Chocolate Oak-Aged Yeti

Brewed By: Great Divide Brewing
Brewed In: Denver, CO
Type: Imperial Stout aged on Oak Chips with Cocoa Nibs and Spice Added
ABV: 9.5%

What they say: “Welcome to the newest incarnation of our revered imperial stout. We toned down the hops a bit to allow cocoa nibs to contribute some pleasing bitterness, while vanilla notes from the oak combine with the cocoa to create an aroma and flavor akin to a gourmet chocolate bar. A dash of cayenne keeps things lively, adding just a bit of heat to the finish. A Yeti for summer? Hell yes. Enjoy with raw oysters, grilled NY strip, chicken mole, Roaring 40’s blue cheese, crème bruleé, chocolate raspberry mousse cake.”

Website: Covered in the previous review. Flash-heavy, not too detailed, but serviceable.

Why this one, Show? This is the second and final entry in my ongoing series entitled “BigShow vs. the Two Aged Yetis That Made It To The Back Of The Cellar Two Years Ago.” I’ve got two more series lined up that I want to review, but I’m going to complete this one first, dang it.

First Thoughts:
Head: Fairly thick, mocha-latte-colored
Nose: Bittersweet chocolate, coffee
Color: Jet black

Presentation (5): As previously said, Great Divide’s labels are pretty detailed. The label is a nice shade of silver/gray, and includes the requisite Yeti. It pours out thick, but looks like pretty much any other stout in the glass. 5

Originality (5): It’s a wooded chocolate stout. Great Divide’s site doesn’t really have any time-line for when this beer was created, although their Yeti and Oak-Aged Yeti won awards in 2005 and 2007, respectively. I’ll award some points for not just throwing the beer into a bourbon barrel, instead choosing to use oak chips to keep the wood flavors in the subtle range, and for using real cocoa in the mix. 4

Body (10): There’s not too much carbonation in the sip but this is still a mouth-filling beer. There’s almost no hoppy, crackly notes on the tongue, but the malts and chocolate flavors still make this one heavy sip. 7

Taste (10): Like smooth, silky, fancy chocolate. Big chocolate malt notes with a sweet, almost-syrupy cocoa middle, followed by faint bitterness at the back of the sip. The layers of flavor just about mirror the layers of the Espresso Yeti, just swapping the coffee flavors for the chocolate flavors. Very intense, but very good. 10

Efficiency (10): High marks for high ABV and being easy to drink. The sweet flavors are nicely balanced by the earthy finish and that makes a bomber bottle disappear quickly. 9

Versatility (10): Not too much. The sweetness pretty much slots this beer into dessert-pairing territory (I don’t know how I’d feel drinking this with savory foods, with the exception of chicken mole). While that may offer some good variety, it’s not something to make a night out of. Good for a beer float, and that certainly counts for something. 4

Final Score: 39 – Really Good Beer

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.