In which I apologize to Great Divide

I do my absolute best not to fall into the Brewery Snob mode of thinking. Just because you don't like somebody's Amber does not mean the rest of their lineup is trash. Similarly, if a brewery is 'big' or 'small' or 'based out of Guam', it shouldn't change your mind on what they produce. It's a state of mind one should strive for in order to remain fair.

Admittedly, with Great Divide, I've failed on this front. I've had their Titan IPA and the Hades Belgian and their Fresh Hop beer and came away with sort of a, "meh" attitude. Nothing they made ever struck me as revelatory or something to recommend. Combined with their labels, my brain went ahead and classified these guys as "Fuddrucker's" - serviceable, yes, but you could name twenty joints that would kick it's teeth in on quality. And this has been my opinion for at least five or six years.

My opinion has changed. Let me rephrase: my opinion has been blown out of the water.

I keep a list of all the beers that I taste for the first time in a given year. The Espresso Oak Aged Yeti from Great Divide is now sitting among the others at the top of the 2010 version. You have no idea how weird that sounds. But this stuff was magic - I was stunned by the nose and then sat in wonder at the taste. People at the table thought I'd been goosed in the ass based on my expression. They understood once they had a sample. Just note-perfect in smoothness and balance and - while slightly pricey at ten bucks a bomber - worth every penny. I was moderately impressed by the standard Oak-Aged version of this stout and the Chocolate variant is nice, but not quite something I'll return to soon. The Espresso, on the other hand, is up there with some other "trample small children and the elderly to get it" types of beers I could name. Absolutely and completely recommended without reservation.

So - Great Divide. My apologies for failing to give you the proper respect. This beer is epic. More on this level, please.