I was going to wait until I had a collection of Imperial Stouts in order to do a sampling and determined which one I enjoy best. Unfortunately, that plan failed after this Yeti had been staring me down for two weeks (I still might get around to my idea). I will say that diving into this beer without having any dinner has given me a bit of a buzz. I love a good Stout any time of the year and since today’s rain cooled the temperature, it felt appropriate to bust out a warming, hardy beer.

I’ve been impressed with every Great Divide beer I’ve tried. They are quickly propelled themselves to one of my favorite breweries over the last year. What I have before me is a top notch example of an Imperial Stout that is down right gorgeous (blame word choice on buzz). Like most big stouts, the dispending was thick, black, and glorious. Looking at my snifter I could not help but smile at the garnet liquid with mahogany highlight and dense coffee colored head.

The aroma was intoxicating with an initial blast of intense chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts. I could make out the 9.5% ABV by it mild alcoholic tingle, but for the most part plays a minor role in the aroma. It was somewhat salty and bitter (from dark malts) with a nice infusion of grassy hops. On the whole it has a very inviting smell and reminds me of a fondue. Various dark fruits are noticeable as well.

Bold, rich, dark chocolate, roasted bitterness, burnt caramel or toffee, and hoppy are adjectives I’d use to describe the taste. The mouthfeel is creamy, silky, and finishes on the heavy side as expected. As I sipped, the balance between the roasted bitter grains and the hops (75 IBUs) became apparent. Both added a vibrancy to the beer while the ABV become more noticeable as it warmed.

I happened to have some Blue cheese in the fridge and upon reading that it would be a good pairing on Great Divide’s website; I decided to give it a try.

Point Reyes Blue (Raw Milk): A crumbly, yet creamy, thick cheese that is slightly salty and very mild. Yeti lifts the cheese off the palate while the bitterness from the malts and hops replace the cheese. The overall aftertaste is subdued. The two seem to cancel each other out.

Maytag Blue: Much more salty than the first cheese, it finishes dry and does not stick to the palate as much. A lighter mouthfeel gives way for the Yeti to take over. The salty smell of the beer and the flavor of the cheese match up quite well.

Get a bottle!

ABV: 9.5%

Grade: A