The Drunken Polack

I picked up this brew a while ago but for some reason I’ve been holding off giving it a try.  Maybe it’s because I find regular Yeti to be a tad bit overrated?  Don’t get me wrong, it’s good stuff but doesn’t blow my mind like I thought it might of.  So the other night I pulled out the Chocolate Oak Aged version only because I couldn’t fit anyone brews in my chest freezer.  All I gotta say is that this version blew my mind.  This beer is a doozy.  So many big flavors coming at you at once.  By the time I hit the bottom of the second glass I wanted more, then I realized how damn buzzed I was.

Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti pours thick and oily.  Black as night.  Oil like.  A two finger head forms.  Very dark tan head with great retention.  The smell is fantastic.  Sweet chocolate aroma.  Roasted malt character and a little bit of a hoppy aroma.  Lingering is the smell of hotness.  Chilis and peppers.  To top it off the nice smokiness from the Oak.  Just a pleasure to drink but even better to taste.

Like in the the smell the chocolate flavor is up front.  It’s sweet and rich.  The oak comes in next and lingers on the tongue.  Brown sugar then comes in next followed by the pepper.  Now at first this beer might not wow you but as you drink this brew everything starts to add up, especially the pepper.  It ends up burning in the end.  Alcohol and the smokey oak flavor just sits in your mouth, mixed in with chocolate you get every sip it’s just an awesome combination.  I would revisit this beer over and over again if I could find some more.  You bet when I see this again I’ll be buying as many bottles as I can.  The last star of the show is definitely the mouthfeel.  Thick, smooth, oily.  Goes down really nice.  Maybe to nice because before you know it, this beer is gone and you’re buzzed out of your mind and the pepper is just sitting in your mouth.  But you’re still begging for more.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: 7 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.greatdivide.com/
What the company says: 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. 9.5% ABV.
ABV%: 9.50%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Great Divide Belgica, Great Divide Titan IPA
Other beers to try within the same style: The Bruery Black Tuesday, Cigar City Hunahpus Imperial Stout
Rating: A

Laughing Dog Alpha Dog – The first of the two of the IPAs I will reviewing today is from a brewery out of Idaho named Laughing Dog.  This is the first brew I’ve ever had from these guys.  I do have a few more in the fridge though.  Wait is this the first brew I’ve ever had from the state of Idaho?

Alpha Dog pours a clear amber color.  This baby pours a huge fluffy white head.  As you drink this brew you’ll get a ton of lacing.  Probably the most lacing I’ve seen in a beer in a long time.  It sticks everywhere.  As soon I started pouring this brew I got blasted with sharp, bitter grapefruit.  As I dove a little more into the smell I got a nice bready malt aroma with caramel.  But the number one aroma is definitely the grapefruit.  More of the same with the taste.  The bitterness of the grapefruit can get a little overwhelming for the taste buds here but it’s also a welcome addition.  Yes it’s bitter but it’s also juicy and tasty.  As you let this beer warm up a little more of the other flavors pop a bit.  Nice bready malt backbone.  I also started noticing more of an alcohol taste.  Mouthfeel is a bit watery and light.  But very smooth and easy drinking.

Overall I really liked this brew.  The bitterness of the grapefruit might be a little to much for some people but you know how I like my hop bombs and well this is a decent one.  I do think though if they balanced the malt a little more then this could be even better.

Found: Some store in New Jersey
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.laughingdogbrewing.com
What the company says: Can’t find anything on their site about this brew.
ABV%: 8.70%
Other beers to try from this brewery: First brew I’ve had from these guys.
Other beers to try within the same style: Three Floyds Dreadnaught, Russian River Pliny the Elder
Rating: B+

Belgica is a fairly new beer from Great Divide Brewing out of Colorado.  It’s classified as an Belgian IPA.  A class of beer I’ve been seeing more and more of lately.  They range from the very good like Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel to the decent like Stone Cali-Belgique.  I would put this brew in the decent category.  Not as good as Dobbelen or Le Freak but just as decent as Stones version.

