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!
Chololate Oak Aged Yeti glides out of the bottle as an unsurprisingly silky, inky black brew. It is absolutely opaque and topped by a persistent layer of mocha colored head.
The nose on this beer is dominated by huge, rich, creamy chocolatey notes. There's quite a bit of roasty espresso hints as well in addition to a bit of a boozy touch. Adding to the lovely complexity is a bit of smokiness, a bit of licorice and just the faintest hint at that cayenne pepper.
On the palate, Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti is decadently full bodied, very creamy, and very smooth. Just like with the aromas, the flavor is dominated by rich, velvety notes of both dark and milk chocolate. It's nice and sweet but never cloying, very drinkable. It is very malt forward but balance is added by some of those bittersweet chocolate notes. The cayenne pepper is really interesting here. It certainly adds some welcome zip and complexity. It's very interesting, but honestly I find myself wishing they had used a bit of a heavier hand.
All in all, Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti is a very rich, lucious, and most importantly delicious imperial stout. It would make a most excellent dessert beer. And even though I might like to see a bit more of that cayenne pepper, I still give this one two big thumbs up.
HD
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