheers!
Nov 02, 2023
Photo of Amanuel
Reviewed by Amanuel

4.29/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
An overall mouthy, textured beer. Coffee and a dark chocolate creme mixture comes to mind. Think chocolate Affogato. Has a bitter ending but it only lingers for a second until the sweet/tart taste of dark chocolate sets in. A very dark pour, an amazing smell. Perfect 1 finger head, but a professional did pour mine and with a stout, the 2 finger rule goes. I thoroughly enjoyed this beer for every sip it gave. On to the next one!
Sep 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.59 by MobBarley from Oregon

Aug 27, 2023
 
Rated: 4.09 by LunchMoney from Minnesota

Aug 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.79 by Anacross from Oregon

Jul 09, 2023
Photo of 1BrewBacca
Reviewed by 1BrewBacca from Georgia

4.27/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 12oz can. Almost black liquid with a light brown head. Sticky foam fingers coat the glass walls from top to bottom as you drink. Smell and Taste of dark chocolate and coffee. Im a big fan of most Yetis and this one didn't disappoint. Not my most favorite but damn good.
Jul 06, 2023
Photo of puck1225
Reviewed by puck1225 from Texas

4.44/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
I am putting this beer up with Narwhal as a go to imperial stout. Surprised I had not reviewed previously. A bargain as well, six pack for about $15.

Poured from a can into a tulip glass. Oily deep dark brown color with an exquisite light brown creamy, foamy head and excellent curtain lacing. Smell and taste of dark chocolate, sweet plums, and cinnamon. Some smokey malt and vanilla. Silky smooth feel. I understand why this beer is a craft classic!
Jul 06, 2023
Photo of Franziskaner
Reviewed by Franziskaner from Missouri

4.29/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Black and impenetrable to light. There’s a fingernail of brown around the rim and covering three quarters of the top. Heavy, soapy lacing. There’s plenty of dark, lightly roasted, lightly smoky, and a touch chocolatey malt. I’m tasting roasted barley and dark chocolate. The mouth is thick and sticky.
Jul 02, 2023
Photo of whynot44
Reviewed by whynot44 from Missouri

4.27/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Opaque black color with some ruby highlights and a massive milk chocolate colored head with some nice lacing.
The aroma is dark roast malt, caramel, toffee, espresso and hints of dark chocolate.
The taste is dark sweet malt up front followed quickly by the bite of dark coffee, dark chocolate and a blast of herbal hops. This is almost taste overload, massive malt sweetness backed up with serious bitterness from both the roasted malt and major hops.
The body is full, good level of carbonation, still smooth and drinkable but best for sipping after dinner or anytime you can just relax and enjoy something really appropriate to the name.
May 27, 2023
Photo of cbuzz24
Reviewed by cbuzz24 from Mississippi

4.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
The roastiest (?) stout I’ve ever tried. Sweetness up front gives way to awesome bitterness! Smells of nice bitter chocolate that definitely Carrie’s over to the taste. I will definitely be searching this out again!
Apr 06, 2023
Photo of Braunmeister_1943
Reviewed by Braunmeister_1943 from Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 12oz can. The color is pitch black. Moderate foamy tan head. Mild hop aroma with coffee hints. Flavor is quite hoppy. Reminds me of Victory’s “Storm King “. Nice dark chocolate flavor. Dry finish and thick mouthfeel. I’m glad I finally got around to trying this!
Mar 31, 2023
Photo of MadMadMike
Reviewed by MadMadMike from France

4.37/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pint can poured into an Avery snifter. Pours a deep brown with a fine tan head that lingers.
Aroma is dark roast malt, French roast coffee, cacao powder.
Taste follows; chocolate, dark coffee, and a killer late hop bite.
Full bodied, low to medium carbonation.
Overall, one of my personal favorite American Stouts. Well crafted, travels well.
Mar 30, 2023
Photo of Micklauria1
Rated by Micklauria1 from South Carolina

4.9/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Great flavor (not too bitter or too sweet) and mouth feel.
Mar 25, 2023
Yeti from Great Divide Brewing Company
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 5805 ratings