Great Divide Barrel-aged Series Yeti Imperial Stout, aged in whiskey barrels

Great Divide Barrel-aged Series Yeti Imperial Stout, aged in whiskey barrels. Alec. 12.5% by Vol. Brewed and bottled by Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver, Colorado.

Strictly stygian hue, deep blackness, full and thick deep brown head, crumples quickly.

Aroma: Powerful. Dense. Reeks of all the thickest and richest malt flavors, blended with the belly of the barrels. Chocolate, molasses, anise, all wrapped up in vanilla, black cherry, pepper, even. Intense. No kidding.

Now, to drink: Hugeness, once more. Vast, massive, dominant. Malt is rich, whiskey flavors are on top of it all. Utter decadence. Bigness, boldness, hugeness, and heaviness. This is no breeze, no will-o-the-wisp, no trip down the lane. Pow, pow, powerful. (Said that already.) Did I say big, big, big, though? I probably hinted at it. Boom, boom, boom. Damned delicious.

Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine-style Ale

You know what

beer I love that I haven't had in a while? Great Divide's Old Ruffian Barley Wine-style Ale, that's what. Brewed and bottled by Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver, Colorado. Bottled on: Dec. 13, 2013. 10.2% by Vol. In true Great Divide fashion, two words accompany the beer name: Hefty. Hoppy.

Here are my original notes from back in February, 2005:

Aroma: Pours out a deep crimson, though clear, coloration, and has an enormous head, huge, cocoa-colored, long-standing, lovely...and, would you believe, the bottleneck bubbled over, with bubbles after the pour!  Leaves considerable, and attractive, lacing, as it diminishes, as well.

Aroma: huge, rich, full of flavor, a jar full of toffee with butterscotch dipped in for fun, with chocolate cherries on the side, and a snit of brandy waiting in the rafters.

Taste: big, bold, and boozy. Huge, rich, and full, utterly dripping in dark fruits, caramel, toffee, and so much character that pretenders tremble in it's wake ...seriously, this is a true contender amongst the ranks of fine American barley-wines.  Large fruity/hoppy characteristic. Damnably tasty...I must take another sip...dastardly delicious...yet nearly thick with flavor, ...yum, the intensity of flavor does not detract from the overall deliciousness...big, rich, and mighty...a damned good barley-wine.
I've got to stick some away for a rainy day.

Let's look at the label: "Old Ruffian is a hefty, hop-forward Barley Win-style Ale. Seemingly mellow at the start with subtle fruit aromas and complex caramel sweetness, it quickly becomes aggressive with it's bold hop flavors and huge hop bitterness. Ultimately, the big body, succulent sweetness and massive hop character came together to work wonders on your palate. 90 IBU."

 Then, some medals. Then some food pairings. And that's about it. And, 10 years after, I agree. It's a classically monstrous barley-wine in the American fashion. Love it.

Great Divide Espresso Oak-aged Yeti Russian Imperial Stout

Great Divide Espresso Oak-aged Yeti Russian Imperial Stout, Great Divide Brewing, Denver, Colorado.

Fully black, utterly deep, with dark brown head. Looks fantastic, very promising.

Aroma: Espresso is detected first, with chocolate not far behind, rich, decadent cocoa. Very nice.

Taste: On the tongue, it's thick, rich and hoppy. Not getting the oak just yet, but the flavor is dominated by cocoa and coffee. Great and surprising balance in this big, big beer. The espresso flavor is here, but doesn't dominate like in some coffee stouts. Full-bodied, with a long, sweet and hoppy finish. There's a certain cherry-like sweet character that stands on top and melds well with the bitter notes. Cocoa and coffee lurk in the back of the throat, hang in there, never letting go.

This is not the behemoth I worried it would be, it's a complex, and wonderful ale. Many flavors unfold during it's duration. Massive malt, incredibly full-bodied, flush with flavor.
Knockout stout, this. Maybe my favorite Yeti? No, it has to stand just behind regular oak-aged Yeti, though I haven't had it in  a while. Maybe I should…

Great Divide Espresso Oak-aged Yeti Russian Imperial Stout

Great Divide Espresso Oak-aged Yeti Russian Imperial Stout. Denver, Colorado. 10.5 % ABV.

Solidly stygian hue, complete and utter blackness, roasted brown head. Looks fantastic.

Aroma: espresso is here, but not hugely so, Chocolate reigns over all, as well as a little anise, mollasses in large doses. Dark malt writ gigantic.

Taste: more of the same at play in the mouth. Rich, utterly decadent and delicious dark malt runs rampant over the senses. I don't really feel the oak-aging, perhaps that's a sweetness inhibitor, as well as the high hopping. Massive mouthfeel, enormous, cavernous, leviathan, promethean, and so on. Full-bodied, long, rich finish, mmmm, diddly-mmm, mmm, mmm.


Just wish I could taste the espresso more. It didn't stand out enough for me. Other than that quibble, a decadent treat.

