The time has come for the final beer review of “Great Divide Brewing Co. Month” and it is no surprise that it is another good one.  Sure I would love to continue on with Great Divide reviews, but it is time to move on to some of the others that I have done.  Fortunately there are enough brews left in their portfolio for me to do another dedicated month down the line if I choose to.  Then again, there are so many other breweries that need a month of their own before I start returning to those already honored.  Enough rambling and on to the beer . . .

Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co. (Denver, CO)

Name: Yeti

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

ABV: 9.5%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the wine fridge (58 degrees +/-) and served in a pint glass (by mistake).  $6.49 for 22oz.

Aroma: Strong malty sweetness (barleywine-like) with a low roasted character (less than I expected).  Noticeable hop profile (somewhat earthy) with some warmth in back.

Appearance: Black (dark, dark brown with the slightest hint of reddish brown at edges when held to light).  Very tall, thick, frothy, mocha/chocolate head with great retention and a heavy trail.  Opaque (really).

Flavor: Deep roasted maltiness with a light burnt character.  Rich chocolately flavors from middle to end.  Moderate bitterness (some from roasted grains and some from hops) with a hint of fruitiness(?).  Somewhat dry at the finish, though with light sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Full body with medium to low carbonation.  Smooth and somewhat tongue coating.  Even alcohol warmth (mostly from middle to end) that is well balanced in with the strong flavors.

Overall Impressions: Big flavor profiles that continue through finish.  Start to notice dark fruit flavors as it warms a bit.  Pretty complex with new flavors with (almost) every sip.  Fantastic beer to enjoy slowly.  Looking forward to trying the entire Yeti family (need to collect and cellar some).  Still prefer the Oak Aged of the two I have tried.

Grade: A

4379184994 80be6c4d4f Great Divide Brewing Co.   Yeti

Great Divide Brewing Co. - Yeti

4378432517 133ac8f543 Great Divide Brewing Co.   Yeti

A close up of the goodness.

It had to be posted eventually and today is as good as any to reveal the only A+ that I have given to a beer to date.  Maybe my thoughts would be different if I tasted it again, after tons of evaluations between then and now, but I cannot imagine this one ever dropping out of the A range in my grading.  There was something about this beer on that evening that just blew me away and I am looking forward to the day where I give it another try.  With so much going on with the flavors, I fell for it on the first sip and I continued to find more that I liked about it as the glass emptied.

Enough gushing and on to the review . . .

Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co. (Denver, CO)

Name: Oak Aged Yeti

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

ABV: 9.5%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the wine fridge and served in a pint glass.  $7.99 for 1pt 6oz.

Aroma: Heavy hop aroma up front (pretty aggressive) with the slightest bit of roasted grains in the background.

Appearance: Jet black in color.  A well formed four finger, sort of mocha/café au lait color head that slowly dissipates with a heavy trail.  Completely opaque.

Flavor: Prominent roasted malt/grain flavor with a slight burnt note.  Some hop bitterness, though much less than what aroma might lead to believe.  A bit of alcohol noticed in back.  A lingering finish with some bitterness as well as some burnt and alcohol notes.  A lot going on, but well balanced all around.

Mouthfeel: Very full bodied with an almost chewy texture (tongue coating).  A low amount of carbonation with a noticeable warmth, though well balanced in and smooth.

Overall Impressions: Really awesome.  Intense with tons of flavors, ranging from bitter to sweet.  Every drink seems to bring out something different.  Somewhat wine/port-like in a way with a hint of vanilla (oak aging?).

Grade: A+

3774873175 fdacfaabff Great Divide Brewing Co.   Oak Aged Yeti

Great Divide Brewing Co. - Oak Aged Yeti

Since I started the week with a Dogfish Stout, it seemed appropriate to finish the week with one as well.  World Wide Stout is more expensive (per volume) than any other Dogfish beers I have tried but, as I have said before, consider what you would pay for a drink at a bar or pub.  Actually, I didn’t realize what the cost was until after I walked out with the receipt, but it turned out to be worth the investment.  With it having limited availability, I am glad I took the opportunity to give it a try when I had the chance.

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, Delaware)

Name: World Wide Stout

Style: Russian Imperial Stout (Double?)

ABV: 18.0%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge, allowed to warm a bit and served in an oversized wine glass (snifter-like).  $8.49 for 12oz.

