Great Divide - Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

Tonights review brings us to a beer that I just recently reviewed in its original form.  Great Divide's Yeti Imperial Stout is a beer that I found to be a bit on the sweet side for my liking.  With the knowledge that Great Divide had different versions of this beer I knew it would be a great opportunity for me to compare their standard Yeti (no, not this kind of Yeti, thank you Google images!) to one infused with oak, espresso, or both.  I chose the both this time around since I enjoy my imperial stouts to be bolder and roastier than most.  I figured two additional ingredients were better than one...

To start, I poured this Yeti into my large mug.  I tried to pour it perfectly, right up to the top, and failed.  I quickly cleaned up my mess, said a prayer to the beer gods to ask for forgiveness, and went about my business. I could smell the aroma of the espresso right away, without even putting my nose near it.  A bold, dark chocolate and coffee aroma wafts out of my mug.  Its very inviting but not overbearing.  I can still smell a bit of the residual sweetness that comes along with the original Yeti.  I'm hoping this sweetness is more subdued in the flavor.

Wow... forget about sweetness.  Lets talk about espresso!  Thats the very first flavor you will notice as you take your initial sip.  A slightly bitter oakiness backfills in for support of the espresso while the original Yeti brew provides a base of dark chocolate and roasted malt.  The finish is very smooth... actually its extremely smooth.  Hardly a hint of alcohol warmth as it easily makes its way down your throat.  Medium to low carbonation accentuates the silky mouthfeel and allows the primary flavors of roasted espresso and dark chocolate to play their part.  Hints of vanilla start to show up as it warms.  The bitter nature of the espresso and roasted malts also starts to play a bigger role as I near the halfway point of the bottle.

Overall 5.2/6.0 - I definitely liked this one better than the original Yeti.  This beer was also bottled on Feb 12th, 2010 which I'm sure has helped mellow out these flavors.  I wouldn't want to try this straight off the line.  The year of age definitely did it good as opposed to the year of age on the original Yeti where it just further accentuated the sweetness.  You should definitely be a fan of espresso if you are going to enjoy this beer.  If you aren't then give the oak aged Yeti a try.  After this experience, I know Ill be grabbing a bottle.