Hibernation Ale
Great Divide Brewing Company

Hibernation AleHibernation Ale
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Great Divide Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
Old Ale
Ranked #25
ABV:
8.7%
Score:
90
Ranked #9,102
Avg:
4.03 | pDev: 10.92%
Reviews:
1,215
Ratings:
3,019
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 02, 2024
Added:
Nov 26, 2001
Wants:
  151
Gots:
  424
HIBERNATION ALE has been our celebrated winter tradition since 1995. This robust, dry-hopped ale has a malty richness balanced with a complex hop profile and hearty, warming character.

AWARDS:
1997 Great American Beer Festival, Gold Medal, Strong Ale/ English-Style Old Ale
1998 World Beer Cup, Silver Medal, Strong Ale/English-Style Old Ale
2003 Great American Beer Festival, Silver Medal, Old Ale
2006 Great American Beer Festival, Silver Medal, Aged Beer
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Whiteturtle:
Photo of Whiteturtle
Reviewed by Whiteturtle from New York

4.48/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
First Great Divide beer for me!

Pours a muddy/nutty brown. About a 1 1/2 finger head, dissipates rather quickly. Interesting that a cluster of foam forms in the center and some larger bubbles sneak over to the edge of the glass. hmmm...

Nose: The first thing I smell is dark rum, which I was not expecting. I also get hazelnuts, cinnamon, honey, roasted marshmallows, and milk chocolate. It smells amazing.

Tongue: Toasty/Roasty grain-rye bread hits first. Chestnuts, cocoa, cream, and molasses come next. Its reminds me of a creme Brule, minus the lactose. I think the hops are what is hibernating in this ale, I'm only picking up the slightest hint that they came for the ride. I am getting a bit of a kick on the back end, like a light cracked black pepper?

Body/Mouthfeel: Thinner than expected for the style. Its sugary and creamy. A lot of stout qualities to this beer. Its balanced and masks the 8.7% fairly well.

Overall: I really liked it. I can't wait to finish this review, light my pipe, and finish hibernating this beast. I love that there is a winter seasonal out there that isn't jam packed with spices. I like them in moderation, but they get overwhelming. This is a malt forward ale, and tastes like a stout. Its perfect for the winter and does it without anise and allspice up the a&%. If you're lucky enough to find this snag it up before it really hibernates.

Peace
Dec 07, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.15 by RPBeerdude from Colorado

Mar 02, 2024
 
Rated: 4.26 by funku2 from Colorado

Jan 02, 2024
Photo of puck1225
Reviewed by puck1225 from Texas

4.27/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Found a can of this beer before C at our local grocery store. Enjoying it after getting home from our 2023 Christmas trip, sitting on the veranda on a coolish evening.

Beautiful beer. Poured from a can into a tulip glass. A beautiful brownish ruby red color with a nice beige head and outstanding curtain lacing. Earthy birch wood and walnut smell and taste. Nice balance of figgy maltiness and hoppy bitterness. Molasses and dark raisins. Wonderful full silky feel. I will definitely look for it again next year.
Dec 28, 2023
Photo of H-TownMcBuck
Reviewed by H-TownMcBuck from Texas

4.29/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Picked up limited release for holidays. Outstanding ale for the holidays! Rich brown amber color. Nose and flavor very congruent. Molasses, malty, brown sugar, spices, just a wonderful mouthful of flavor. Going to go out and try to find some more. Looks like a very limitless release.
Nov 19, 2023
Photo of JZH1000
Reviewed by JZH1000 from Colorado

3.94/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12oz canned on 11/20/22

On the pour a murky brown body with two fingers of sticky bubbly tan head. It tries to lace, but not quite.

Aroma at first is quite earthy and nutty in an almost smoky way, but after letting the beer breathe for a second a super English bright figgy yeast sweetness comes through accented by a dark molasses and coffee malt note. Very yeasty aroma, accentuated by dry hopping.

Flavor is much darker than expected, verging on porter levels of roastiness, and the fruity yeast takes a back seat with only dry figs showing on the back. The malt is present throughout with a sweet, toffee, coffee, nutty thing going on, although largely not a bitter beer. Hops are present but they are all noble and earthy, and blend quite well with the malt. You have to look for the hops intentionally to find them.

Feel is full bodied in the mouth and slightly warming, but this is a very smooth beer especially for the color and abv. No overwhelming sticky feeling due to moderately high attenuation, with enough residual sugar to sweeten and make this an armchair beer.

