It is ½ past five on the western edge of Europe, 1030 A.M. in Denver this past Saturday morning; while Miss Erin continues to catch flies, I take a walk to get the remaining ingredients for our mid-morning meal: eggs Benedict, bacon, and toast paired with Great Divide Brewing Company’s Espresso Oak Aged Yeti. On the presuppose of spring, the morning, the meal nor the beer could not be finer. Spurred on by the suggest food pairings provided on the bottle, we decided that we would imbibe on this bomber with my eggs Benny upon my purchase of it prior to our departure to Perú. As I’m still perfecting my eggs Benedict craft, particularly the sauce, this stout proved to be a nice accompaniment to the meal.
The beer itself is not overly dominated by coffee aromas or tastes. Sure, they are present, but in no way overwhelming to my palate. It filled the space normally reserved for a strong cup of coffee superbly as it is a delightfully heavy beer with its last drops oozing from the bomber. The smokey, toffee, chocolate, coffee and slightly bitter taste proves a nice balance to the lemon, citrus, butter and mustard flavors of the meal just as a coffee would normally do. The aftertaste brings me back to my coffee shop in Firenze and is similar to what remains on the palate after a shot of properly prepared espresso. A bitterness that those who love coffee welcome and look forward to every morning. Its aftertaste and the way it accompanied breakfast brought the strongest comparison to coffee and espresso.
Unfortunately, my memory doesn’t serve me to well regarding how the Espresso Oak Aged Yeti compares to its siblings but I am curious enough to pick up another bomber and try them side by side. Regardless, a damn fine offering from GDBC. Whether paired with foods or consumed on its own, this is a wonderful beer to accompany the fleeting moments of winter. I believe, do you? I was sad when my sighting ended.