Great Divide Hibernation Ale

English-style Old Ale. Hibernation Ale is Colorado’s original strong ale -- it has been Great Divide’s winter seasonal each year since 1995. Hibernation’s massive flavors are so intense that it requires over three months of aging each year. This lengthy aging process gives Hibernation its revered malty richness, complex hop profile and hearty warming character, which is perfect right out of the bottle or cellared for longer periods of time.

8.1% ABV through 2008

8.7% ABV in 2009

3.7

1804 reviews

Denver, United States

Community reviews

4.5 From a can to a glass. Pours a mahogany dark red color with a huge tan frothy creamy silky head. Aroma is mocha and roasted malts and a ash charred malt note and tootsie roll candy. Taste follows the aroma with a slight earthy hop note and a slight nuttiness and toast. Medium smooth mouthfeel. Beer leaves awesome malt rings all down the glass. Awesome malty beer!

3.8 Can bought at Urban Bottle. Canned September 13th. Pours a dark brown with reddish hues, nice abundant head of off white foam, it bloody looks malty. Loads of caramel malt in the smell. Some toffee, maybe a little bit of nuttiness, perhaps some coffee?? Taste is semi sweet, caramel malt, toffee, kinda nutty, light bitterness that I will accredit to coffee. Excellent mouthfeel, tasty beer. A Winter offering for sure and a darned good one.

4.0 Dark with an amber hue, khaki head. Nose is molasses, fruitcake, toffee. Middle is repeat of the nose, dark kilned malt added, currants, woody rum barrel. Finish shows alcohol, a smoky nuttiness, and is malty, warm, and inviting.

3.3 https://www.beerproject.be/taproom/pigalle/

3.7 Colore ambrato scuro, schiuma media compatta poco persitente, buona carbonazione.Sentori di malto tostato, caramello, biscotto. Al palato malto tostato, terra, cenere, leggere note di frutta secca. Finale decisamente amaro. Una birra con un buon equilibrio, e molto pulita in cui l'alcol si fa sentire, possibile si presti all'invecchiamento.

3.9 12 oz can from Whole Foods, pours dark brown amber with thick tan head. Full bodied with medium carbonation, roasted malt aroma. Moderately bittersweet, spicy taste with bitter malt finish.

3.1 Pours copper, small but lasting off-white head, nice lacing. Aroma of bread, freshly baked bread! Notes of roasted barley and chocolate. Tastes bitter-ish, boozy, lot of roasted barley, cocoa, coffee, grass, dark fruits. Unpleasant grassy and booze finish that takes over too soon. Medium body, viscous, very light carbonation. This is a sipper, but its dominant taste is terrible! Can't explain this ale... just doesn't fit my palate.

4.1 Can at tasting with buddies Gurthnar, Cuso and Wendigo. F: bit tanned, medium, average retention. C: dark coppery, hazy. A: rich malty, toffee, caramel, mellow fruity, chocolate, toast. T: rich malty backbone, decent bitterness, mellow fruity, caramel, toffee, very nice balanced, full body, low to medium carbonation, fully enjoyed.

4.1 Straight from the keg. Poured dark brown with a small beige head. Intense coffee espresso aroma. Medium body with a slightly sweet finish.

4.0 Plechovka zo 100piv. Vôňa karamel káva a pražené slady. Farba polotmava hnedo cierna. Chuť sladova kávová.

4.1 Can from mchughs. Pours Chestnut brown with wispy tan head. Nuts, chocolate. Flavor is nut, caramel, chocolate, vanilla. Nice bittering hop. Smooth and tasty.

4.3 Can at a tasting with buddies Cuso, Rubin77, Wendigo. Coffeeish, tobacco, cocoa, biscuity, peanuts. All in aroma and equivalent in taste too. Works well together, good balance, slightly woody too. Very very tasty.

3.9 Can. Malty aroma, caramel, roasty notes. Tastes the same as aroma, light sweet, light to medium bitter. Medium to full body, malty bitter sweet ﬁnish. Good.

3.9 Bottle shared by Wendigo, many thinks. Dark Amber color with small white head. Aroma of caramel malt, some spices. Taste, caramel, candies, light alcohol.

3.8 A rich and warming old ale that shows burnt caramel and roasted toffee flavors above understated sour cherry fruit, finishing on a rustic earth/ dusty attic note. Complex and boozy.

3.4 Mörkt brunröd, med rätt mörkt beigt skum. Doft av malt o kryddor. Smaken domineras av bränd malt, med inslag av kola. Hyfsat/måttlig beska.

3.9 Flaska 355 ml från Systembolaget. Rödbrun med liten skumutveckling. Fruktig doft med inslag av torkad frukt. Smak av torkad frukt, nötter och choklad. Fin balans mellan den kraftiga sötman och beskan i eftersmaken. En mycket god öl, passar säkert utmärkt till julmaten.

4.6 Seriöst god julöl med djupa toner av rostad malt. Det genuint engelska karaktären är tydlig och skummet sätter extra krydda på upplevelsen. Toppen till sillmackan.

4.2 On tap at Short Stop Xtreme Growlers in La Grande a brownish-ruby with a long-lasting dark beige head. The aroma is very complex. I get cherries, chocolate, earth, butterscotch, coffee, alcohol (in a good sense), and pine. The mouthfeel is full and well carbonated. The taste reiterates the aroma, except the warming alcohol comes along stronger and with a dark chocolate bitterness that carries along leaving a nice dry almost resinous bitter finish. Perfect for a cold winter day warmer upper! Skoal!

4.4 0,33 l bottle. Old ale is uncommon style of beer for me, maybe this a third bottle from this style of beer but its really good.

4.0 355ml can. Pours dark amber brown with a beige head, fair bit of sediment suspended in the beer. Aroma of nutty chocolate, toffee, dried fruits. Taste is rich and malty, nutty chocolate, toffee and dried fruits, caramel, coffee, a little alcohol. Medium bodied, soft carbonation. Wasn't sure what to expect from this but so it was an unexpected treat.

3.7 Aroma of nuts, malt, mocha and biscuit. Reddish brown in color. Just hardly see through the glass. Taste is biscuit, malt, mocha, roasted walnuts, and alcohol.

3.6 355ml can. Pours slightly red brown. Biscuit, caramel, orange, toast, quite savoury, toffee. Medium body. Fine.

3.9 Dobry piwo w stylu old ale, suszone owoce, karmel, opiekany chleb, pełne, zbalansowane.

3.3 Fles 35,5cl thuis. 8,1%. Apart. Erg bitterig. Krachtig. Effe wennen. (1-2008).

3.8 12floz can, COD: 10.04.2017, 8.7% abv, $1.75 unit cost, pint glass. Brown-amber in color with a tan head, sweet caramel, and toasty toasted toast full bodied aroma/flavor profile. Pretty good.

3.8 Can from Honest Brew. Rich dark ruby colour with a liggg tan head. Aroma has chocolate, coffee, rich malty and toffee. Taste light sweet dried fruity and light bittersweet to finish. Full rich body.

4.6 Zvláštna vôňa. Pena hustá, chuť sladšia kávová, výrazná. Horkosť jemná, primeraná.

4.0 Tap at Roor, 15th February 18. Pours chestnut brown. Aroma is nutty, caramel, chocolate. Taste is smooth, chestnut, roasty, malt, chocolate. Delicious.

3.9 33cl can from Grand Cru, Santarcangelo, Italy. Pours dark brown with cream colour foam, fine. Aroma is malty, chocolate, nutmeg. Body is dense and sticky, with good carbonation. Taste is sweet malty, with good amount of bitterness going with it, for a full mouth. Finish is long and aromatic.