Hibernation Ale: A Review
Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 8:00 pm
Okay, I'll start this post by saying, I don't know why we haven't done this before. There are a number of us on this board who really enjoy a good beer, for the life of me I have no idea how we've gone this long without starting to review commercial beers. From now on I think I'll post something like this whenever I get a chance to critically drink a new beer. Or if ya'll would like maybe we could start up a "beer of the month" type thing where we pick a beer for each month (hopefully something relatively widely available) and each of us can review it?
I think this has the potential to be really fun and help open up all of our eyes to new beers that we have yet to try. In the end isn't that what it's all about? I know that I want to go through my life knowing that I've sampled the best of what the beer world has to offer, and I think some members of this group can have a hand in that
For those new to reviewing beers here's a GREAT writeup on what steps to follow: Beer Reviewing
Without further ado, let's get it started!
The Beer: Hibernation Ale
The Brewery: Great Divide Brewing in Boulder, CO
Where Found: I found this at Stimmel's in BG. I know Joseph's (on Talmadge) has carried it in year's past. Never seen it at Anderson's. Must be fairly widely distributed finding in BG/Toledo, check specialty beer stores.
The Price: I paid $8.99 for a six pack.
The Style: They call this a Strong Ale. I generally refer to this style as a Winter Warmer. It's a seasonal only available in November/December.
Appearance: Pours a clear brown with little to no head, and almost no head retention.
Aroma: Malty. Some deeply roasted malts. There is a hint of chocolate in the aroma as well.
Taste: Deep roasted malt flavor. Definitely some darkly roasted malts, chocolate hits the palate late. Noticeable alcohol content. No noticeable hop flavor. Very sweet. As this beer warms up in the glass the chocolate notes begin to really come through. I think this is clearly one that gets better around 45*-50* than straight from the fridge.
Mouthfeel: Thick & chewy. This beer is low on carbonation and definitely lingers on your tongue.
Drinkability: Based purely on taste I would love to drink this all night long. However, it is definitely high in alcohol so that would catch up real quick. It's also rather filling. This is a perfect beer for a nightcap or when you want to appreciate a really good beer. I don't think I'd do more than 2-3 in one sitting.
*** In the interest of full disclosure this is one of my favorite seasonal brews. I've made sure to pick up at least one sixer of it each of the past 3 years. However, I tried to do this review with a clean slate as though I've never tried the beer ***
I think this has the potential to be really fun and help open up all of our eyes to new beers that we have yet to try. In the end isn't that what it's all about? I know that I want to go through my life knowing that I've sampled the best of what the beer world has to offer, and I think some members of this group can have a hand in that
For those new to reviewing beers here's a GREAT writeup on what steps to follow: Beer Reviewing
Without further ado, let's get it started!
The Beer: Hibernation Ale
The Brewery: Great Divide Brewing in Boulder, CO
Where Found: I found this at Stimmel's in BG. I know Joseph's (on Talmadge) has carried it in year's past. Never seen it at Anderson's. Must be fairly widely distributed finding in BG/Toledo, check specialty beer stores.
The Price: I paid $8.99 for a six pack.
The Style: They call this a Strong Ale. I generally refer to this style as a Winter Warmer. It's a seasonal only available in November/December.
Appearance: Pours a clear brown with little to no head, and almost no head retention.
Aroma: Malty. Some deeply roasted malts. There is a hint of chocolate in the aroma as well.
Taste: Deep roasted malt flavor. Definitely some darkly roasted malts, chocolate hits the palate late. Noticeable alcohol content. No noticeable hop flavor. Very sweet. As this beer warms up in the glass the chocolate notes begin to really come through. I think this is clearly one that gets better around 45*-50* than straight from the fridge.
Mouthfeel: Thick & chewy. This beer is low on carbonation and definitely lingers on your tongue.
Drinkability: Based purely on taste I would love to drink this all night long. However, it is definitely high in alcohol so that would catch up real quick. It's also rather filling. This is a perfect beer for a nightcap or when you want to appreciate a really good beer. I don't think I'd do more than 2-3 in one sitting.
*** In the interest of full disclosure this is one of my favorite seasonal brews. I've made sure to pick up at least one sixer of it each of the past 3 years. However, I tried to do this review with a clean slate as though I've never tried the beer ***