Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout - Great Divide Brewing Company

sonicdescent

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up this long awaited bastard at Ds in Swissvale. Full disclosure: this beer on paper looks made for my tastes.

Look is pretty phenominal, black as night and a nice sized tan head gives way to a crown and lacing the whole way down the glass.

Nose is good as well, chocolate, coffee, wood, vanilla. Someone below wrote a coffee shop scent, I can see that.

Taste comes off rather successful as well, the familiar yeti taste which is an already great mix of chocolate, cream, and coffee with some oak and a ton of espresso. I don't think it is overpowering but it is prevalent. There is also a hop presence I never noticed in a yeti, likely because I have never had one this fresh.

Body is pretty thick and chewy with low to med carbonation.

Glad to have another bottle of this waiting in the wings.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2009 02:43:59 | More by sonicdescent

SFLpunk

Vermont

3.15/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

22oz pry-top brown glass. Bottled Feb. 13 2009.

Appearance: Deep black with brown around the edges, light tan head, leaving sparse spotting.

Nose: Lots of bitter espresso notes, vanilla way out when you really breathe in. Smells like a coffee shop that roasts their own, or maybe the coffee isle in a grocery store.

Palate: Medium- to full-bodied. Lots and lots of dark roast coffee grounds up front, in the middle and on the finish. There's some mild tempering from the oak, a little vanilla, dried creamer feel in the middle. Some earthy, dried leaves notes on the finish, and some green coffee bean flavors, too.

Notes: Gotta say, I prefer the Oaked Yeti to all the Yeti's so far. This is a little too coffee ground tasting/feeling, a little too bitter (from the coffee), and a little too simple. Texture and flavors a little overdone.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2009 02:37:45 | More by SFLpunk

Domingo

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Normally I'm a huge Great Divide fan and the other two Yeti beers are among my absolute favorite beers, period.
However, the espresso coffee notes kill off most of the subtle other notes in the beer. It still looks really good and maintains the right texture...but the flavors have all shifted over to roasted coffee and bitter chocolate. Even the hop notes seem to be lost. It went from having a ton of depth to being a boozy coffee beer.
It's still okay if you want a coffee strong stout, but I don't think it's as good as the other ones I've had, like the Founders examples.
The other two Yeti beers have a flavor list a mile long. This one falls into that increasingly large group of imperial stouts that have roasty flavors and little else. It's still "good" but I'd say it's a big fall-off compared to the others.

Again, this is still a good beer...but it's a miss when compared to it's predecessors.

EDIT: Future tastings actually have me even questioning if this IS a good beer. I just don't like it. It's all coffee and very little else. I'd say the 2010 version is even more so. I'll pass on this one, and I'm a giant Great Divide fan.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2009 14:10:52 | More by Domingo

hsway

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I poured this somewhat aggressively from a 22 ounce bottle into two large red wine glasses. Shared with my loved one, which is always nice.

a: Deep dark almost blackish color with a medium brown head - much like the color of the foam that appears on the top of french press coffee, coincidentally.

s: Coffee, coffee, coffee. Interesting sensation because it smelled very much like a cup of coffee, but it wasn't generating the smell by steam/evaporation.

t: Great. Again, the coffee is very strong, so much so that the oakiness is not too intense, which is fine with me.

m: This was not quite as syrupy as I expected - in fact, it was less so than the regular Yeti, which I wasn't expecting. Still very round and full-bodied.

d: I wouldn't want to drink too much of this, but that's always my preference with imperial stouts. A little dab'll do ya.

One note, I think this beer may contain caffeine - I had a bit of trouble sleeping after this one, but it was worth it.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2009 17:46:38 | More by hsway

jkendrick

Colorado

4.45/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A: Black with a brown creamy head that recedes slowly leaving lotsa lace.

S: The espresso smell is nice and the slight malt aroma is the only hint that I'm smelling a beer and not a shot of espresso.

MF: Full-bodied in an understatement! It totally coats the mouth and is ridiculously chewy! Perfect!

T: Man, that's a lot of coffee! Unlike the regular Oaked-Aged Yeti, I don't detect much oak. I'm generally a fan of oakiness, but I didn't like the way it effected the Yeti, so the lack of oakiness here is a good thing in my book. There is some dark bitter chocolate and some sweet vanilla going on in the middle. In the finish there is coffee -like bitterness. Hops? Maybe, but the bitterness reminds me of the taste in my mouth after that last sip of very strong, very black coffee in the morning. It is a bit hot, but only only the gums. It doesn't really generate much warmth in the belly or as it goes down.

