CO Barrel Aged Stouts

http://mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com/2017/06/great-divide-barrel-aged-classics-going.html

 

Dang, now I need to buy more BA Yeti to stock up

 

Someone from Great Divide commented (I can't remember if it was on here or Facebook) that BA Yeti isn't going anywhere. The others probably won't be around anymore though. New options coming in 2018.

 

I would hope. Yeti is the best thing they got going.

 

Yup, I also remember reading that BA Yeti will be sticking around. I liked BA Hibernation best, but that one didn't move at all. For that matter I'm not sure even normal Hibernation sold all that well in recent years. It ages with the best of 'em.

Of the current offerings I think a BA Chocolate Yeti makes sense. I get that GD is large and not as cool as they once were, but something weird is going on down there. It feels like even 10 Barrel gets more attention that they do. Along with the lineup tweaks I think their local presence has changed, too.

 

14 Month SB Medianoche is being released on Sunday (draft only) along with Peach Climateric (750ml bottles to-go only. Limits TBD) at the taproom.

 

HF!

 

They had the BA Yeti at Mile High yesterday. I almost picked one up, but got a Bourbon County instead.

 

BA Yeti is one of the best Barrel aged beers around IMO. It is truly a classic. I'd be surprised and disappointed if GD discontinued that and Ruffian, which is also awesome in barrels. Dont' know they they would either, with their increased capacity at the new brewery location in RINO. My only guess it more focus on sours?

 

That's what they've said more or less. Like most of their decisions from the last 3-4 years it feels like they're late to the party. I bet they add a cloudy IPA in 2 years, too.
I miss the days when GD was doing things first instead of reacting to industry trends way late. It's like watching Simpsons episodes from the late 2000's.

 

Haha yeah I guess you have a point there if I think about it. Still, BA Yeti seems like maybe their best beer? They can only come out with so many versions of regular yeti.

 

I don't necessarily think we need any more Yetis. I just look at GD and see a place that used to innovate jumping on trends way too late.

They were on the cutting edge of trends for a long time. They created a bunch of them.
Killing off their ESB, Honey Ale, and Amber for nothing but massive beers? Flagship year-round DIPA? Multiple big/hoppy stouts? A chocolate chili imperial stout as a summer seasonal? A readily available bottled saison? Rye Maerzen? Belgian IPA? Punchier Duvel? Oak aged IPA? Cloudy session rice ale? Seasonal dunkelweizen? A pre-2010 Berliner? Some of those things are old hat now, but they weren't when GD introduced them. If they weren't first, they weren't far behind. They were on top of the world back then, too.

I won't be that guy who thinks they got too big to be cool. They were pretty massive and still on the forefront until relatively recently. I think there are some new drivers at the wheel and they're trying to jump on existing trends instead of creating their own.

 

Wow you must have been a big fan to remember all of those beers. haha. You named some great ones though, I'll agree with you. loved that oak aged ipa. I wonder how they'll adjust to the new trends too. You should post if you hear what they have in mind to replace their barrel aged series. (I'd be curious what sales are like for these, obviously not good enough to keep around)

 

Roadie. I think they'll ride high on that one (no pun intended), despite being far from first to that party...marketing and packaging goes a really long way, and they did a great job naming and marketing that one.

 

I loved Rumble, too. Not sure what direction GD is going as of late. They were (and probably still are) my favorite Colorado brewery. I loved the boldness of their beers-- Hades, Rumble, Wolfgang, and the Yetis to name a few. I'm very interested to see where the GD Barrel aging program goes. They need to bring back some classics. That would be a cool rotational release series.

 

I think they're planning on bringing at least one "classic" beer back. There was an online poll last Winter.
Roadie and Nadia Kali are both fine. Strawberry Rhubarb is okay, too. It's not like they're suddenly making bad beers or anything. It just seems like they lost their drive to innovate.

The somewhat "infamous" original BA line-up was pretty forward thinking. They also had kettle sours (and the occasional aged one) at their events going way, way back.

I just hope they don't head down this road based upon opinions from a few years ago. BA sours aren't that unusual anymore. It's also one of the few styles that thrives on a VERY geeky audience. It's not like newly converted Bud drinkers are the market. We've seen breweries with the geekiest of cred get passed over because they weren't new/exclusive or their prices were higher than average. GD's never been one to compete on price (they still aren't) so they better have something pretty unique in mind.

While it's 100% speculation, a lot of people still think they're looking to sell and this is related. I'm sure Brian Dunn would shut that down in a nanosecond if someone asked - pretty sure you'd have gotten the same thing from Dick Cantwell, Todd Usry, Walt Dickinson, etc. too.

 

I think that poll was related to bringing back some "classics" to their taprooms. Hades is on draft now.

GD is my favorite CO brewery (I'm a Michigan transplant circa 2012). I'm just expressing my interest in GD re-releasing some old favorites and that they maintain a barrel program that doesn't become too gimmicky.

 

Hey all! Doing a trade with my buddy and he is specifically looking for some BA Vanilla Stouts for a bottle share he's having soon. I know he can get Avery there, and I've heard great things about Liquid Brain, but does anyone have other recommendations that still might be floating around our there? Thanks!

 

Probably should mention I'm in the Denver area.

 

Liquid Brain is great and bottles do make random appearances at B&B occasionally, but it does't have vanilla, it's just a BA stout. "Shelf" vanilla BA stouts are pretty much non-existent outside of Avery and the Joseph James Imperial Smoked Porter w/ Vanilla (partially BA and actually pretty tasty).