Aroma: Full roasted maltiness with undertones of chocolate and dark fruit sweetness (currant-like).  Big alcohol aroma that has a barleywine/port-like nose.

Appearance: Appears black, though dark brown at the edges when held to light.  Slight, light coffee color head that dissipates quickly and leaves a trail (has “legs”).  Opaque, but clear at edge when held to light.

Flavor: Intensely strong flavor of roasted grains with a hint of bittersweet chocolate.  Has a dark fruit/grapey character (port-like).  Slight bitterness and dryness at finish.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied and creamy (almost chewy in a way).  Fairly high carbonation that leaves a slight sharpness.  Prominent, but smooth warmth.

Overall Impressions: Really complex flavors.  Great for an evening where you were only having one beer (would probably be great with a cigar).  The alcohol flavors might be too prominent for some (high for style, 8%-12%).  Very happy to be able to try.

Grade: A

Perhaps a warning?

Perhaps a warning?

Some for me, some for The Wife

Some for me, some for The Wife

Dogfish Head - World Wide Stout

Dogfish Head - World Wide Stout

A dog on the label is a good way to get me to try a beer.  I am not really sure why, but I have said before that a label goes a long way to breaking the tie for me when buying and trying a beer for the first time.  Perhaps I am a sucker, but very often it has worked out in my favor.

Stouts are very comforting to me.  Maybe I am just mesmerized by the black color, not really able to see what is going on in that glass.  My current favorite beer is an imperial stout (review coming some day and a gold star for anyone who can guess which one) and though this one is good, it was not able to knock out the champ.

Brewery: Stoudt’s Brewing Company (Adamstown, Pennsylvania)

Name: Fat Dog – Imperial Oatmeal Stout

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

ABV: 9.0%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the wine fridge and served in a pint glass.

Aroma: Deep roasted malt aroma with no sharpness or burnt notes.  Light sweetness.

Appearance: Black with maybe the slightest hint of red.  Medium height (before I adopted the finger measurement), deep tan color head that dissipates slowly with some trail.  Opaque.

Flavor: Roasted malt/grains in front with a slight coffee flavor toward the finish.  Very light hop bitterness.  The roasted flavor(s) linger with some dryness at the finish.

Mouthfeel: Full body with light to medium warmth noticeable.  Smooth on palate with low carbonation.

Overall Impressions: Very nice stout.  Roasted flavors balance well with the higher alcohol content.  Definitely could have used a second one (which is a measure of a good beer).

Grade: B+

Stoudts Brewing Co. - Fat Dog

Stoudt's Brewing Co. - Fat Dog

Continuing on with the theme of my early beer reviews on this site, I have chosen another of my favorite breweries. This happens to be the first Lagunitas that I had after deciding to write down my personal impressions. If you would like to find their beers, just look for a label that has a little dog with a black patch of fur around one eye. Sometimes its not that noticeable, but it’s there.

For those of you wondering (since I did at first), it is pronounced “lah-goo-knee-tuss.”

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma, CA)

Name: Cappuccino Stout

Style: American Stout (possibly Russian Imperial Stout)

ABV: 8.29%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the wine fridge and served in a pint glass.

Aroma: Some roasted malt aroma, though not extreme. No burnt character noticed. A little hint of coffee is there as well as a low hop nose.

Appearance: Dark brown with a slight red hue (when held to light). Has a two-finger high tan/café au lait head that dissipates rather quickly. Quite clear and can even see some bubbles rising despite the dark brown color.

Flavor: Strong maltiness with a slightly burnt coffee to bittersweet chocolate flavor. The hop flavor is more prominent than the aroma implies. Slight bit of alcohol noticeable. Some dryness and very slight astringency (puckering) at the finish, which does linger a bit.

Mouthfeel: Medium body (maybe slightly more full) with a bit of alcohol warmth. Low level of carbonation.

Overall Impressions: Gets much better as it warms and the very slight astringency (puckering) lessens. It was actually hoppier and not quite as malty as I expected. The coffee flavor was weaker than I thought going in (that was influenced only by reading the label). Overall it was OK, but not great (looking back not near the top of my Lagunitas brews). I would like to try it again closer to room temperature to see if my impressions change.

Grade: B (somewhere in that range)

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

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