Overall: Love it! The best of the Yetis!

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2009 00:50:12 | More by jkendrick

nickfl

Florida

4.13/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Two fingers of dark brown head rest on top of a completely opaque, black body. The dense head settles to a half finger of thick bubbles on top of the beer and leaves very thick lace on the glass.

T - A rich, dark aroma of chocolate, coffee, and nutty caramel. Distinct woody note with hints of vanilla. Dark yeast aromas of raisin and plums.

T - Strong, bitter malt up front. Lots of coffee and dark chocolate. Spicy flavors in the middle, pepper and rosemary. The finish is strongly bitter with complex flavors of everything bitter and acrid; coffee beans, char, tobacco, and unsweetened chocolate with a slight, surprising, aftertaste of green, citrus hops.

M - Thick and oily body, medium-low carbonation, and a slightly sweet finish.

D - Drinkability is honestly a bit low on this one. They have taken a big beer, and made it way bigger with wood and coffee. Hugely complex and intensely bitter, it kind of reminds me of turkish coffee. The bitterness is a bit over the top for my taste. The espresso may have added to the aroma but, for the most part, I think it just hurt the drinkability by making the beer so bitter that it is kind of hard to finish a whole glass.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2009 05:50:07 | More by nickfl

shanem

Vermont

4.13/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Excellent! I had heard of the Yeti and happened to find this at store in Boston on a little weekend trip.

A: Crazy dark, no light even at the end. Had a huge head that laced down the entire glass

S: Not as much espresso as I had assumed based on the name but it's still there alongside some roasted maltiness and a bit of sweet almost chocolate aroma

T: Delicious, got the coffee flavor at the end. Really liked the oak flavor in there also. Super complex brew with lots going on and very well balanced

M: Good and hearty feel but smooth and rich

D: More drinkable than you would think. I could go through a couple of these without too much trouble

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2009 05:05:37 | More by shanem

treyrab

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I was very pleased to find this on tap last night. It just made its way to Pittsburgh and I wasted no time ordering first before my palate got fried. Poured into a 12oz snifter glass.

A: Not to be cliche, this this pours black as night with a solid one finger dark khaki head. The head is sticky with the normal Yeti sticky hop profile that laces all the way down the glass.

S: A shot of espresso right into this beer makes it smell glorious. Espresso dipped chocolate, creamy chocolate nougat, sweet vanilla and caramel round off the smell. The dry coffee though is predominant in this.

T: The taste is magical. The dry espresso blends so great with the harsh Yeti profile. Yeti is a rough beer in my opinion. The light espresso and coffee tames this beast into a great, highly drinkable beer. The beer overall is pretty dry with the coffee and dark roast, but some sweet caramel and vanilla creeps up towards teh end.

Oveall, this is my favorite Yeti yet. It is also the most highly drinkable. I will probably get a few bottles, but I have no idea how this will age due to the high amounts of coffee.

Serving type: on-tap

03-11-2009 00:44:53 | More by treyrab

IPALOVER

Colorado

4.03/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Two of my favorites-- imperial stout and coffee, and here they are mixed together!

The beer poured beautifully into an imperial pint glass. The smell of espresso was strong, and invited me to take that first sip!

The first few sips of this beer were the best-- strong but smooth, huge coffee overtones, sweet finish...yum. The more I drank, though, it seemed to lose the sweetness. It took me about 2 hours to make it through the entire bomber, and about 3/4 of the way through I wanted a snack to go with it (I had a piece of aged white cheddar cheese, and for some reason it was really tasty with this beer!).

I prefer the regular Yeti Imperial Stout over this one as a "regular" in my refrigerator, but will definitely have it again in about a year!

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2009 01:22:55 | More by IPALOVER

glid02

Georgia

4.35/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the Brick Store in Atlanta.

Pours completely black with a one-finger brown head that slowly dissipates into a thin layer on top leaving thick lacing.

Smells of lightly roasted coffee with roasted malts. There's also a hint of unsweetened chocolate as the beer warms. Not quite the bouquet I was hoping for, but still solid.