The look of this beer is beautiful.  A nice clear straw color with a huge white fluffy head.  Great retention and lacing.  Tiny bubbles float from the bottom to the top of the glass.  The only real issue I had with this brew was the lack of any IPA characteristic in the smell.  What you get is a fairly big shot of Belgian yeast, spices, sweet Candi, and fruity esters.  No real aromas of hops.

The taste is a little different.  You do get a mild and I mean mild taste of citrus and grassy hops.  But still the Belgian side takes over the beer.  Especially a musty earthy Belgian yeast taste.  You also have the nice sweet taste to go along with it.  This one ends with a nice spicy kick that lingers.  Along with the spices a dryness lingers.  There is no sign of the 7.20% abv.  It’s an easy drinker.  Medium bodied, a little sticky but just easy to drink.

This is a great beer on a hot summer day.  A question to anyone who is more familiar with this type of beer.  Am I looking for more of IPA characteristics when I shouldn’t be?  An overall decent beer that I wouldn’t mind trying again.

Found: Grape and Gourment, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 2 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.greatdivide.com
What the company says: The Roman name for the Low Counties – is a marriage of the best in American and Belgian brewing traditions. Belgian pilsner malt, a generous amount of American and European hops and a unique Belgian yeast strain combine to give Belgica big notes of citrus and spice, creating a lively concoction perfect for spring in the Rockies
ABV%: 7.20%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Great Divide Titan IPA, Great Divide Old Ruffian
Other beers to try within the same style: Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel, Stone Cali-Belgique
Rating: B

What would a weekend by without trying a few beers?  This weekend I tried 4 different beers.  3 I have listed and well the other one gets it’s own special review which is coming up soon.  I won’t get into any details but I owe this person a review.  It’s been a long time coming. 

On Thursday night (yes I count Thursday as the beginning of the weekend!) I pulled out some Oak Aged Yeti.  I really did like the original version.  It’s a different take on a Imperial Stout in my opinion.  A lot of stouts have a good amount of hops but the original Yeti had more than the usual.  This time around though the hops are a tad bit more laid back.  It’s probably the barreling process that calmed down the hops.  Don’t get me wrong it still has a great taste and I might of liked it more than the original.

Oak Aged Yeti pours out like engine oil.  Not completely black but pretty darn close.  As you can see in the picture it has a huge caramel head that would probably stick around for hours if I didn’t dive right into the beer.  Smell is a little bit more subdued than the original.  Chocolate, coffee, and a little bit of sweetness from the vanilla.  The taste on this one is just fantastic.  Everything mixes well together.  Cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, and the hops come together to form an enjoyable brew.  The oaky flavor is there also and just sits nicely with everything else.  The feel on this one is certainly a treat.  Smooth as silk.  Goes down very easy.  Not to heavy, not to light. To me this is more enjoyable than it’s brother and is probably harder to find.  I can see this beer aging nicely.  So pick up two!

Found:State Line Liquor, Elkton, Maryland
Price: 9 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.greatdivide.com/
What the company says :Crack open Yeti Imperial Stout’s sophisticated sibling – Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout. Although these beers come from the same clan, they have entirely different personalities. Aging on a blend of French and toasted oak chips infuses a subtle oak and vanilla character into Yeti’s already intense chocolate, roasted coffee malt flavor and hugely assertive hop profile. Who says you can’t tame a Yeti
ABV%: 9.5%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Great Divide Old Ruffian, Great Divide Hercules Double IPA
Other beers to try within the same style: Oscar Blues Ten Fidy, Stone Russian Imperial Stout, North Coast Old Rasputin
Rating: A-

So far all the beers I’ve had from Sierra Nevada have been decent.  Especially their Celebration Ale and since Sierra Nevada is one of the breweries out their that we must all thank for starting the craft brewing revolution, I feel it is my duty to try all their stuff. Without companies like them, we would all be drinking Budweiser right now.  God that’s a horrible thought.  Sadly though this beer really did nothing for me.  I really couldn’t taste much at all and kept on wondering what I was missing.  Maybe I got a dud or maybe I waited to long to drink this beer.  I’ll have to wait until next year to find out.

