Great Divide 15th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

16th anniv. edition- Aromas of pine, citrus, and floral notes, all very nice, the body was almost red, head was dense. Flavor started out with the pine and citrus hops, a malt middle, the finish showed oak with vanilla undertones. As it warmed the oak became more prevelant, it became overbearing and the alcohol presence didnt help. Overall not a bad brew, the end was just off for me.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

16th AV...a re-release of the same brew. Very nice, and unique. Big sweet malts, lots of bittering hops and a not too subtle vanilla oak character in the aroma and flavor. superb beer. purty too. almost red.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Sample on 5/14/2010. This double IPA pours a medium orange gold from a 22 oz bottle. Medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is caramel, orange, grapefruity hops and some wood. A medium bodied Imperial IPA. The malts are caramel, fruity and sweet. The hops are grapefruity and citrusy. Nice carbonation. A touch of wood and some vanilla as well. Nice balance. This bottle is over a year old, as the 16th Anniversary version is out, so the hops flavors have muted some what and its on its way to being a barleywine. Not that there is anything wrong with that! Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours a light amber with a heavy vanilla nose and a four fingers thick head. The oak is very present, but gives way to a traditional IPA. The hoppiness and bitterness comes in, but only after the vanilla and oak give way. The high alcohol content is present, but hidden well beneath the other flavors. You could get in trouble with this beer, especially from the 22oz bottle since it goes down so easy. I would highly recommend this beer for someone who likes both IPAs and Stouts as it is bold all around and it gets better as it approaches room temperature. Make sure to swirl it towards the end as your pour so as not to miss the sediment on the bottom of the bottle!

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Sampled from bottle. Pours dark copper with a faint haze and a thick, creamy off-white head. Lots of lacing. Oak, caramel malt, vanilla and citrus/floral hops are all balanced and present in the aroma. Pleasantly sweet from the caramelized malts up front, but brutal bitterness follows. I dig that though. I'm assuming more caramel malts were used so the vanilla-type flavors from the oak becomes more candy-like. Those malts do wash out some of the hop character. Full-bodied and smooth with the exception of the lingering hop bitterness. A fine IIPA.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bottle: Poured a deep amber orangey color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of vanilla is more dominant then expected with some notes floral hops with light citrus notes as well. Taste is a nice mix between some vanilla from the oak with some notes of floral hops with more bitter hops also noticeable and a deep rich caramel malt backbone. The vanilla brings this one closer to a barleywine territory but renders the whole thing interesting. Body is quite full with great carbonation and no signs of alcohol. Interesting take on the style.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Dark amber body with a sparkling body, 1/3" thick tan head and solid lacing. Aromas of bran flakes, caramel and fresh cut wood are followed by an abundance of mild citrus fruits. Medium to heavy bodied, the beer is well balanced and blended nicely. No perception of a 10% abv whatsoever. Flavor develops as it warms and really started to outshine the wonderful aroma. Cereal, vanilla, tobacco, cedar and cloves are just the beginning. Grapefruit, orange and a faint woody taste follow up backed by a nice nutty quality. A jumble of different nuances really hold this beer together and provide something grand.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 8

Pours dark orange with a lilty head. Fantastic lacing. Hops hops hops and more hops..along with some interesting bouquet of fruity twang and vanilla. Not really getting the anticipated oak. Hmmm.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Pours a nice copper color with a frothy khacki head with some decent staying power. The aroma shows oak, caramel malt, grains, and some floral notes. Flavors are a bit sticky, a lot of toffee and malt up front with bitter hops that mix with a ton of oak. I wouldn’t call this alcoholic but it is sticky with a little too much oak and sweet malt that over-power the hops at times. Bitter dry finish but I’d prefer if this were a little more hop forward. Hard for me to envision as a DIPA but I guess probably right for a Wood Aged version of one. I love the GD Oak Aged Stouts but I could never really get into this one. Just overall a bit odd. Still a decent beer though.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Hazy auburn red in color. Apples, cherry, and vanilla on the nose. Sip.. whoa!! The sip's just like the nose but 10x stronger. Tarty bitter after taste. Veerry strong. If you buy a bomber of this you better share this with your buddies cause it's too strong you might get sick. Can you taste the oak?