Tastes more complex than it smells. Roasted coffee up front is joined by roasted malt flavors. Near the end of the sip a bit of earthiness comes in from the oak along with unsweetened chocolate. The ending is full of bitter coffee flavors that linger for a bit. I wasn't terribly impressed with the first third of the beer, but it definitely comes into its own as it warms.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a very good thickness, but the carbonation was a bit on the heavy side. I'll definitely try this at a later date and see if it's the same from a bottle.

Drinkability is good. Despite the high carbonation, I still finished this very quickly and could go for a few more.

Overall this is very good, though I like the regular Oak Aged a bit better. Still, for coffee fans this is a beer that definitely warrants trying, and for that matter it warrants trying for anyone.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2009 00:34:37 | More by glid02

tjthresh

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Draft at the tap room. Pour is black with a dense brown head. Some lace left behind. Strong coffee nose with a bit of chocolate. Strong coffee flavor as well that levels out to a bitter chocolate finish. Thick and rich with pricly carbonation. Dry lasting finish. Really damn good.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2009 20:24:20 | More by tjthresh

alovesupreme

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Portsmouth snifter yielded the beer was pitch black with a tall dark head that never entirely left the beer.
Lots of expresso with some chocolate. A undecipherable dark fruit was also a little deeper into the noise.
Expresso. Not coffee, but expresso. Dark chocolate probably 85%, vanilla and a small hint of alcohol. Aftertaste is IMO to bitter due to the excessive expresso.
Very rich and pleasant mouthfeel. Slightly more carbonation than expected in a big IS.
A great big beer as is expected from a sibling of a great family. The bitterness is a little over the top. This beer could benefit from some age to balance the bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2009 05:34:42 | More by alovesupreme

tpd975

Florida

4.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a couple bombers today at Kingdom in Brandon. Thanks Ben for the heads up!

A: Pours as black as night. No light can penetrate this one. The dark mocha head rises to two fingers in height in my Darkness snifter. Looks as though a lace bomb exploded in the glass.

S: Very similar to the regular oaked yeti. Lots and lots of oak right from the start. Hints of vanilla and chocolate. Nice roast to the malt and a touch of coffee, though to be honest I expected a bit more coffee in the nose.

T: YizUM! I loved Yeti, I love Oaked Yeti, and I am now head over heals for this one. Wonderful roast character up front. Fudgey chocolate comes next with light vanilla notes. Bold bitter espresso comes through but does not over power due to the high levels of oak. Hints of green hops hide beneath it all. This is a wonderful beer with layers of flavor.

M: Full in body, rich....decadent. Great carbonation to boot.

D: Fairly drinkable to be honest. This style is not intended to be the most drinkable, but I sipped on the bomber until the entire thing was gone.

I declare that Espresso Stouts and Bourbon Barrels are the best marriage since Peanut Butter and Chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2009 23:44:18 | More by tpd975

StrangeBrewer76

Massachusetts

4.78/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pored opaque into a chalice with a two layer head. One sticky tan skin with widely varying bubble sizes that lasts and lasts and a 1/2 finger head under that with all medium bubbles that faded rather quickly.

My nose is a little stuffy but there's no denying the roasted coffee and oak smell in this one. I may also be getting a little butter too, very appealing.

WOW! The taste is truly exceptional. Coffee, big bittersweet chocolate and a slight, well placed alcohol burn in the end. Really phenomenal.

Mouthfeel too, could not be better. As smooth as can be at the start then the carbonation flourishes to make it creamy and soft. There is an insignificant bite from the bitter chocolate that a few months in the cellar will surely polish over. This one was bottled less than three weeks ago, very fresh.

Drinkability for this beer may be closing the gap between session beers and imperial or bigger beers. I could have another one of these if I had another one of these but that would really just be indulgent. If there were a cask or a tap of this that I was not paying for I could have quite a few. I think my taste buds would give up before I wanted them to drinking this.

If you can afford it buy a case +1. Drink one and treat yourself in the months to come with a beer that will likely age very, very well.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2009 02:16:45 | More by StrangeBrewer76

bhalter8

Georgia

4.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A snowy Sunday in GA made for perfect day to try the Espresso Yeti. A fresh bottle, bottled only a couple weeks ago, purchased at Green's, so that espresso flavor should be front and center. Pours a dark, ink black, with a robust dark tan head. That head recedes very slowly. Smell is an incredible mix of sweet chocolate, and strong espresso/coffee aroma. Taste is also incredible, an upfront hit espresso combined with a bitter chocolate and malt backbone. It really is as close to a perfect balance as you could find in a coffee imperial stout. Compared to some other imperial stouts, this one is a thicker composition, and I like it. Incredibly easy to drink for the style, I found myself easily sipping the entire bomber while watching the snow fall.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2009 14:37:20 | More by bhalter8

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Purchased at Bullock's in Marietta, Georgia. I have misplaced my receipt, but I recall it wasn't exactly cheap. Bottled On: Feb 12 2009. So fresh!! Let's get to it!

