Great Divide is known for "big" beers, which is to say they're rich with hops and boatloads of alcohol. (Craft brewers almost universally refer to mass-produced suds as "water"; Great Divide's strongest beer, Old Ruffian Barley Wine, weighs in at 10.2 percent alcohol, compared with 5 percent for a can of Bud.)

Hops are grown on autumn-harvested vines and used to impart flavor and aroma to beer. They're measured by the International Bittering Unit, or IBU; hoppier, more bitter beers generally run between 65 and 100 IBUs, while those familiar cans of "water" rate ten to 20 IBUs.

Great Divide recently introduced Oak Aged Yeti, an imperial stout - a thick, tar-dark beer - with 9.5 percent alcohol and 75 IBUs.