17th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA
Great Divide 17th Anniversary, 64-oz growler filled at Whole Foods for $13.99 plus tax. Appearance: Served into my Sierra snifter, 17th Anniversary comes looking a deep-malty copper, almost like a barleywine. Big fluffy frothy head, classic one-finger. Good retention, carbonation and some lacing. Smell: Wood, rust, open fire. Booze, rum, vanilla. Creme brulee, intense alcohol at the end. Wet fields. Taste: Butter, bread, yeast. Barnyard. Caramel, toffee, Kahlua liqueur. Vanilla at the end of the sip. Sharp booze all around. Heavy (at times overwhelming) malt base, stinging hops. Savory, rich, moderately sweet. White-chocolate, waxy taste. Mouthfeel: Medium body, full flavor, close-to-low carbonation. Very robust, a tad too boozy and overtly malty. It'll warm you up! Creamy feel nonetheless. Overall: This is tasty, but not super drinkable. A bit too heavy all around. A definite sipper! Next time I'll get a 32-oz growler instead of 64 ounces. For an oak-aged Anniversary Ale, maybe we could expect a little more. But it is tasty as it is. Would have again on tap/bottle, probably not buy another growler (unless I'm sharing with several folks).