REVIEW: Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti

You guys know I'm always down to try a new beer from Great Divide. Doubly so when it's a special Yeti variety. I took a look at the Espresso Oak Aged Yeti almost exactly one year ago. This one today though, is brewed with excessive amounts of chocolate and even some cayenne pepper. I don't need to hear any more, do you? To the beer!

REVIEW: Great Divide Old Ruffian

So, ever since I wrapped things up with all of the Christmas beers I've been making it a point to check out a lot of big, hearty beers. And I've really wanted to get to some barleywines. They're a style that I enjoy, but that I don't drink too much. For one thing, they're almost always big strong beers. I checked out the page on Beer Advocate listing some of the most popular barleywines in the world, not one of them checked in below 9% ABV and many of them pushing on up to around 14 - 15%. Also, there are very few brewers that release a barleywine year round. So that is all a very long, circuitous way of saying that barleywines are not a style of beer that you could really drink all year, even if you wanted to, which you likely wouldn't. But right now, as the first signs of spring are starting to show, but the nights are still awfully cold, this is the perfect time for a barleywine. And I have been able to snag three! So here we go, barleywine week! First of we're taking a look at Od Ruffian from Great Divide, a 90 IBU, 10.2% beast. Let's get into it. To the beer!

REVIEW: Great Divide Hibernation Ale

I'm keeping the Christmas ales coming. Today's is Hibernation from Great Divide, one of my all time favorite breweries. Hibernation is an English style old ale which is a historic English beer style. Old Ales are typically dark, very malty, and fairly high in alcohol. Which makes them perfectly suited for drinking during the cold winter months. Hibernation is dry hopped, which ought to add an interesting dimension to this beer that's not often found in the style. To the beer!

REVIEW: Great Divide Wolfgang

This beer may be a bit out of season. Don't get me wrong, this bottle is very fresh. But a big malty doppelbock in August? I haven't taken a look at a bock since March, which is when I like to drink them. The roasty malty flavors make a great bridge between Winter and Spring. But then Great Divide goes and releases Wolfgang in the middle of the Summer. It is certainly a bit odd to see a doppelbock released as a summer seasonal. But I suppose a bock really stands out in July and August when it might blend in in February and March. Although, I'm not sure how a beer with this fantastic a label could blend in whatever the time of year. Now Great Divide is one of my all time favorite breweries so I knew I'd be getting to this beer sooner or later. I'm not going to leave a style of beer I love from a brewery I love to languish on the shelves! Also, I've been jonesing for something a little maltier too. I can only drink so many crisp summery ales before I start to want to venture back to the dark side. So while this beer may be out of the traditional season, I'm pumped to give it a try. To the beer!

REVIEW: Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti

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!

REVIEW: Great Divide Denver Pale Ale

Another day, another beer from one of my favorite breweries. This time Denver, Colorado's own Great Divide Brewing Company. I have not had a beer from them that I haven't liked. My beer tastes tend toward the big, the flavorful, the intense. This causes me to sometimes overlook some of the more standard beer styles. Case in point: I have never had this beer. Not that I don't like pale ales, I really do. But I usually pass them over for the India pales, the imperial India pales, the black India pales, and the like. But I was at Jungle Jim's and saw this bottle and decided to grab it. So, without further ado. To the beer!