Great Divide's Yeti is a damn good Imperial Stout. Big, hoppy, bold, I love it. I had their Belgian style Yeti at the beerfest and really liked it too. This one though, the espresso oak aged variety, has eluded me. I knew I had to try it as soon as I saw it. Take Yeti, which is already an intense brew, and throw in coffee and age it on oak chips? That's a recipe this guy can get behind. To the beer!
Yeti pours a viscous motor oil black. This is one dark beer, thick and black, with no highlights. It's all topped off with a towering layer of Mocha colored head as you can see from the photo. It took a good long while for that head to recede and when it did it left really pretty lacing all the way down.
On the nose I'm getting big a sweet malt character, some dark fruity notes, and obviously roasted espresso.
Espresso Oak Aged Yeti has a huge rich body. Big roasty flavors hit the palate first. The espresso notes really make themselves known on the finish with lingering roasty burnt flavors. The 9.5% ABV makes itself known as well. I'm not getting lots of boozy flavors but there is a nice alcohol warming sensation. This beer is very complex, nearly to it's detriment. The oak aged flavors are lost under the huge stout flavors. There are only the slightest hints of the vanilla flavors I was expecting from the oak.
The dry bitter presence of the espresso is balanced out pretty well by the big sweet malty body. The hops are obviously there, and in large quantity, since the beer isn't cloyingly sweet. But I'm having a hard time really picking out any individual hop flavors or obvious hoppy presence.
On my second glass everything seemed to settle down a bit. The flavors had balanced out, everything folded into itself a little more elegantly. The beer also displays a smoother, creamier body that I enjoyed.
I had high hopes for this beer going in and I couldn't help but be just a tad disappointed. The flavors were a little all over the place. On one hand I wish the flavors were more intense and on the other I wish it had been a little more balanced. I liked this beer a lot, I don't think I loved it. But I'm glad it exists. I'm glad brewers like Great Divide are taking chances with beer. Taking what is already a great Imperial Stout and seeing what happens when they add espresso and age it on oak chips. That sort of experimentation is a huge reason why I love craft beer so much. Does it always yield outstanding results? Of course not. But I love that they try.
Long story short, I like this beer, despite some gripes. Definitely worth checking out if just to try it. But I don't think I enjoy it as much as I do the standard Yeti.
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