About Great Divide Hibernation Ale: Hibernation Ale has been our celebrated winter tradition since 1995. This robust, dry-hopped ale has a malty richness balanced with a complex hop profile and hearty, warming character.
Beer Advocate Score: 90 points
Food pairings: Grilled beef tenderloin, Roomano (an aged Dutch cow's milk cheese), apple crisp with ginger ice cream
Alcohol by Volume: 8.7%
Case Cost: $36
*website: http://greatdivide.com/beer/seasonal/hibernation-ale
Had to split this four ways with the visiting relatives. Would have liked to have more than three ounces. Great penultimate beer. First sip had me worried that it was another over spiced malty winter beer but this got real nice in a hurry. Would definitely like more. So I followed it up with a Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout. Wow.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I posted this yet. We had #2 and #7.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2013/12/the-15-best-christmas-beers.html?utm_source=PANL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=131218
Shared this one with the hubby and my visiting father. It was a hit all around. Love the combination of a brown ale, hops, and regular ale without a trace of the random pumpkin pie spices. Great selection, will definitely be having this again.
ReplyDeleteMalty...like eating a bag of Whoppers!!!
ReplyDeleteso I'm curious; do you like whoppers or not? I can't tell by your post?? waiting on pins and needles
Deletefull disclosure, I was at least 5 beers in when I posted this, so honestly don't remember... But I do like how you called me out for deliberate ambiguity! :-)
DeleteEver have make a date a week in advance and you have to wait all week to meet her? And you make her out to be a hottie even though you have no clue. Well this sums up this beer. I was so excited to drink this and it didn't meet expectations. No head and the first sip yielded a strong coffee taste. Since I'm not a big fan of coffee, I didn't really enjoy it. Don't get wrong, I love dark beers (just like my women) and finished this strong (I love the high ABV). Would not get a second date with though.
ReplyDeleteRating: 7
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ReplyDeleteNow we're talkin'. This was a strong, dark, hearty brew. Definitely smelled and tasted of coffee. As a coffee lover, that's fine with me. Plus, I didn't drink enough coffee at work today for some reason, so this just went down a treat. Do I like it more because I had to catch up on the Southern Tier 2xmas tonight as well? Maybe so, but now it's time for some egg nog and rum.
ReplyDeleteI gotta tell you, your husband must love you b/c you sound like an awesome chick on all of your comments!!! I never thought to bring out the Egg noga and rum tongiht!
DeleteThe label didnt lie, it certainly was malty and rohbust. The first sip I took was a big one and boy was in for a surprise. This beer was very filling and I had a hard time placing the aftertaste, was that nutmeg or cinammon? I wouldnt turn this down, but I'd seek out a Red Nose first if I had the choice. B-
ReplyDeletedrink the southern Tier 2xmas beer afterwards and this thing goes down quickly and provides a great buzz. At least that is what I did! i love this 24 day of beer thing
DeleteDefinitely a malty and robust brew, and since I enjoy a good cup of coffee, this was a pleasant selection. The aftertaste really dries you out, but still enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteBeer was ok, but yesterday's was better. I feel like i just went on a date with the friend of a hot model. And this friend works as a librarian at an elementary school.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna cut straight to the chase this gets a B. After these last few days I realized its almost impossible to screw up a winter beer with me. Didn't stand out that much but who cares. It was delicious!
ReplyDeleteGreat beer! Last time I was in denver I found myself at the Great Divide Brewhouse and was going to drink a beer or two while killing some time. With 16 of their own beers on tap, I just had to try them all...and ended up stumbling out of that place after making at least 2 new best friends (I'm convinced that almost everyone in denver is a brewer or aspiring brewer). THe wings were pretty good too!
ReplyDeleteAwesome brewery and an amazing winter ale.
I will continue to seek out their beers..I don't believe they are wildly distributed tho. No matter...I will probably be back in denver sometime this winter for a little snowboarding and will certainly stop back by this brewery before I cross the actual (scary as hell to drive thru in a snowstorm...btw) Great Divide on my way to the slopes!
This has an interesting and nice smell. Tasting it confirms the aroma. I get some of the coffee taste in the first few sips. I think I like this one more than the 2XMas, but not by much. All these winter ales are pretty close to each other (they're all good). Grade 8.5 out of 10, B
ReplyDeleteA little too malty for me. I liked yesterday's better.
ReplyDeleteThe more I drank, the more I enjoyed this one. Very malty and definitely a nice hop balance. I get mostly coffee on the nose and taste and not much else. But it's a fantastic beer and I'd definitely seek it out again.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what it was but this beer couldn't hold my interest. Maybe because I'd already had so many wintery beers this month already? Not sure, but I did think it was pretty smooth when I was drinking it.
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