Great Divide 17th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

Great Divide Brewing Company
Denver, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Deep orange-brown color. Hazy. Nice big creamy head that laces the glass. Pretty.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Hop! Citrus, woody, piney hop aromas. Bready/malty sugary notes. Vanilla.

TASTE: 7/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Woody and grassy hop flavors up front. Some prune, raisin. Vanilla and licorice. A bit grainy. Lots of hop bitterness.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Bitter from start to finish. Woody notes. Vanilla at the end. Alcohol present.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Dry. Big and full. Weakly carbonated.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: A good aged woody IPA. Big, full and nicely complex. I (Ben) like it more than Matt.

TOTAL: 15/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Pretty good but it didn't knock me out. I can get better beers cheaper. So nicely enough done, but not something I'd buy again.
Ben: A really nice example of a wood aged beer. Vanilla notes with nice grassy hop flavors. Good bitterness. I really like this beer (but I didn't buy it - Matt did - and at a pretty high price point probably not worth what Matt paid hence his disappointment).