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Darkest of brown that it's pretty much black with a thick pour and glossy tone. A gorgeous darkest of broken chocolate brown top of firm, creamy, dense foam lifts slowly to about a finger high and spills down slowly to a left over mist and a fairly thick collar. Lacing is slightly oily based leaving some largely globular sheets spread across the goblet.

Rich, thick, heavy, roasted aroma with a wonderful bouquet of deep, dark chocolate to it. Slight burnt grains, char, vanilla, and a light peppery and bourbony tanged heat is layered in with deep creamy espresso hints showing as it warms. Wonderful! I could smell this all day.

Taste isn't quite as complex from what I get from that lovely nose as some of the peppery notes take away from the chocolate creamy center and the heat/warmth lifts too much energy and tone of flavor as it passes into the finish and overall length. As for what taste is there is deep chocolate and deeper yet vanilla within, a bit tangy, fairly rich and heavy, encompassed within a roasty bout of heated punch, pinched with lots of cayenne or black cracked pepper. I'm sure whatever it is that was used as far as spiced peppers, was and is a bit much, and for me detracts, subtracts, and reduces the overall drinkability and smoother enjoyment of the beer. Too bad really, as that chocolate tone which makes for a great core, could really stand out and be much more palateable to the tongue and scrumptious to the tatse buds.

Body is pretty full, creamy, thick, smooth, a bit lactic milky and tangy with lots of dark roast, dark chocolate, and espresso-like bitterness. The peppery heat just builds too high later into the finish in order to really bring it into a full-on perfect body and enjoyment. If left alone without the added spices, this might be one well hidden ABV monster of chocolatey yummyness.

I really enjoyed the aroma! By far the best aspect of the beer overall. As for the added peppered spice, meh, that may have been somekind of afterthought or something, but to me, it got in the way of what possibly could be one hell of a greater then great Great Divide Brew. Perhaps I'm nit-picking here, but when it comes to Impy stouts I can be a bit more meticulous.
Don't get me wrong - It's a very well made and solid Great Divide line of Yeti. But something about that extra fingerprint of added peppery heat just doesn't quite pull it together enough for me.

Price: $9.49 Served In: Goblet

Old Review
22 oz bottle I received from my girlfriend, she picked it up at Green's on Buford HWY in ATL. She had mistakenly consumed my only bottle on an earlier date while thinking it was just the regular Oak Aged version. No harm, no foul. Served up in a standard pint glass.

A: Pour seems to be a somewhat viscous liquid hitting the glass and forming a black body. The body is shiny and glossy. Very nice indeed. Held to the light, there is absolutely no light getting through this body whatsoever. The pour got me about two fingers of medium brown colored head that built up easily and quickly. It does its best to stick around but falls in due time to a thin top cap. The foam has some nice sheeting but no stick. Probably the slickness of the beer is keeping any lace from forming. Not a bad looking brew, definitely wouldn't call it names behind its back.

S: Getting some chocolate coming out, thats for sure. Initially, the smell is mostly of some super sweet, manufactured, Hershey's syrup type chocolate aroma. It can be a bit much at times. As the beer warms a bit, some of the dark chocolates and milk chocolate come out. With that said, they chocolate syrup smell is still lingering and might even be dominating. There is a touch of vanilla coming through, along with some nicely place piney/resiny hops.

T: Grrr, yet again we have this chocolate syrup presence. Its not as crazy as the smell but absolutely there. Just very sweet at times and almost a bit manufactured. Reminds me of when I was a kid trying to stretch not enough milk by using way too much chocolate syrup. The dark chocolates are present and are actually quite nice. They are accompanied by some milk chocolate as well. The malts are nice and varied but I am mostly picking up on some caramel, and probably some more chocolate malts coming through. Vanilla is nice and light, just a touch of compliment. The label says they put in some cayenne to cut some of the sweetness, but I am not getting any of that at all. It might be covered up by the hops presence though. Good amount of piney hops coming through towards the back. These add just enough bitter to the sweet. I think the hops may have been the most well crafted portion of this beer. Don't get me wrong, its still a good beer. The other flavors do a good job of making up for the chocolate syrupy flavors. Not bad, but I would have liked to have seen a bit more diversity. Maybe a bit more noticeable cayenne and some dark fruits. Still good though.

M: Full bodied beer for sure. This has a nice wieght and heaviness to it. Carbonation has a bit of tingle to it, but its not enough to take away from the beer having some size. The ABV is pretty well hidden for 9.5%. Other than a slight warmth in the belly, I am not getting any heat on the palate or throat. This runs across the palate and teases both the sweet and bitter sides of the tongue. Aftertaste is pretty much just a lingering chocolate.

D: Not a bad beer by any means. It is a bit too sweet for my liking though. It just seems to have gone a bit too far in the sweetness direction. This puts it more into the dessert beer realm that should be shared with friends (a la Southern Tier). Sadly, I am all alone on this one but I will survive. This will be slowly sipped and savored though, you have no choice. I just feel that out of the Oak Aged series I have had so far, this is the weakest. The Espresso was just a better crafted beer in my opinion. That may be why this didn't live up to expectations for me since the Espresso version was so damned good. Ah well, can't knock em all out of the park. Still a good beer and I would definitely have this again in group setting.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 10-05-2009 22:13:14

Served In: Pint Glass

Bottled on Jun 15, 2009.

I'm a bit tainted by my love for the Yeti series, as this is the fourth variety I've tried and rated. Still, as a reviewer, I feel I must drink and report my impressions of this beer no matter the cost...come hell or high intoxication. You're welcome.

Beautiful pour...saw that one coming. Look at you, Chocolate Yeti--sitting there all smug with that creamy cappuccino head of yours, body dark and thick like a boozy motor oil. You disgust me. The aroma isn't much different than regular Yeti--which is to say it smells amazing. Cookie dough and Godiva dark chocolate, spiced, earthy hops, and lots of alcohol. A bit more vinous and boozy than the other three, with a faint hint of red peppers. Must be the Cayenne talking.

Yum. And I do mean YUM! Starts off quiet and chocolaty, like a snack of chocolate milk and cookies in the dark of midnight. Then, slowly, the hops creep in. Earthy, musty, dank. They sit heavy on the back of the tongue and open the gates for the booze to rush in. And rush in it does, as spicy, dark chocolate liquor kisses the back of the throat with a delicious hint of oak. The pepper is a decidedly amazing touch, adding a slow, succulent burn to the roof of the mouth with each sip. Luxurious mouthfeel, creamy velvet with a tight, prickly carbonation level and boozy finish. My only qualm is that the mouthfeel and drinkability degrade slightly as this beer warms, a phenomenon which should be the reverse for a beer of this caliber. A sipper for sure, but this is dangerously easy to drink. Damn you, Great Divide, for making such an amazing lineup of Imperial Stouts!

Price: $8.00 Served In: Tulip