Overall, I'm impressed with this beer. Not your traditional winter warmer, but this is a good beer for someone who wants sweet, big, and dark without adjuncts or barrel aging. No oxidation like in BA beers.
Feb 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.23 by BeardedWalrus from North Carolina

Nov 09, 2022
Photo of Iamaskier
Reviewed by Iamaskier from Idaho

4.27/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
L: Dark caramel colored body, slightly clingy head.
S: Malty and sweet. Caramel, cola, a hint of plum, slightly syrupy and nutty.
T: Very nutty upfront. Toffee and burnt brown sugar, lots of roasty malt all the way through, a hint of piney hops on the finish, as well as faint cherry and coffee notes.
F: Smooth and even bodied. Well balanced, and masked alcohol.
O: Delicious nutty holiday beer. This style is an automatic buy for me, both because I think it’s delicious and underrepresented. Just fantastic.
Nov 07, 2022
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.44/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
355 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8.7%. Beautiful clear and deep copper to mahogany coloured beer, big off-white to beige head. Strong malty aroma with distinct notes of caramel and bakery. The flavour has loads of malty sweetness and caramel, maybe too much caramel for my taste. Noticeable hoppy bitterness in the finish, also notes of burnt bread crumbs. Not entirely balanced in my book, but an interesting beer all the same.
May 25, 2022
Photo of Luciform44
Reviewed by Luciform44 from Colorado

5/5  rDev +24.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Over the years this has become my favorite beer, outright. It doesn't go well with a hot summer day, but it's not supposed to. I love having one Hibernation after work in the winter.
May 25, 2022
 
Rated: 4.59 by RockyM72 from Florida

Feb 16, 2022
Photo of MistaT
Reviewed by MistaT from Colorado

4.57/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Overall: literally my favorite seasonal beer. Every year I look forward to it's release and find it as a fantastic beer that fits so many desires for the colder months (Nov to February).

Look: perhaps the only weakness on this amazing beer. Its head dissipates quickly and while the color is beautiful, their isn't much to suggest a prop pint with lacing.

Smell: TBD

Taste: spot on, hoppy but complex via malts.

Feel: surprisingly light, so tread carefully as this bad boy is big. Really enjoy it not being too syrupy as it offers a lighter mouthfeel in colder months to thick stouts/belgians.
Feb 04, 2022
Photo of JoeKain
Reviewed by JoeKain from Texas

4.84/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Just a solid beer! Malty with the right balance of hoppy bitterness. A definite winter warmer. I can Invision myself enjoying this on a chilly night with friends huddled around a fire pit . Hope y'all do too.
Jan 31, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by arc3636 from Kansas

Jan 28, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by monk2021 from Texas

Jan 23, 2022
 
Rated: 4.33 by CisPiece88 from Nebraska

Jan 22, 2022
Photo of TheBricenator
Reviewed by TheBricenator from Oregon

4.34/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Look: A rich amber-brown on the pour and even my gentle approach to it beings on a frothy tan head that eventually settles to a pillow and leaves great lacing behind
Aroma: Freshly baked brown bread, toffee, hints of molasses, melanoidin, caramel, light wafts of earthiness, and rich malt sweetness
Taste: Follows the nose incredibly well but increases exponentially in depth – caramelly and molasses-y smothered brown bread with light melanoidin and earthy notes being the last prominent flavors. Closes with slightly sweet malt notes
Mouthfeel: Full, silky smooth, medium-high carbonation, and smooth and soft on the finish with almost completely hidden alcohol heat
Overall: This is freaking outstanding. I used to drink this beer occasionally over ten years ago but was such a hop-head at the time that I didn’t respect it as much as my palate does now and it’s been years since I have even seen it so it was an easy purchasing decision, which is rare for me. A ridiculously well-made and tasty old ale malt bomb with no odd additives to detract from all the malty depth, a killer mouthfeel, and at a whopping 8.7%, almost undetectable ethanol heat. Highly recommended
Jan 02, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by KT3418 from Colorado

Oct 07, 2021
 
Rated: 4.41 by igl from Russian Federation

Aug 22, 2021
Photo of Scotchboy
Reviewed by Scotchboy from Idaho

4.15/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
On-tap in Caldwell ID and served in a snifter; man this brew surprised me and I loved it. Fairly opaque black with some light showing through on the edge of the glass, with a very small creamy off-khaki head that leaves some lace. Smells and tastes like a stout to me, with some winter-y influences; I get lots of coffee and roasted malt, mild chocolate, some nice woody notes with an impression of molasses and spice. Warm body; rich and complex and full-feeling. Outside of the rich, somewhat sweet (at times) malt profile, this doesn't fit the bill of an Old Ale (to me, at least) but this is delicious and hugely enjoyable.
Apr 19, 2021
Hibernation Ale from Great Divide Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 3019 ratings