As you can see in the picture this one poured a cloudy deep amber color with a medium sized fluffy head.  The smell was unimpressive.  All I really got was a small bit of a sweet malt aroma.  Nothing more.  Where are the hops?  Wheres basically everything else?  The same goes with the taste here.  Sweet malty taste.  No hops.  Nothing else.  I’ll say this, it’s well easy to drink =) Light and watery.  Goes down easy.  Next year I’ll make sure to drink this one the same night I get it.  Hopefully it was a dud.  This one gets a awesome rating on BA: A- It must of been a bad bottle.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: 4 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.sierranevada.com/
What the company says: Created in 1996, Harvest Ale features Cascade and Centennial hops from the Yakima Valley in Eastern Washington. These hops are harvested and shipped as “wet” un-dried hops—the same day they are picked—to our brewery in Chico where our brewers eagerly wait to get them into the brew kettle while their oils and resins are still at their peak.you can’t tame a Yeti?
ABV%: 6.70%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Sierra Nevada ESB
Other beers to try within the same style:Russian River Bling Pig, Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale
Rating: D

I’m not going to lie.  Yes this is the holiday season but this beer is actually been sticking around in the fridge since last Christmas.  But I’m happy to say it still tastes the same.  I love big porters.  This is not a big porter.  But this is a good gateway porter for first time porter drinkers.  It’s decent and easy to drink and I could see myself sitting by a fire roasting chestnuts and drinking a few of these. =)

This pours a dark brown with a medium sized fluffy head.  A ton of lacing as you drink this one.  The smell is full of sweetness.  Like a sweet coffee.  Dark roasted aromas follow and end with chocolate.  A tad bit of alcohol and hops.  As for the taste the sweetness is fully up front.  Chocolate and roasted aroma like burnt bread follows.  But like I said everything is pretty small in this beer and you can easily have a few.  Medium mouthfeel with going more towards a lighter mouthfeel.  Smooth. 

So if you want to try a porter or are just feel like having an easy to drink porter, this is not a bad one to try first.  But if you know a lot about porters or like big ones this might be one to stay away from.  You can only find this (I believe) in the holiday mix pack. 

Found: In a grocery store part of a Sam Adams holiday pack 
Price: $12 dollars for a case of assorted Sam Adams goodies.
Website: http://www.samueladams.com/
What the company says: Introduced as a member of the Winter Classics Mix Pack in 2004, Samuel Adams® Holiday Porter with its rich malt complexity has become a favorite among our winter seasonal brews. In total, five varieties of malted barley are used in the brewing process including a variety of German malt called Carafa®. The Carafa® gives our Holiday Porter its smooth, roasted malt character. Add generous portions of imported hops to the mix and one has a brew that is both robust and high in drinkability.
Carafa® is a registered trademark of Weyermann Malt, Bamburg, Germany.
ABV%: 5.90%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Sam Adams Winter Lager, Sam Adams Cream Stout
Other beers to try within the same style: I honestly have not had enough of this type of beer to give more from the same style
Rating: B-

Ti’s the season for Fresh Hop ales my friends and just last week I reviewed the one from Port Brewing.  This time up it’s a Fresh Hop from Great Divide.  They make such fantastic beers such as Old Yeti Stout and Old Ruffian Barleywine.  On to the review!

Pours a light copper color with a small amount of head that laces the glass as you drink.

Let me just say that this beer matches it’s description.  It tastes fresh.  How do you mean you ask.  Well this beer tastes like it was just picked from the ground like a damn vegetable.  I’ll describe more as I write.

Earthy and grassy is the best explanation I can give when I smell and taste this beer.  You’ll see a lot of reviews mention grassy and earthy notes in beers, but in this beer it’s purely that and it’s huge.  That’s why I say it tastes and smells just like it was pulled from the earth itself.  There’s a bit of a citrus taste.  It’s there but is hidden behind everything else.  The feel is rough in the beginning, a little bit like gravel but as the beer heats up a bit it turns into a light and crisp treat with a tad bit of a dry finish.  I would definitely give this beer another try.  It’s different enough to warrant multiple bottles.  I would just drink it as fresh as you possibly could. 

