Great Divide Hibernation Ale - Barrel Aged
Over 9 months in Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey barrels has completely transformed our prized winter seasonal, producing a Hibernation that starts with big whiskey flavors before mellowing out into luscious chocolate, dark fruit, and vanilla. Each limited edition bottle is individually numbered, making a special addition to your cellar. If you can take only one beer into your cave this winter, we strongly suggest this one.
3.8
251 reviews
Denver, United States
Community reviews
Dark-amber colour, bubbly head. This is very toasty, woody, and there's an earthy note, On the nose, there's some alcohol, light caramel and toffee sugars, and a bit of woody accents in the finish. It's ok, rich and burly but maybe not refined.
750ml bottle (thx, Chris S.!) at Matt's. Vintage 2016. Pours a dark brown with a beige head. Aroma is a bit chocolatey, barrel, some bourbon. Taste is similar. Quite good.
Bottle - Nice burnt sugars. Dark copper brown with a small frothy head. Caramel and a light woody note with a rich long finish. Not overly complex but quite pleasant.
Pours a deep copper-brown with off-white head. Moderate whiskey aroma with some light malt and light charred wood notes. Well-balanced malt body with just enough whiskey-booze character.
Notes: on tap at the Great Divide Barrel Bar, GABF '16
Pours a murky brown with almost no head (a vigorous pour produced a little frothiness that quickly went to a thin collar).
The aroma is chocolate and bourbon with dark fruit and molasses. Smells a bit like a decadent rum cake / fruitcake. There is a touch of fusel alcohol. I can smell the original Hibernation but it’s been bourbonized.
The flavor is surprisingly subdued. There’s some chocolate, think tootsie roll,bourbon and dark fruits leading to a bitter alcohol finish. As it warms, a bit more flavor comes out - but it still tastes like watered down Hibernation with a splash of whiskey. The mouthfeel is full with very little carbonation
Sampled on draft at Tapped this beer poured a murky dark brown color with a medium sized foamy beige head that lingered and left excellent lacing. The aroma was sweet caramel, cocoa and coconut. The flavor was sweet and boozy with notes of whiskey, coconut, toasted caramel, cocoa, malt and cookie dough. Incredibly long finish. Full bodied and smooth. Outstanding.
Bottle. It poured a hazy brown color with an off-white head. The aroma was of oak, caramel malts and dark fruits. The taste was similar to the aroma with more oak, malts, dark fruits with medium carbonation and a woody aftertaste. Good stuff.
Bottle, 2017 vintage. Rich, sticky sweet aroma of caramel, chocolate, dark fruit and brown sugar with notes of whiskey, oak and vanilla. Pours dark, cloudy caramel brown with a thin tan head that has good retention and some lacing. Starts sticky sweet with caramel, chocolate, dark fruit and some brown sugar flavors as well as a rich, full body and decadent mouthfeeel. Finishes extremely smooth with excellent whiskey, oak and vanilla as well as a little bit of warming booze at the very end. Really nice wintery brew.
Pours dark brown with a tan head. Aroma of chocolate, roasted nuts, coffee and oak. Taste is medium sweet and light bitter.
Apparence : Brune foncée plutôt trouble, col brun pâle, bonne rétention, carbonatation faible.
Nez : Raisins secs, bourbon, vanille, alcool, toffee, dattes, mélasse.
Goût : Caramel grillé, alcool, bois épicé, fruits séchés moins abondants, mais présents, vanille. Sucre résiduel balancé par le fut et l’alcool. Faible amertume.
Sensation : Corps moyen, mais onctueuse, belle longueur, chaleur ressentie, descend étonnament facilement pour une bière titrant 11,5% d’alcool.
Bref : Beaucoup de flaveurs dans chacune des gorgées; pas besoin de se remplir les joues pour être envahi par ce que la bière a à offrir. Pourtant, de bonnes lampées ne saturent pas les papilles et ne lassent pas le dégustateur. Étonnant comment cette bière peut être à la fois, goûteuse, alcoolisée et… équilibrée? Oui, bien réalisée et bien bonne!
caramel, chocolate, alcohol, raisin,
Sweet, sticky sipping beer. Maybe a tad *too* sweet - but only a tad.
Pours murky burgundy, nice white head to contrast. Nose is woody, alcohol, leaves. Caramel comes out on the tongue, full, slick towards the end. Wood with a nice sweet maltiness.
