16th Anniversary Wood Aged - Great Divide Brewing Company

jampics2

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle sampled at my to-be sister-in-law's house with an excellent dinner. I loved the 15th but drank all of it before I started rating. So, I have some high hopes for this. It delivered but fell just a tad short of what I remember the 15th being.

Looks great in the glass. Amber with some red and brown touches. Small white head dissipates and leaves a film. A bit more head retention and cleaner color would make this better.

Smell is nice as well, but subdued IMO. Malty and a touch of wood. Nice but where are the hops in this American Double IPA? It was no more than 3 weeks old when sampled. Malt is bready and caramel based. Wood manifests as vanilla oakiness.

Taste is nice, really pleasant, but missing the target for the style. If this was billed as many styles other than a DIPA, I would rate it a 4.5. Lots of malty base and some nice woody tones. But the hops just aren't piney or citric, and it's just missing that punch. Almost like the hops were all added early. There's a touch of spicyness and earthiness. The wood gives subtle coconut notes. Nice, but not a world class Imperial IPA by any means. I've had 6 month old DIPA's out of barrels where the hops were better showcased. Comes across like a sweet, toasty beer with a bitter finish.

Mouthfeel was nice, though. Medium bodied with nice carb and a clean, malty finish. Overall, this went down easy. Enjoyable just not a good representation of the style, even for a Barrel Aged DIPA. Burton Baton, for example, slays this. Happy Birthday Great Divide. Now that you are 16 and you can legally drive, can you go to the homebrew store and pick up some more hops? Thanks!

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2010 15:26:53 | More by jampics2

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%

05-23-2013 02:02:15 | More by mikeincharleston

CaptainNomihodai

Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.4%

02-25-2013 06:07:26 | More by CaptainNomihodai

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

12-17-2012 18:19:45 | More by stereosforgeeks

Hopstout

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +3.4%

12-17-2012 03:43:59 | More by Hopstout

Dope

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Why am I reviewing this beer now? I've had both the 17th and 18th anniversary versions fresh. They weren't hoppy at all and were super oaky (like drinking a 2x4) so when I found a 16th anniversary on the shelf (hooray shelf-aged beers!) I said "why not?" Figured the oak may have faded somewhat and maybe it's halfway decent. Let's find out...

A: Pours a murky amber. Big frothy tan head. Fade slowly, leaving surprisingly decent lacing behind. Quite decent head retention too.

S: Loaded with raisins plus some caramel and some oak. A little bit of citrusy and grassy hops, surprisingly enough. Smells a lot like an american style barleywine.

T: Caramel, raisin and brown sugar abound up front with nice hints of oaky vanilla. Mild hop bitterness somehow, especially towards the finish. Mainly grassy and a bit of pine and citrus with some toasted oak characteristics. Finishes oaky and bitter. Zero booze.

M: Medium bodied, honestly not as heavy as I'd expect a 10% aged beer to be.

O: Well damn, what a nice experiment. When these beers are fresh they are oak bombs. There is only a little oak left in this now, it's more of an afterthought to the strong malt. Surprisingly still hoppy and bitter. Honestly it's quite nicely balanced. Not bland after 2+ years. Still nothing earth shattering but quite an improvement.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 03:43:00 | More by Dope

gr8dvide

Nebraska

4.75/5  rDev +22.7%

11-10-2012 00:39:54 | More by gr8dvide

birchstick

Missouri

3.25/5  rDev -16%

11-06-2012 02:23:14 | More by birchstick

Satchboogie

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

10-30-2012 21:19:59 | More by Satchboogie

niner9

Arizona

5/5  rDev +29.2%

10-08-2012 21:10:01 | More by niner9

t0rin0

California

3.25/5  rDev -16%

10-07-2012 23:22:57 | More by t0rin0

ObiWanKushnobi

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

09-13-2012 01:31:13 | More by ObiWanKushnobi

JohnBender

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +9.8%

09-09-2012 01:06:50 | More by JohnBender

ColSanders123

Georgia

4/5  rDev +3.4%

08-26-2012 05:52:00 | More by ColSanders123

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from 8/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a clear red amber, slight head, no lacing. Wood and hop aroma. Pleasant medium bodied oaked IPA with moderate hops. Hoppy middle with a somewhat astringent finish. Not a hop forward IPA. Oak is nice, but not very complex. An enjoyable oaked IPA, but not that remarkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 18:26:46 | More by LiquidAmber

jda007

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%

07-20-2012 01:51:58 | More by jda007

EyePeeAyBryan

Arizona

4/5  rDev +3.4%

07-06-2012 02:25:54 | More by EyePeeAyBryan

mcsean

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +9.8%

06-29-2012 22:41:43 | More by mcsean

sammo

Kansas

4/5  rDev +3.4%

06-29-2012 20:21:38 | More by sammo

MatthewWilde

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +9.8%

06-29-2012 03:29:34 | More by MatthewWilde

dtx00

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%

06-26-2012 21:20:46 | More by dtx00

hiphopj5

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +9.8%

06-19-2012 22:43:17 | More by hiphopj5

RBassSFHOPit2ME

California

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Great example of what a good beer a DIPA can be on wood. Easily as good as Burton Baton.

Served in a 10oz-12oz snifter from the source.

This beer was just clean...much better than the Hercules. Grapefruit, fresh cut grass, the wood was there but not at all overpowering. The oak just added depth. There was a small amount of booziness detected, as one would expect with a 10% wood aged beer. NOT overly malty. Horray! To my pleasant surprise.

Was glad I was able to try this one visiting Denver for the first time.

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2012 21:12:07 | More by RBassSFHOPit2ME

TimH

3/5  rDev -22.5%

05-19-2012 17:51:16 | More by TimH

MouthfulOfchris

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.4%

05-06-2012 13:39:02 | More by MouthfulOfchris