The Final Word

Found: State Line Liquors, Elkton Maryland
Price: 5 dollars for a 22 oz bottle
Website: http://www.greatdivide.com/
What the company says: The September hop harvest is a once-a-year opportunity to brew with fresh hops, also called “wet hops.” Given the perishable nature of just-harvested hop cones, they are shipped overnight to Great Divide shortly after harvest. The morning of the scheduled hop delivery in Denver, Great Divide’s brewers begin brewing Fresh Hop and are ready to hop the beer just as the fresh hops are delivered.

Using fresh hops is a big endeavor, requiring four to five times the volume of hops compared to the usual process of using pelletized hops. This complex process brings impressive results: Fresh Hop is an American-Style Pale Ale with moderate hop bitterness marked by a unique and intensely grassy hop flavor and aroma. Fresh Hop is a superbly refreshing, medium bodied, light-copper colored pale ale.
ABV%: 6.10%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Old Yeti Imperial Stout, Hades Ale, Old Ruffian Barleywine
Other beers to try within the same style: Really hard to say on this one.  But I’ll give it a shot.  Port Brewing Fresh Hop IPA.
Rating: B

For this Great Divide review I hit up their Belgian Strong Pale Ale called Hades Ale.  If you know anything about Greek Mythology, Hades is actually the name of the Greek Underworld.  Why exactly Great Divide went with this as the name of the beer, I have no idea. 

Hades pours a golden straw like color.  There is a good amount of carbonation with a fluffy white head. 

The aroma on this one is quite inviting.  A good amount of sweetness and fruit.  Pears, apples, honey, spices, and yeast. 

With the taste, you’ll get some fruit just like the small.  A good amount of apple and pears.  The honey is also evident.  Now we must remember this is a Belgian type beer.  So the Belgian yeast and spices are also there.  The feel on this one is a little dry like a champagne.  Light bodied, well carbonated, and crisp.  I would easily give this beer another go.   

The Final Word

Found: State Line Liquor – Elkton, Maryland
Price: 6 dollars for a 22 oz bottle
Website: http://www.greatdivide.com
What the company says: Hades is a Belgian-style strong golden ale brewed with a rare Belgian yeast strain that gives the beer a distinctive spicy flavor and aroma. Noticeable hops and medium malt character make it an extremely well-balanced, crisp ale.Hades is a Belgian-style strong golden ale brewed with a rare Belgian yeast strain that gives the beer a distinctive spicy flavor and aroma. Noticeable hops and medium malt character make it an extremely well-balanced, crisp ale.
ABV%: 7.30
Other beers to try from this brewery: Hercules Double IPA, Yeti Imperial Stout
Other beers to try within the same style: Delirium Tremens, North Coast Brewing PranQster
Rating: B

Found: State Line Liquor
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.greatdivide.com
What the company says: Traditionally, Imperial Stouts, the biggest and boldest of all stouts, were brewed with massive amounts of roasted malts and hops, resulting in a velvety smooth but robust beer characterized by high alcohol content and extremely high hop bitterness. Meeting the challenge of this aggressive, challenging beer style, Great Divide’s Yeti Imperial Stout is an onslaught of the senses. An almost viscous, inky-black brew, Yeti opens with a massive, roasty, chocolate, coffee malt flavor that eventually gives way to rich toffee and burnt caramel notes. Packed with an enormous quantity of American hops, Yeti’s hop profile reveals a slightly citrusy, piney, and wonderfully dry hoppy finish.

What I say: It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a Great Divide beer but so far so good.  Their DIPA and Barleywine are great.  This time it’s their Imperial Stout, Old Yeti.  I’ve had Old Yeti for a while now and it’s been hiding in the back of the fridge.  It was time to come out and play.

