Thursday, July 09, 2009

Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti

Everywhere I turn it seems Great Divide Brewing is releasing another new beer. They've gotten so many new ones it is hard to keep track. Fortunately some of them are making their way to our market. A couple of weeks ago I tried their outstanding 15th Anniversary beer, this week I turn to a new version of their popular Yeti Imperial Stout. However this one doesn't just have chocolate, its got a dash of cayenne pepper.
The Beer: This one weighs in at 9.58% and pours a pitch black with at hick cafe colored head. The nose is of chocolate, roasted malts, vanilla, oak, maybe some spice, but its just a hint. The mouthfeel is thick, chewy and wonderful. Chocolate up front with woody, oaky and vanilla notes and on the finish you feel just this hint of spice. Its luscsious and creamy, dusty coco nibs. Then you drink some more and you feel the spice just a bit more. As it warms and you drink the cayenne builds up and I find that it doesn't have a place is this great creamy chocolatey beer. I love spicey things, growing up on cajun and tex-mex foods, but not sure that I want it in my beer. The spice is not overpowering, but its definitely there, and I think it takes away from a great beer instead of adding to it. This one gets a C+ from me. Most other folks on BA disagree.

1 comment:

corbey said...

If you have any extra bottles of the wonderful, rich, spicy chocolate Yeti, I'd be happy to take them off your hands. :-)