Left Hand Imperial Stout

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

Not a great impy stout by my call...I recall the alcohol showing through too much in the finish and really nothing special about this brew...avg

While this bottle does not have any kind of "born on" or "best by" date, it’s probably pushing two years old. Black color with a thin head that doesn’t last long. Sweet and salty aroma that’s a little bit like the soy I find in many dopplebocks. Remnants of coffee in roasted malt in the taste, but it ends up just being a sweet, malty mess. I’ll keep this rate as a warning not to let this age for too long, but I must try this again.

Bottle: Caramel, sugary, toffee, and butter combined for a splendidly sweet aroma. Poured a deep deep brown with a quickly dissipating medium head. A full body and a smooth roundness sort of lend themselves to the blunted character of this beer. The flavor was not what was expected from the style but was perhaps hinted at by the aroma. Sweetness, chocolate, and roastiness predominate. Between the body, texture, sweetness, and the inoffensiveness, I find it very reminiscent of chocolate milk.

Nose of berries, caramel, chocolate, alcohol, ginger, sawdust, cereal & grains. The brew pours black with ruby highlights, and the cascade is beautiful. The generous light brown head is firm enough to float a quarter on top. The brew starts sweet with a warm middle of low acidity. The long bitter finish is nice and toasty with notes of coffee and such. The full body is soft and syrupy. The finish feels slightly cloying

Pours dark brown (transparent, big disappointment), minimal head. Flavor is sweet, lactose dominated. Smells sweet with some chocolate malt and a few hops. Lacks roasted malt flavor, but there is some chocolate. Body is increased from the lactose, but the huge roasted quality I expect from a stout is not there, even if the alcohol is well hidden. Dissapointing offering from an otherwise excellent brewery.

Funky smell imo. There is obvious chocolate malt, but also a wierd sweet smell. Has a small tan head. Taste is nice, with evident chocolate malt, slightly roasted barley, the sweetness, and alcohol. Interesting, but not what I expected from an imperial stout.

Bottle. Nose is mostly chocolate malts, hints of caramel, cherries, plums, sugar, and pine. Very complex aroma. It pours a deep amber with nearly no head, sad for an imperial stout. The flavor is an overdose of chocolate with an alcoholic heaviness, weighing in strong in the palate. Sharp and heavy mouthfeel. It’s a good beer, but not great for the style.

Bottle. Pours deep brown with small head. Spare lacing. Aroma of dark roast coffee, whole grain bread and a little chocolate. No real hop presence. A bit thin for the style. But very good, otherwise.