Try?
About a week or so, I got an E-Mail from Green’s liquors
here in Atlanta. Green’s is my favorite local liquor store, their selection
is simply amazing and they go out of their way to bring new brews in all the
time. They even work with local distributors in an attempt to acquire brews
their loyal customers (like me) have requested.
Anyway, the E-Mail alerts they send out let you know just what the latest beers are that they have in stock. Or some of them at least. This time around, the buzz was that Great Divide beers were now for sale in Atlanta. Several of them were advertised, but the one that really caught my attention was Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout.
Now, Imperial Stouts are certainly big enough beers to begin with. Usually wonderfully assertive and roasty, they are the granddaddy of the stout style, packed with flavor and a little extra alcohol kick for your trouble. But an imperial aged in oak? You can imagine the possibilities there.
So, off I went to Green’s to grab some. To be blunt, the stuff isn’t cheap. At $6.50 for a 22 ounce bottle, this is expensive brew. But, as you’ll soon see, it’s worth every penny. In fact, why should we wait? Let’s get right down to it and pour ourselves some, shall we?
Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout pours to a jet black color with a towering creamy tan head formation and an intensely hoppy nose laced with a hint of licorice. Upon sipping, you’ll immediately be assaulted by the bitter hops. We’re talking lots of early-addition hops here to derive this kind of bitterness.
Sure, the usual Imperial stout flavors are here too: roasted barley notes, chocolate, licorice, espresso. They intensify into the finish, especially the bittersweet chocolate notes. But there’s more, of course. A hint of woody oak from the oak chip aging, and vanilla. Warming alcohol (Yeti has an alcohol content of 9.5% by volume).
The thing is, the hop bitterness intensifies more, all 75 IBUs of it, the same as with the non-oak aged Yeti. And it becomes rather intense in the finish, where it reminds me of a glass of Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot Barleywine (Bigfoot? Yeti? The two are related). In a way, that intense hoppiness may be a detriment to the oak-aging, since it seems to slightly drown out the oak notes.
But they are still there, and to best perceive them you should allow your bottle to warm slightly before drinking. Drinking too cold will only further diminish them. It will be interesting to revisit a bottle of this with some age on it, after the hops have mellowed a bit. Really, this stuff is a beergasm. You know, like an orgasm, but, well, it's beer. Yeah, it's that good.
Still, even a young bottle of this beer is a rare and wonderful treat. Is it worth $6.50? Heck yeah. After all, wine enthusiasts pay far more for a treasured bottle of their preferred libation. By that reckoning, Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout is a buy and a bargain. And one no beer enthusiast should pass up on.
Anyway, the E-Mail alerts they send out let you know just what the latest beers are that they have in stock. Or some of them at least. This time around, the buzz was that Great Divide beers were now for sale in Atlanta. Several of them were advertised, but the one that really caught my attention was Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout.
Now, Imperial Stouts are certainly big enough beers to begin with. Usually wonderfully assertive and roasty, they are the granddaddy of the stout style, packed with flavor and a little extra alcohol kick for your trouble. But an imperial aged in oak? You can imagine the possibilities there.
So, off I went to Green’s to grab some. To be blunt, the stuff isn’t cheap. At $6.50 for a 22 ounce bottle, this is expensive brew. But, as you’ll soon see, it’s worth every penny. In fact, why should we wait? Let’s get right down to it and pour ourselves some, shall we?
Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout pours to a jet black color with a towering creamy tan head formation and an intensely hoppy nose laced with a hint of licorice. Upon sipping, you’ll immediately be assaulted by the bitter hops. We’re talking lots of early-addition hops here to derive this kind of bitterness.
Sure, the usual Imperial stout flavors are here too: roasted barley notes, chocolate, licorice, espresso. They intensify into the finish, especially the bittersweet chocolate notes. But there’s more, of course. A hint of woody oak from the oak chip aging, and vanilla. Warming alcohol (Yeti has an alcohol content of 9.5% by volume).
The thing is, the hop bitterness intensifies more, all 75 IBUs of it, the same as with the non-oak aged Yeti. And it becomes rather intense in the finish, where it reminds me of a glass of Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot Barleywine (Bigfoot? Yeti? The two are related). In a way, that intense hoppiness may be a detriment to the oak-aging, since it seems to slightly drown out the oak notes.
But they are still there, and to best perceive them you should allow your bottle to warm slightly before drinking. Drinking too cold will only further diminish them. It will be interesting to revisit a bottle of this with some age on it, after the hops have mellowed a bit. Really, this stuff is a beergasm. You know, like an orgasm, but, well, it's beer. Yeah, it's that good.
Still, even a young bottle of this beer is a rare and wonderful treat. Is it worth $6.50? Heck yeah. After all, wine enthusiasts pay far more for a treasured bottle of their preferred libation. By that reckoning, Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout is a buy and a bargain. And one no beer enthusiast should pass up on.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler
