Left Hand Imperial Stout

Brewed by Left Hand Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
Longmont, Colorado USA

bottle. From the look of it the bottle is probably from early 08, late 07. Pours dark brown, with golden creamy head. Aroma is rather strong, with plenty of chocolate malts. Alcohol comes out to be very strong in the nose. Taste is filled with chocolate malts light coffee in the background, mouthfeel reminds me a lot of the chocolate used in other LH beers. Warming alcoholic that feels a lot stronger than 10.4% and has a liquorish palate that reminds me a lot of Bailey’s Irish cream. Creamy with toffee and some oats with big emphasis on chocolate.

Quiet coffee and sharp hop aroma in this black beer with light brown/beige head. Some lace. Slight sweet molasses. Aroma not loud. Oh, man! Licorice and molasses abound with pronounced hop bite.Licorice bouth seet and dry with ginger adn alcohol. This is a very good IS. LH was not screwing around with this. The finish is a long mince meat road (you kids can look that one up)!

Very nice Imperial Stout. I have aged for about 9 months. Pours pure black. Taste is really nice, very malty and spiced. GREAT!

12 oz. bottle - Poured black with thin tan head. Aroma - dark chocolate truffles, fudge and roasted malt. Sweet smell that was quite different from other stouts. Flavor - mellow and soft truffle taste. Really great stout and am really impresed by this brew. Palate - medium soft mouthfeel with good carbonation leaving tongue with tingle. finish is very nice with rich chocolate and bitter coffee flavor. Overall - Probably the best beer I’ve had from Left Hand. A great after dinner beer...better than cake!!!

I could write an ode to imperial stouts if given the chance. It really would be simple, though the brew in particular is anything but simple. Divine, rich, complex, robust, succulent, demanding, diverse, and so much more. Either fresh of aged, an imperial stout will always command my attention from the first pour to the last quaff. Or, at least, a good imperial stout will, which brings me to the Imperial Stout from Left Hand Brewing. Another favorite standby brewery of mine which is much underappreciated, I have yet to have a disappointing brew from them. Their Imperial Stout is another fine example of their continuing brewing prowess.
She pours a crystalline black, sparkling like the night sky in my glass, moonlight peaking through only where her depths touch the furthest reaches of my glass. A thick soft head fades into scattered bubbles while marking her trail with glittering lace. I raise my glass to partake of a nose adorned in chocolate nips, espresso, licorice, and fresh lemon. Dreamy, if I do say so myself. My first quaff is surprisingly soft for an imperial stout, lightly effervescent and velvety smooth with tantalizing chocolate lingering long into the aftertaste. Her finish is initially tart with lemon skin and bitter espresso notes. The licorice supports her from the sidelines while a continuing array of chocolate and espresso characterizes her palate. My mouth grows ever dryer, adding some burnt malts and bakers chocolate to the mix while the lemon clings stubbornly to the back of my mouth and throat. Very refreshing for an Imperial Stout, Left Hand pulls off an amazing balance of richness and cleanliness. As I finish my glass, some of her alcohol warmth offers solace after our bittersweet parting. In a nutshell; crisp lemon esters, bitter and sweet chocolate nibs, fresh espresso, and an almost creamy finish.
A solid performance from a solidly performing brewery, my Left Hand Imperial Stout was indeed a bright spot in my otherwise dark day. Dangerously quaffable in a good way, I could find my 4pack gone far sooner than expected. Fear not the dark side and give Left Hand’s Imperial Stout a place of love in your fridge.

I split a bomber of this with a friend recently and really enjoyed it. Had a thick mouth-feel and excellent flavor. The alcohol really came out though as the beer warmed. I didn’t get much head on the pour, but the beer was starting off colder than what would be considered an ideal drinking temperature.

An impressive brew from Left Hand. Typical black pour with a thin off-white head. Aroma of roasted coffee and dark chocolate with subtle hint of hops. Flavor is quite roasted with a solid backbone of chocolate, both dark and milk. Mouthfeel is velvety-smooth ...creamy and slightly viscous. Overall a solid imp stout.

High alcohol. You wouldn’t know it from the taste though. Nice. This one was well done.