Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout - Great Divide Brewing Company

optiontwo

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

My unofficial 90th review! (I have a handful in my notes that I haven't gotten around to posting.)

22oz. poured into broad mouth glass

Appearance: Pours a very dark brown but sits black in the glass with an inviting half inch light brown head. Not much head retention but nice lacing.

Smell: I could smell this from a foot away. The smell is fantastic lots of heavy chocolate aromas mixing with earthy hops and more than just a touch of coffee.

Taste: Hm. I had this not too long ago for the first time and I was floored. Something is a bit off in comparison to last time. All the flavors I remember; chocolate, coffee, herbal and citrus hops, hazelnut, and vanilla from the oak aging are there but they're slightly skewed. It's a lot more obviously oak aged and upping the wood and bourbon like qualities. What's a shame though is for some reason the amalgamation of all these flavors is producing kind of a rubbery taste. As it warms is seems to lose it, but this still doesn't taste exactly like what I remember. I do love how bitter it is, it balances out the sweet nicely. It's not that it's not good, I know when I first tried it I thought it was delicious, it's just a little weird.

Mouthfeel: Smooth over the tongue, and sticks around in your mouth. Bitterness makes each sip refreshing and carbonation is right on target.

Drinkability: Higher than some extreme imperial stouts and I'm having a pretty easy time getting through the bottle, but it's still a monster.

Overall: I'm hoping this was just an off bottle or my taste buds are messed up right now because when I first had this I was in heaven. It was like drinking espresso ice cream, which was a good thing. I'm not going to let this bad experience with it mess with my grading too much because I know what I first tasted and I know that it was excellent. Pick this up, see for yourself.

*Note: As this brew warms up it's getting more and more like what I remember so maybe it was just a little too cold at first.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2009 22:31:28 | More by optiontwo

carlosega

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +5.6%

05-17-2013 17:21:16 | More by carlosega

chossboss

Oregon

4/5  rDev -6.1%

05-17-2013 04:48:44 | More by chossboss

Blashawright

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +5.6%

05-16-2013 22:37:01 | More by Blashawright

deekyn

California

3.75/5  rDev -12%

05-16-2013 04:14:44 | More by deekyn

phooky

New York

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%

05-16-2013 00:06:38 | More by phooky

pk18

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -6.1%

05-14-2013 03:02:39 | More by pk18

Porter

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -6.1%

05-14-2013 02:33:21 | More by Porter

TheRuss9585

Vermont

3.75/5  rDev -12%

05-14-2013 00:50:33 | More by TheRuss9585

Absolut

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.6%

05-13-2013 18:07:28 | More by Absolut

BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.35/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Served in a snifter glass.

Appearance: Motor oil black, freaking dark and seriously opaque. You see the light brown bubbles hovering to the surface of the brew creating a dark tan head just about 2/3".

Smell: An appetizing aroma of coffee, plus a hit of molasses that shakes/ up the nostrils.

Taste: I served this brew cold but indeed let it sit a bit to warm up so I could absorb how rich it is. Strong coffee bean, slightly over shadows the rest of the beer but still outstanding . Little sweet in the end maybe the molasses or the aging (because you definitely feel some vanilla).

Mouth: Medium and sticky, comes a bit dry. The bitter finish is the awesome.

Overall: If you like coffee infused imperial stouts, this one should be at the top of your list. It is a little pricy but it never hurts to treat yourself every now and then. Think of it a a super-sized breakfast stout, breakfast not included. Salud!

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 04:35:26 | More by BlurryVisi0n

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.19/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Great Divide Espresso Oak-aged Yeti Russian Imperial Stout, Great Divide Brewing, Denver, Colorado.

Fully black, utterly deep, with dark brown head. Looks fantastic, very promising.

Aroma: Espresso is detected first, with chocolate not far behind, rich, decadent cocoa. Very nice.

Taste: On the tongue, it's thick, rich and hoppy. Not getting the oak just yet, but the flavor is dominated by cocoa and coffee. Great and surprising balance in this big, big beer. The espresso flavor is here, but doesn't dominate like in some coffee stouts. Full-bodied, with a long, sweet and hoppy finish. There's a certain cherry-like sweet character that stands on top and melds well with the bitter notes. Cocoa and coffee lurk in the back of the throat, hang in there, never letting go.

This is not the behemoth I worried it would be, it's a complex, and wonderful ale. Many flavors unfold during it's duration. Massive malt, incredibly full-bodied, flush with flavor.
Knockout stout, this. Maybe my favorite Yeti? No, it has to stand just behind regular oak-aged Yeti, though I haven't had it in a while. Maybe I should…

Serving type: on-tap

05-13-2013 03:36:37 | More by feloniousmonk

twenty5

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +5.6%

05-12-2013 20:51:31 | More by twenty5

MCImes

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +5.6%

05-12-2013 19:05:12 | More by MCImes

ipas-for-life

Virginia

4/5  rDev -6.1%

05-12-2013 15:55:25 | More by ipas-for-life

Ford

Texas

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%

05-12-2013 03:11:55 | More by Ford

Chingringo

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +11.5%

05-12-2013 00:45:24 | More by Chingringo

rderedin

Maine

3.5/5  rDev -17.8%

05-11-2013 23:47:18 | More by rderedin

BYOFB

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%

05-11-2013 21:25:23 | More by BYOFB

fsck

Washington

4/5  rDev -6.1%

05-11-2013 10:17:28 | More by fsck

hardy008

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Dark black with a one finger mocha head, which fades to 1/4 inch and holds, leaving nice lacing. The aroma has dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, and roasted malt.

The taste is more coffee forward than chocolate forward, as the name suggests. There is coffee, roasted malt, chocolate, cocoa, alcohol, and oak. The oak is pretty strong, and a bit too strong in my opinion. Still solid though.

Medium bodied with average carbonation. Smooth mouthfeel. Has a strong coffee aftertaste. Another good effort in the Yeti series from Great Divide.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 04:08:50 | More by hardy008

ToddHolder

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +11.5%

05-11-2013 01:20:50 | More by ToddHolder

Ak555667

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -23.7%

05-11-2013 01:00:42 | More by Ak555667

striker2160

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -12%

05-10-2013 23:11:30 | More by striker2160

bhurley

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +11.5%

05-10-2013 16:03:57 | More by bhurley