Changes to Great Divide's Lineup for 2017

I'm sure it's an incredibly hard line to balance of: how do we stay profitable vs. how do we brew what WE want to brew

 

It's sad seeing some Colorado mainstays get the boot. Big shake-ups recently from New Belgium, Avery and now Great Divide. I wouldn't be surprised to see Odell revamp it's flagships (I'm looking at you 5 Barrel and Levity).

 

Oak Aged Yeti is in my all-time top 10. I appreciated that in a world filled with hundreds of too-similar imperial stouts it stood out. Bigger hops and great wood notes from the oak chips.
Old Ruffian seems to have gotten hoppier over the years. When I first tried it (early 2000's) it was sweeter and more of what we'd call "English." I almost think that flavor profile might bring it back into favor. Either that or maybe the name was holding it back? People thought it was too old school and just ignored it. They could probably go back to a sweeter barleywine with a new name and get some sales.
I never really got the point of Whitewater. To me it's just a "wheat IPA." Not bad, but not notable. I don't think it really held any appeal over the normal barley-based hoppy beers. It was usually the last thing to go when we'd buy the multi-can packs.

In terms of their direction, it's totally against my own personal preferences. Yet I don't necessarily mind if that's what's best for the company. They know what's selling and what's not far better than I do. From my point of view, I just hope that this isn't something that leads them down a path that isn't good over the long term. It feels very much like following a current trend. The spiced stout, the "new school" IPA, the massive barrel program, etc. They can about face on the beer styles pretty quick, but if that barrel thing loses wind or if theirs never catches on - look out.

 

Losing oak yeti and old ruffian will suck, but I'm looking forward to the strawberry rhubarb sour.

 

bummer. I never saw oak yeti in 2016. when was it supposed to be released? I was really looking forward to trying it. I know a place that has at least two four-packs of 2014 Old ruffian . looks like i'll be staking my claim on those sooner rather than later

 

Word is that the Oak Aged gets squeezed out on sales by the chocolate and coffee variants of it, so they're just going to focus on those.
We got to try Hop Disciples and it was polarizing. Younger folks didn't dig it because it had no malt backbone to it, while us old fogeys saw it as a "beer time machine" back to the days of the original bitter hop bombs of yore. I dug it. Cause... I'm old, I guess. I mean, I love the sweet malty IPAs, too... but it was nice to taste something that gave a nod to the old skool.

 

Here's Shikes' new piece in the Westword on GD's down year: http://www.westword.com/restaurants...fers-major-production-decline-in-2016-8688793

"For the first time in its 23-year history, Great Divide Brewing made less beer during a twelve-month period than it did the year before — and not just by a little bit. The brewery produced 35,300 barrels of beer in 2016, down 16 percent from 41,900 barrels in 2015.

“We didn’t hit our projections last year. It’s the first time in a long time we didn’t do that,” says founder Brian Dunn. “We were having 25 to 30 percent growth on an annual basis; we were used to that. So it was definitely a tough year, and it stings.

The craft-beer industry began to slow in 2016, especially at the top, as the bigger breweries began to feel a more pronounced pinch — not just because of competition in liquor stores, bars and restaurants, but from the sheer number of small, neighborhood breweries offering beer to go, in Crowlers and growlers.

“We saw a lot of change in the market in the last half of 2016,” Dunn says, but that’s not why Great Divide suffered such a serious slowdown. The biggest reason, he explains, is because the brewery eliminated three big-selling year-round brands last year: Nomad Pilsner, Lasso Session IPA and and Hoss Rye Lager, which became a seasonal."

 

Am I wrong in thinking its strange that you'd eliminate three beers that could account for such a huge drop in production... and not use that additional brewing capacity to make and bottle a different beer?

 

“We felt like those brands didn’t fit us anymore” is a pretty interesting quote.
I feel like those beers came out at the time that I liked Great Divide most. That's when they rolled out Belgian Yeti, Grand Cru, Belgica, Rumble, Hades, Wolfgang, Dunkelweiss, etc. Almost everything from that era = gone.
It was inconvenient to reach, but we used to go to all of their events. I was never disappointed either. Hell, Brian Dunn himself had to throw my wife and I (+ another BA who shall remain nameless) out once.

I think some of the reasoning behind it could be that the brewers that created those beers are all gone. At least a few are brewing elsewhere close by, too. This might be their way of making a clean break, but I still like those beers better than anything they've added since.

 

ISO: Old Ruffian

Anyone know where some 4 packs may be lying around? I checked Grapevine earlier to no avail.

 

Chocolate yeti needs to be year round in four packs of cans.

 

I will never forgive them for killing Hades.

 

I don't love the sound of most of the new beers, particularly Chai Yeti and the Radler.

 

Will miss Old Ruffian, Oak Aged Yeti. It's been years since I've had them last. Have not seen either of these 2 around here.

Cheers!

 

Brian told me they are bringing back at least four old beers just to the tasting room this year, including St. Bridget's Porter and Hades. I don't know what the others are.

 

I am sad to see the Oak Yeti go. But we're also partly at fault, we do gravitate towards the Espresso and Chocolate more than the Oak. So even though we really like it, we pass over it for the others.

 

A fucking men! That was my favorite offering from them.

 

It's been close to 9 years since I had a Hades. Pretty tasty brew.

Cheers!

 

I'll keep an eye out. If Hades goes back on tap at some time, I'll haul ass down there and get me some.