Yetis

Great Divide, out of Denver CO, brews a very well known, still "under the radar", Russian Imperial Stout, Yeti, and a few versions of Yeti: oak aged, barrel aged, espresso oak aged, and chocolate oak aged Yeti, to the best of my knowledge. Yeti is known for its strong hop character and robust bitterness among RIS's, and these are all big, bold, in your face beers: All versions, except the barrel aged of which I know nothing, boast 9.5% ABV and ~75 IBUs, that is higher than many well regarded IPAs, like Bell's Two Hearted and HopSlam! And the intense roast makes these stouts even more bitter.

    I had had and reviewed Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti a few months ago and wasn't impressed to the extent of dropping ten bucks for this tasting, and the barrel aged Yeti is out of my league (332 Wants, 40 Gots on Beeradvoctae) at the moment. In an attempt to clear my pseudo-cellar and hang out with friends, I set up a tasting of Yeti, Oak Aged Yeti, and Espresso Oak Aged Yeti.

Badfellas?

All three of them were an year to 15 months old: Yeti (22 oz. bottled 11.23.2009) poured into a 25 oz. snifter, Oak Aged Yeti (22 oz. bottled 10.30.2009) poured into a Duvel tulip, and Espresso Oak Aged Yeti (22 oz. bottled 02.12.2010) poured into a Chimay chalice. All of them poured very very dark - even the stream was opaque! The color of their huge heads can put the color of some feebler stouts to shame! As the heads subsided, some lacing stuck around on the glasses and upon sipping or swirling, distinct legs were seen. Very good looking stouts!

    Another observation had to do with the glasses themselves: the head retention was par excellence in the Duvel tulip while not as stellar in the Chimay chalice, and somewhere in between in the snifter. I doubt that this had anything to do with the beers themselves but more to do with the excellent nucleation properties of the Duvel tulip and the wide mouth of the Chimay chalice.

    The Yeti smelled of sweet malts, strong roast with some vanilla-cream undertones, and hops! Almost after year and a freakin' half, it still retained some of its hop character! The Oak Aged version was even creamier and rounded but the difference were subtle at best. Espresso version had all that Yeti brought to table and then some heightened coffee & cream notes.

    Fruity and bittersweet tasting, with distinct dark chocolate notes and intense roast, Yeti finished pleasantly clean for its size. The bitterness of roasted coffee beans stayed on palate and alcohol warmth was felt as it went down. The fruit and acidic character kept getting enhanced with temperature. The Oak Aged version was somewhat less fruity, less coating, and more tannic with an even cleaner finish. Long wood and coffee aftertaste but the differences were again subtle at best. The Espresso version stood out in terms of a present coffee soul to its acidity and was easily the favorite. As far as I know, the coffee flavors fade over time so I am going to buy this one again as soon as I get paid, because this is the season!

    Yeti and Oak Aged Yeti were both smooth but not to the extent of velvety, perhaps because of the strong astringency of roast. The carbonation was spot on, and while the body seemed a little thin at times, it was still quite "meaty". The Espresso version was more mellow in taste and felt silkier than others. Overall these are excellent stouts with great drinkability for their alcohol and size.

Scores (tasted on 03/04/2011)

	Yeti	Oak Aged	Espresso Oak Aged
Bottled	11.23.2009	10.30.2009	02.12.2010
Other details	9.5% ABV, ~75 IBUs	9.5% ABV, ~75 IBUs	9.5% ABV, ~75 IBUs
Glassware	25 oz. brandy snifter	Duvel tulip	Chimay chalice
Appearance	5	5	5
Aroma	4	4	4
Taste	4	4	4.5
Mouthfeel	4.5	4.5	4.5
Drinkability	4.5	4.5	4.5