Bourbon, dark molasses, sweet toasted grain and cereal malts, alcohol. Hazy, dark brown, tiny, creamy, white head. Heavy sweet. Intense dark, sweet chocolate, cacao, more dark molasses, light oak, bourbon, soft carbonation, full bodied. Beautiful Barley Wine, rich and well-balanced. Keg at brewery barrel warehouse, Denver.
Reddish brown with a fading tan head. Cola flavors, caramel sweetness, and charred oak. Better as it warms.
Dark brown color with a tan head that lasts. Aroma of wood, vanilla, caramel, alcohol, dark sugar, chocolate. Medium to full body, smooth, silky, barrel flavors very prevalent with light alcohol. Tasty stuff.
Pretty potent stuff like moonshine. Tobacco and leather with some caramel and fig. Pours murky dark with good head and lacing. Sweet finish with some oaky astringency. Big beer, and actually not that heavy on the brain. Tap at Barrel room brewery.
Very solid. Aroma is bread, fruit, light booze. The barrel aging doesn't overwhelm. Same with the flavor. Very similar. Deep amber, brown color. The mouthfeel was thick in body, oily. Finish was only a little boozy. This is the way barfrel againg can improve a beer.
Refrigerated 75cl brown bottle poured into a glass. Translucent dark brown, medium body, lower carbonation, and little lacing. Taste is bourbon, oak, and vanilla.
355ml bottle. (2017 vintage) 11.5% ABV. Pours an unclear red-brown with a small, short lived, beige head which dissipates to an outer ring that laces. Sweet aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, licorice, dried fruit, whiskey and oak. Sweet flavour of chocolate malt, caramel, dried fruit, licorice, vanilla and oak with a dry, warming whiskey finish. Full body with an oily texture and soft carbonation. Very nice.
750ml bottle. Poured a mahogany color with an off white head. Wood, vanilla, dark fruits, chocolate, and some bourbon.
Bottle at tasting. Fuzzy golden brown pour. Aroma of malt, caramel, booze and vanilla. Taste has sweet buttery caramel, fudge, vanilla, ripe fruit and malt. It’s nice, but also a ittle simple.
Pale deep brown pour with a thin beige head and light sticky lacing ..... aroma of sweet caramel malts, vanilla, chewy nougat, syrup and lots of complex malts .... taste is of sweet malts, nougat, caramel malts, vanilla, chewy caramel malt and syrup ... complex malts and abv hidden well ... has some dry oaky aspects and some sweet whiskey booze on the back end ..... thin body for a big abv beer ... finish has a whiskey burn and spicy bite .... 2016 bottle 11.5%
Bottle; pours cola brown with a thin ring of tan foam; aroma of dark fruits, chocolate, and hints of vanilla, whiskey, and wood; taste is more sweet than bitter with chocolate, dark fruits, whiskey, and some vanilla and wood notes; finish is dry with some more chocolate and whiskey; very good
Pours clear mahogany with a nice pale buff head. Aroma offers bourbon, candy and toasted malt notes. Flavor ups the bourbon and cuts back on the sugary tone, then adds a bit of caramel. Mouthfeel has decent fizz and body. Don’t hibernate, drink up.
From a bomber. Pours a dark ruby-bronze and makes a thin beige head. Aroma is of whiskey and malted barley. Tastes of plum, raisin, whiskey, chocolate, and roasted barley malt. Hibernation is already special, but the barrel aging makes it truly unique.
Pours deep bronze with a tan head. The Sims has caramel, vanilla, whiskey, coconut and toffee. It has a fairly full body with light carbonation. The yard has bread, woodiness, alcohol and dry toffee. Pretty good.
2016 bottle. Pours a deep hazy brown from the bottle with thin wispy tan head. Aroma of big bourbon barrel vanilla and oak notes with a hint of tobacco and earthy must. Taste adds some light chocolate and a hint of bitterness, but still huge barrel notes. Big and boozy, a bit thin but a great beer.
2014. Dark mahogany with modest, creamy, tan head, light lacing / Smooth, mellow nose of chocolate, coconut, caramel / Medium body, acidic and somewhat thin, mellow and balanced, modest sweetness with some bitterness on finish / Flavors similar to the nose - chocolate, caramel, bourbon, oak, coconut / The body could use a little more oomph, but this is enjoyable.
Caoba oscuro y limpio con espuma beis. Aromas de chocolate, galleta, vainilla, ligero balsámico. Cuerpo denso, chocolate, ligero ahumado, licor y final de amargor tostado
750 ml bottle shared by DCLawyer, thanks Jason! 2014 vintage bottled in February 2015. Murky brown with beige head. Aromas of dark fruit, caramel. Tastes of caramel, oak, dark fruit. Medium body with a dry finish.