16 beers on tap at Great Divide

The Great Divide Brewing Company is one of our local breweries that began in Denver’s Ballpark neighborhood, central Denver, and has been expanding since it’s journey began in 1994. Great Divide has some of my favorite beers: the Hoss, Titan IPA and Claymore Scotch Ale…but if I am visiting a brewery I always have to try new beers!

The 18th Anniversary Wood-aged Double IPA was my favorite seasonal beer that I tried. The double IPA aspect makes you think it will have a very harsh hoppy character but the wood-aged softened the hoppy flavor and made it a smooth double IPA.

The Great Divide tap room is located at Arapahoe and 22nd. The location is small giving it a very friendly and cozy atmosphere. The staff also make it a very pleasant environment…I was very impressed by the great service.

The Yeti is one of their year-round beers…it is an Imperial Stout that has a bold roasted malt flavor with notes of caramel and toffee. It also has a distinct hop character that makes it a unique stout. This dark beer is very tasty but they also brew seasonal beers that are variations to the Yeti.

All the Yetis!

I was fortunate to try the Belgian-style Yeti as well as the Chocolate Oak-aged Yeti. The Belgian-style Yeti uses a special Belgian yeast that gives it a different overall manner but still contains much of the same flavor. The Chocolate Oak-aged Yeti was very unique…it tasted like a chocolate milkshake beer. It has a very bold chocolate flavor that makes it a fairly heavy beer. It was great to taste but I would have a hard time drinking a whole one unless it was for dessert as a substitute for chocolate cake πŸ˜€

Great Divide Yeti Food Pairings: Grilled steaks, strong/salty blue cheese, chocolate

Great Divide Belgian-style Yeti Food Pairings: Belgian Beef Stew, garlic mashed potatoes, vanilla cheesecake, chocolate mousse

Great Divide Chocolate Oak-aged Yeti Food Pairings: Raw oysters, grilled NY strip, blue cheese

Hades

The Hades is a very nice light beer. It is a Belgian-style golden ale…very subtle hops and crisp finish. It is not a personal favorite but that is only due to my beer preference. Many people enjoy this golden ale.

Great Divide is experimenting with an India Pale Lager (IPL) for the first time. I raved about this style of beer (in a previous post) and have been very excited as more and more breweries are trying out this style. I did not enjoy their IPL…there was something about it that didn’t taste completely right but I hope they try to brew another batch!

The Hoss

The Hoss, as I mentioned earlier, is one of my favorite Great Divide beers. It is a rye lager…this is a very unique style, based from the MΓ€rzen lagers of Germany. It is very rich in flavor with strong malts and a hint of cherry. The addition of rye gives it a light spicy character making it a unique beer.

Music For Your Ears:

~3rd Planet by Modest Mouse

More To Love:

Claymore Scotch Ale

Denver Beer Co.

Comments

  1. MMM…I think I would like the Yetis. The rain-splashed window behind the glasses makes the image seem cozy somehow…

  2. Looked like the perfect day to enjoy some seriously tasty looking beers and when you say Yeti, I think huuuuge big flavours! Please tell me there were crunchy hand cut chips involved too. πŸ™‚

    • It was!! πŸ™‚ ha ha and I wish there was crunchy hand cut chips there! They typically have a pizza food chuck out front.

  3. The yetis appeal to me too, lovely and satisfying. I know what you mean about replacing pudding with a thick chocolatey beer, I have been known to do that myself from time to time.

    • I actually would love to make the chocolate yeti into a beer float with vanilla ice cream. I think that would be tasty!!

  4. Have not ever tried an India Pale Lager, but I am very intrigued,,, Great Divide actually distributes here in Fl, I will have to be on the look out for theirs or any others that brew that style. I am guessing its a hoppy lager, maybe with a lower alcohol content than an IPA??

    • Great Divide has some delicious beers! Since you like hops you will definitely enjoy the Titan IPA and even the DPA is pretty good. Please tell me what you think and post on my beer page where you found it so if I have other FL followers! πŸ™‚

      It is a hoppy lager…not too hoppy but enough to keep you interested…since it is a newer style you will probably get variations. The one I enjoyed though was very crisp and light in body since it is a lager and then had just the right amount of hops. I am very curious to try many more of this style. Let me know if you find one from a specific brewery! And yes lower in alcohol content (better for enjoying a couple in the hot summer :).

  5. mmm…I want some Chocolate Oak-Aged Yeti πŸ™‚

Trackbacks

  1. […] Great Divide Vine Street Pub D Bar Renegade […]