Well, folks, Round 4 is now complete and the four beers to enter the Final 4 have now been determined.  We received a lot of votes in the closing hours today, and most of them seemed to be saying, “We want the Yeti!”  The Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout raked in an impressive 56% of the voting today, sealing it’s victory.  Now, compared to some of the rampaging victories in the past that took in more than 70% of the vote, 56% doesn’t seem that impressive.  But, it was by far the most one-sided match in this round – the beers are simply that good.  Here’s what we thought today:

Brad:  So yeah, today was certainly a match of different stylistic brews and in many ways that made it harder than two beers that were very similar, because they had no commonalities to compare, yet we have to pick a winner. That said, I think the best way to come up with who advances is to look at how both beers fare in terms of their own categories and use that as the measuring stick. The Farmhouse Saison is very nice as far as a saison, one of the best I’d say. The Yeti is one of the better imperial stouts I’ve had, and like I said earlier it is one of the best as far as something to have after food, food or drink-wise. So that being said, I have to go with the Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout as my vote because it is one of the best at what it is, though I think to win it will need to add to its overall appeal because this is the best beer, anytime, period.

John:  The Ommegang Hennepin is good.  Really good, in fact.  But it’s not quite Yeti good, at least in my book.  I’m casting my vote today for the Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout for two reasons.  First, it’s packed full of complex and interactive flavors that make for an absolutely delicious end product.  Second, the Yeti is an amazing example of an imperial stout.  Sure, the Yeti is somewhat limited by the fact that it comes across more as a “dessert beer” rather than an “anytime beer,” but not nearly limited enough to lose my support today.

Thanks for all your votes in these recent matches, and for making your voices heard!  Shortly after this post goes live, the second Final 4 match will open up for voting.  We’ll make sure you have the standard seven-day voting window, before the close of the second match next week, which will be between the Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale and the Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout!  We’ve already seen some impressive voting efforts on the Southern Tier / Troegs match-up next Tuesday.  Vote daily, vote often, and keep an eye open for updates over the coming weekend!