Great Divide Brew News

October 2009 The Big News Hibernation and Fresh Hop!

Hibernation and Fresh Hop! Hibernation and Fresh Hop! That's right, it's now October, which means that our two favorite fall treats (and yours too, we hope) are now on the shelves. Hibernation, of course, is our beloved English-style strong ale, robust and malty but balanced with a complex hop profile and a hearty, warming character. A prime candidate for cellaring, it'll be available in six-packs and on draft through January 1. And Fresh Hop is an American pale ale brewed with fresh whole-cone hops rushed to us on a specially contracted refrigerated truck from the Pacific Northwest. The just-harvested "wet" hops are used to impart an intensely grassy hop aroma and citrusy hop flavor that cannot be obtained any other way. Fresh Hop will be available in 22-ounce bottles and on draft through December 1.

The first of October also means that we just finished taking part in this year's Great American Beer Festival, which was held here in Denver from September 24-26. And it was quite a doozy: The brewery was packed all week and we took home three medals! Yeti Imperial Stout received its third GABF medal, a silver in the Imperial Stout category; Old Ruffian took home a bronze in the Barley Wine category, making it a three-time winner as well; and Hoss, our new rye lager, received a bronze in the Rye Beer category, just two months after its inaugural release. Congratulations to all the breweries that were honored this year, and thank you to everyone - brewers and beer fans alike - who came and made it such a fantastic event.

September was such a frenzied month that we didn't quite get around to releasing this year's whiskey barrel-aged batches of Yeti, Old Ruffian and Hibernation, but keep your eyes peeled and your palates ready for them - they'll be worth the wait, we promise. And stay tuned in the coming months for the return of Oak Aged Yeti and Old Ruffian...