Appearance: Pours an inky black body with a large, frothy, dark tan head. True, there may have been better some lace formation, but I found myself tossing back the glass so often that none could even gain a foothold on my Duvel tulip glass.

Smell: Roasty, fresh-brewed espresso nose welcomes in full notes of chocolate fondue, dark malts, fresh oak lumber. Some breweries get coffee additions wrong -- Great Divide got it right.

Taste: After the first sip it's hard not to shout out an "AWW YEAH BABY!" like you're rooting hard for your favorite sports team. Dark, heavily roasted malts harmonize perfectly with the deep, sultry flavor of quality espresso. Add in a heavy-handed pour of dark chocolate sauce and heavy cream flavored with vanilla extract. Fairly sweet, but it's kept in check by the roasty, earthy bitterness, tannic wood qualities, and the cumulative, spicy, sprucy hop component. Hint of fruit. Very minor touch of alcohol warmth, like imbibing a complimentary shot of Godiva Mocha Liqueur. Finishes drying with a vast roastiness and lingering tastes of chocolate and oak.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Smooth mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Spoiler Alert: It's absolutely delish, what can I say?! Rich flavors that know no bounds. Sometimes I'm hesitant to drink an entire bomber of something by my lonely, miserable self, but I cleared through this bottle in record time. One to sip and savor slowly, but it's hard not to chug it greedily like an insatiable fiend.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2009 02:37:50 | More by ChainGangGuy

ATLbeerDog

Georgia

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Take a world class RIS, oak age it with vanilla, then infuse it with a ton of deep roasted espresso beans, and you've got something special. Pours pitch black, completely opaque with a frothy 2 finger dark caramel colored head. First sip is super strong coffee with lots of dark chocolate bitterness. Brown sugar, tobacco, and vanilla notes support the massive bitterness. Drinkin' this beer is like chewing coffee grinds and chasing it with dark chocolate. We are not done. No sir. There is a strong hop profile that amazingly steals the finish. Creamy milkshake-like mouthfeel is much loved and appreciated. Replace your morning Starbucks with Espresso Yeti and it will be lunchtime before you know it.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2009 23:06:22 | More by ATLbeerDog

HeyItsChili

South Carolina

4.63/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this at the West Ashley Good Beer Festival, and just now getting around to reviewing my notes.

I remember this being the highlight of the day.

A - Poured deep black into my tasting glass, with a foamy brown head.

S - Very "espresso" dark, sweet, bitter chocolatey coffee notes

T - Superb. There is a lot going on here, and maybe I can't completely grasp the nuances, but I got the espresso buzz mixing with some roasted malts and coffee flavors, with a mellowing out from some bittersweet chocolate.

M - Medium bodied, but silky and creamy. Smooth. Little carbonation feel.

Notes - I don't think I understood how hard this sucker was to come by until after the beer fest. I'm glad I got a chance to try it. Further edited upon trying it by the bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2009 21:24:14 | More by HeyItsChili

wagenvolks

Texas

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Many thanks to jadamski1 for the trade! 22oz gold-foil bottle into a Delirium goblet. Listed at 9.5% ABV, bottled on Feb. 13, 2009.

A sluggish pour releases an inky black, viscous body into the glass. No light getting through this opaque beauty, and the sizable tower of dirt-brown head echoes the body's sentiments. Great retention and lacing for such a high alcohol level, but then again, they do like their hops at Great Divide.

The aroma is what made me fall in love with the regular Yeti: loads of chocolaty cookie dough and roasted coffee goodness, backed by a pungent earthy hop note and booze. The espresso notes dart in and out of the aroma, providing delicate layers of mocha coffee and cream. The oak-aging is a mere afterthought.

Flavor starts off with a blast of bitter dark chocolates and spicy, earthen hops. Espresso sweetness is evident, but somehow only the tastebuds on the roof of my mouth seem to detect it--the tongue is bound by the powerful Oak-Aged Yeti flavors of chocolate and vinous wood. Mouthfeel is creamy, viscous, and oh so smooth until the sharp acidity of the oak hits the back of the palate. Finishes with a sticky malt booziness and lingering hop note. Sad to say it, there may be TOO much going on in this beer.

