After working for a company building farms in developing countries and then earning a master’s degree in environmental policy, Brian Dunn was flying to interview with an agribusiness company when he decided to scrap those plans and open a brewery instead. He grabbed a loan from the city of Denver to open up in what was then a desolate Ballpark neighborhood, and he would begin brewing at 3 a.m. before heading out to peddle his new product to local liquor stores and bars. The year was 1994. The product was Great Divide Brewing Co. That one-man operation grew as American drinkers expanded their palates in the late 1990s and early 2000s and began to flock to Great Divide’s big beers, from its Yeti Imperial Stout series to its hoppy monsters like Titan IPA and Hercules Double IPA. Today, Peaks and Pints offers a sampler flight of the brewery in what we call Craft Beer Crosscut 7.20.18: A Flight of Great Divide.
Great Divide Roadie Grapefruit Radler
4% ABV, 16 IBU
Maybe you don’t like radlers (a blend of fruit juice/soda and beer). That’s cool. No harm, no foul. But if you’re looking for one radler to try, give Great Divide’s Roadie Grapefruit Radler a shot. Rolling down the canning line is a beer created for a cruise down the bike trail. The Roadie Grapefruit Radler is a combination of two of Great Divide’s passions — beer and the cycling community. Inspired by the annual BoulDurango, where some of Colorado’s most tenured brewers join up for a 400-plus mile ride, it’s brewed with natural grapefruit puree. This easy-drinking ale pours a hazy sunrise gold, bursts with citrus aroma, dry and slightly tart and is a seriously refreshing beer that comes in at a miniscule 4 percent ABV.
Great Divide Wood Werks Barrel Series #1: Belgian Style Sour
9.3% ABV
Great Divide began barrel-aging beers around 2004 with very small releases and nearly all barrels coming from Stranahan’s Whiskey. In 2008 the program grew to three releases a year with Barrel Aged Yeti, Barrel Aged Old Ruffian and Barrel Aged Hibernation. All three of these beers were released as part of Great Divide’s original barrel aging program until 2018 when the brewery introduced Wood Werks, a new lineup of limited edition barrel aged and sour beers. Kicking off the series in style, this Belgian-style tripel is soured for 15 months in red-wine barrels and aged on plums. This rare spiced sour ale has notes of luscious stone fruit with a tart, dry finish and a hint of French oak.
Great Divide HeyDay Modern IPA
5.8% ABV, 45 IBU
Apparently Heyday is an IPA for the modern bold character. It hits the nose with bright floral hops, including green tea, grass and lemon rind. Shining with notes of tropical fruit, berry, strawberry and melon, the complex hop profile is complemented with a crisp malt character for an approachable IPA fit for any occasion. It sports a lingering resin-like bitterness that lasts until the following sip. The finish is dry and a touch astringent. It’s subdued, but classic West Coast IPA.
Great Divide Vanilla Oak Aged Yeti
9.5% ABV, 60 IBU
Great Divide has been fairly conservative over the years about messing with its signature Yeti Imperial Stout, adding only a few variations every couple of years or so; these have included Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti, Espresso Oak Aged Yeti, Oatmeal Yeti and the draft-only, lower-ABV Velvet Yeti Nitro. Vanilla Oak Aged Yeti seems like a no-brainer. The sweet vanilla tones meld into the oak character and the two really support and enhance one another, all while sitting on the bold, roasty character we all love from Yeti.
Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout
9.5% ABV, 75 IBU
Russian imperial stouts take everything that stouts are known for and scale them up to monster size. Fittingly, Great Divide named their version a monstrous name. Yeti lives up to the billing with a huge malty body packing in 9.5 percent alcohol and big flavors to match it. This Yeti pours an almost viscous, inky-black. The nose is boozy upfront with a lingering roasty, vanilla essence. Yeti opens with a massive, roasty, chocolate, coffee malt flavor that eventually gives way to rich toffee and burnt caramel notes. Packed with an enormous quantity of American hops, Yeti’s hop profile reveals a slightly citrusy, piney and wonderfully dry hoppy finish.