The Look: Pours pretty much like engine oil.  Black with a huge dark tan head that filled up pretty much half the glass until it calmed down.  Big lacing as you drink.

What the nose thought: What you’ll first notice with the smell is the hops.  Yes hops.  Usually you don’t get this much of a hop presence with a stout but it’s huge here.  Nice mixture of caramel, toffee, coffee, and chocolate.  But like I said the hops are big here.

And the tastebuds?: As with the smell, the hops are just as big of a factor with the taste.  Nice citrus hops.  Everything else mixes in well.  Caramel, toffee, chocolate, roasted malt.  It’s just hard to ignore the hops though as they sit up front and everything takes a bit of a back seat.  It’s actually a very good and enjoyable combination.

The feel: Heavy and a little thick. A little bit bitter from the hops.

Ending notes: Old Yeti is definitely a different stout and I would go back to it again if I had the chance.  Waiting for me in the closet is the Oaked Yeti.  I wonder if the Oaked Yeti will have a smaller hop presence.  I’ll get to it in a few months don’t worry =)

Rating: B+

Found: State Line Liquor
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.greatdivide.com
What the company says: Old Ruffian is a hefty, hop-forward Barley Wine. Seemingly mellow at first sniff, with its subtle fruit aromas and complex caramel sweetness, this deep mahogany-hued ale quickly shows its true character marked by bold hop flavors and massive hop bitterness. Old Ruffian’s rich, slightly creamy, caramel malt mouthfeel balances its grapefruit, pine, and floral hop flavors, working wonders on your palate.

A mind-numbing 90 International Bittering Units (IBUs).

What I say: This is my second review of a beer from Great Divide.  I have a few more to go.  So far they make some quality stuff.  This isn’t any different.

The Look: As you can see in the picture I had a little bit of a bad pour.  It did calm down though.  The huge head stuck around a bit and laced the glass as I drank.

What the nose thought: Smells very good.  Sweet sugar smell.  Good amount of hops.  Nice fruity smell with some caramel thrown in. 

And the tastebuds?: Right off the bat this beer reminded me a lot like Southern Tier Backburner but a little rougher around the edges.  Not as smooth.  This one is big on hop bitterness.  Sweet taste.  Fruity.  Caramel lingers. 

The feel:  The hop bitterness on this one stings your tongue a little bit.  But it didn’t stop me from enjoying this quality Barleywine. 

Would you drink more?:Easily.  A very good Barleywine.

Ending notes: Old Yeti here I come!

Rating: B+

Found: State Line Liquor
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.greatdivide.com
What the company says: Hoppier, maltier and with more alcohol than a standard IPA, Hercules Double IPA definitely is not for the faint of heart. Hercules Double IPA is, however, an elixir fit for the gods. A brash but creamy wonder, Hercules pours a deep orange-coppery color, forming substantial lace in the glass. Hercules Double IPA delivers a huge amount of piney, floral, and citrusy hop aroma and flavor from start to finish. A hefty backbone of nutty, toffee-like malt character balances Hercules’ aggressive, punchy hop profile.

What I say: I’ve always wanted to try the beers from Great Divide but it’s impossible finding them around here.  So luckily on my last trip to PA, I stopped in MA and was able to pick up 4 or 5 of their brews.  First up is their Hercules DIPA.

The Look: Copper color with a good amount of fluffy white head.  Head laced the glass as I drank it.

What the nose thought:Nice grapefruit and citrus smell.  Piney and floral hops.  Didn’t get a real malt presence here.

And the tastebuds?: This is a very good DIPA.  To me this beer is good from start to finish.  Everything is balanced nicely.  Not a big DIPA but I would put it on the beginning of the DIPA chart.  A joy to drink.  Grapefruit taste rules the taste buds with this one.  Right behind is the citrus, piney and floral hops.  Just a good well rounded DIPA.

The feel: A little creamy.  Goes down very easy.

Would you drink more?: Yes easily.  Not my favorite DIPA of all time but a really good one.

Ending notes: I’m looking forward to trying their other beers and I can only hope they are this good.

Rating: A-