Tuesday, January 12, 2010
100 beers of 2010: 2/100 - Great Divide Hibernation Ale
Beer Style: Old Ale
ABV/IBU: 8.7%/Unlisted
Serving Style: Poured from the bottle into a Dogfish Head chalice.
Appearance:Hibernation Ale is really nice deep chocolate ruby, tremendously clear with a tan head and nice carbonation levels. The clarity and color is appetizing and beautiful. 4.5/5
Smell: Cocoa, malt, and caramel grains stand out. There are some bitter hops lurking, with a slightly sour mash and vegetative smell lurking in the background. 3.5/5
Taste: The taste belies the smell in some ways. It's malty, sure, with some caramel sweetness evident, while certainly not syrupy. There is controlled bitterness behind the roasted maltiness, and the flavors are well-integrated. There are some vegetative flavors on the finish, but the cocoa helps cover it up. It has a long finish with lingering bitterness. 3/5
Mouthfeel: It's a tough nut to track, here, the high carbonation and good level of IBUs really keeps it lively in the mouth, and balances the malt, but I'm almost wondering if those aspects are a bit overdone. 3.5/5
Drinkability: Eh, to me, it's not a great beer, but if you like the style you might be into it more. It's nothing special, and if Great Divide hadn't made it I'd probably be even harder on it. 3/5
Overall grade: B-
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