Great Divide Smoked Baltic Porter

Been away for a bit, due to computer troubles. The good folks at the Apple Store fixed me right up, and even got me a replacement power cord for free, bless their hearts. Good thing I didn't just go out and spend $80 on a new one.
Did I abstain, in the meanwhile? You don't know me very well, do you? No, I went old school, and took pen to paper. Which means I have to go back and decipher my handwriting (one of the reasons I still haven't done the photo essay of the epic Darkness vertical tasting, back on October 30.) So, we've got a bit of a backlog to wade though, and I'll begin with one that I typed on the MacBook the night before it decided not to work, leaving the notes trapped inside. Here it is, Great Divide's Smoked Baltic Porter:

Great Divide Smoked Baltic Porter. Great Dived Brewing, Denver, CO. "Smoked Baltic Porter is  the sultry sister of a storied style. Brewed with traditional German malts and hops, this dark lager gets it;s special twist from a hefty addition of Bamberg smoked malt. This smoldering, medium-bodied lager is sure to please. Smoked Baltic Porter  is smooth, smoky and dark…mysterious enough yet?"

Blackness in full. Smallish tan head. 

Soft and mellow smoked malt aromatics. Cocoa and espresso, some figs and dates.

Taste: Smooth, and warm, and wonderful. Medium-bodied, easy-drinking, slick and supple. Smoked malt is always lingering, but never large or intrusive. Some cocoa still apparent, but not dominant. 

I liked this one just fine, but it never once was I taken aback and found myself saying, "Oooo, sultry!" 

Great Divide Belgian Style Yeti Russian Imperial Stout

Great Divide Belgian Style yeti, Iconoclastic Imperial Stout Mysterious, brewed and bottled by GDBC, Denver, CO, blah, blah……."a delicious new blend of brewing traditions --all the malt driven roastiness of our yeti Imperial Stout with characteristic spice and fruit notes imparted by our special Belgian yeast strain. Belgian style Yeti is a one of a kind beer as mysterious as the mythical creaturehimself, Impossible? See for yourself, you'll be a believer, too." 9.5% ABV, 

Deep, dark coloration, black as night, full, rich, huge, generous, prodigious head flowers on top, creamy tan colored, rocky, lacy, gorgeous. Yeah…

Aroma: oats, roast. toffee, coffee…vanilla and cream…this gorgeous, but I can't say what's particularly Belgian about it. I'll keep on sniffing…rich and roasty-toasty, but not too unusual…

Taste: mmmm, chocolatey-riffic, …cocoa and cream, tasty and terrific, but how do I say this? Where is the Belgian in it? Maybe if they didn't say yeast strain, I'd guess it was a chocolate addition, but there's nothing Belgian ale about this. Hang on, I'm going to keep drinking…in a Belgian IPA, you can taste the "Belgian", in an imperial stout, can you? Hmmm? There's Belgian export stout, but imperial stouts, that I know of…man, I don't know what to say, I'm getting the cocoa, but nothing different. Can Belgian yeast really be heard above the dark smog of an imperial stout?? 

It's damned tasty, though, if that's all that matters…and it should. 

Great Divide Hercules Double IPA

Drinking fresh on the tap, and looking back on my first notes from a bottle, June, 2004:

Lovely, bright amber color, full, fresh head of froth, creamy as all-get-out, utterly delightful. Aroma, smoooth, I meant to say, smooo-oo–ooth, and luscious, with touches of pine, and citrus, a forest floor at loose in the nose. Uplifting and well worth smelling! Taste: full blast of hoppiness, and brash fruity flavor. A rewarding overload of juicy taste delivers on the palate again and again. Nice, and nice. Not as punishing or as harsh as a Rogue or a Dreadnaught, but I imagine they weren't out to slay the uninitiated with this, but welcome some into the heavily hoppy fold. Despite that qualm, a big, brash IPA, well worth any ale-lover's tasting! Yum, I says, as the flavor still laps up and around the mouth and I keep thinking "yum, yum, and, again, yum." Tastiness beerily personified!

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout

March, 2011, and Great Divide's Yeti Imperial Stout joins the ranks of Imperial March at the Blue Nile, the first tapping of this, or anything from this brewery, for us. March, 2004, was the first time I got my hands on a bottle. Here are those notes:

"I thought it was springtime, here in early March, but, look outside at all the falling snow, andI think it's time to escape into a comforting bottle of Imperial Stout!
Appearance: solid black color, dark as the Devil's skidmark's, with a lush, bubbly roasted, dark tan head...beautiful, can't wait to lift it to my lips, ah, but first, to smell...
Aroma: bittersweet espresso, rich cocoa, creamy, delicious, toasty, tasty, with further sensations of anise, molasses, dark rum, just lingering in association.
Taste: Ah! That's what I like! Full-on flavor, thick mouthfeel, rich, tasty, coating the entire palate with this dark delight, a chocolatey paradise in the mouth.
Not too heavy, either, not too overwhelming, not too dominated by alcohol, though it does slowly make it's presence felt, this is an exceptionally drinkable IS, almost surprisingly so. Even at 9.9%, it's not knocking me over the head with booze, not even halfway into this bomber, the integration is so perfect, it seems. Flavor never ends, and stews on the palate for nearly an eternity, for as long as it takes to enjoy this beer, which might be forever.
Were I a Coloradan, I'd stock up severely on this brew, and as I'm not, I can only lay back and enjoy it just this once!
Like a blissfully bewitching Butterfingers in the mouth, this one, and not about to overtake any in my Pantheon of Imperial Stouts, it admirably takes up the rear."