Here's how I rank them:
1. Yeti
2. Espresso Oak-Aged Yeti
3. Oak-Aged Yeti

Hard to beat the original, although this beer is a worthy addition to the "Yeti" name.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2009 01:51:36 | More by wagenvolks

hopdog

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle.

Poured a dark black color with brown edges and a large sized off white head. Nice lacing left on the glass. Aromas of espresso, vanilla, chocolate, some woodiness, and roasty. Tastes of wood, some dark fruits, roasty, chocolate, and lighter vanilla. Coffee more apparent in the aroma and the oakiness was more in the flavor. Alcohol content well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2009 21:53:03 | More by hopdog

jdubjacket

Georgia

4.68/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at Brickstore Pub. Came out as a chocolate black with traces of a milk chocolate head. Looks good enough to eat. Smells is slightly hoppy, chocolate, toffee, and, of course, coffee. Taste is exceptional. The coffee is prevalent with traces of chocolate. Very well balanced. The coffee and hops create a bitter ending that balance the malt very well. Silky, creamy smooth mouthfeel going down. Tough to drink more than one, but this is definitely one of the better beers that I've had recently.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2009 02:29:34 | More by jdubjacket

GilGarp

Colorado

4.8/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 2/13/09. Possibly the freshest beer I've ever had at home.

Served slightly chilled from cellar temperature. Foil capped bomber opens with a loud hiss and pours into a globe-shaped glass. It's nearly black in color with thick dark tan head on top. The head settles very slowly leaving perfect lacing all around the glass.

The aroma is excellent - a perfect blend of imperial stout and coffee. There is an earthy spicy smell over huge roasty malts and espresso. The stout, coffee, and oak are all at play here and they get along just fine.

Wow. This is a coffee lovers dream beer right here. Oak Aged Yeti is a great beer to begin with and I had my doubts when I saw they had played with the recipe. I should've known they would do it right. The bitterness from the dark malts and espresso, not to mention the unusually liberal use of hops in Yeti, are surprisingly not overwhelming. Maybe it's just because they come from different sources but it comes together wonderfully. Bitter dark chocolate flavors in there too. Nice balance to all of the flavors and it's amazing that my favorite part about OAY, the oak, doesn't get lost or overshadowed. It's still there and provides a really nice soft canvas for this masterpiece.

Mouthfeel is full bodied and exceptionally smooth. There's a little burn on the finish but nothing surprising for a beer of 9.5%

Drinkability is excellent for the style. There's just so much going on that I can't help coming back for sip after sip.

I loved the Oak Aged Yeti so much that it shouldn't be surprising but I enjoy this version even more.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2009 01:54:54 | More by GilGarp

tmoneyba

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler from Party Town shared by shigadeyo.

Poured black color with a minimal creamy light brown head that mostly diminished with virtually no lacing. Moderate to heavy chocolate, woody and roasted coffee malt with a small alcohol aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth texture and flat carbonation. Medium to heavy balanced roasted coffee flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet finish of moderate to long duration.

This is a standout beer.

Serving type: growler

02-21-2009 13:47:01 | More by tmoneyba

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.9/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Comes out of the bottle a rich opaque chocolaty sable with a thick brown head. Aroma is like a rich coffee and has a strong undertone of hops with a firm hint of chocolate, like a good IPA mixed with a fine mocha. Flavor has a strong coffee component, a hoppy overtone, and more than a hint of unsweet chocolate, with smoky and nutty hints. Texture is pleasingly smooth and thick, and finish is coffee-ish and a little hoppy. I thought there was no way to combine "stouty" and hoppy flavor - I am glad that I have been proven wrong!

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2009 21:47:22 | More by Cyberkedi

sevopie

Colorado

4.3/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Appearance - Rather dark - black with hints of brown at the edge. Brown head with good lacing.

Smell - Bitter coffee with chocolate and vanilla, as well as caramel malt smells.

Taste - Espresso and cocoa dominate the flavors, but the oak is very present as well. Very malty, with an interesting mix of bitter and sweet.

Mouthfeel - Oily and mildly carbonated.

Drinkability - This is where most Great Divide brews shine. For being 9% and an Imperial Stout, this one is fantastically easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2009 06:49:38 | More by sevopie