Left Hand Imperial Stout

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

Dark brown pour into thick tan foamy head that fades into heavy melting lacing that sticks to the glass. Aroma of dark fruit and roasted chocolate malt. Initial flavor of sweet dark chocolate, dark roast coffee and roasted malt. Medium-bodied finish of roasted malts fading into warming peppery hoppy bite.

Bottle: Deep brown/ near black with a tan dense film of head. Rich aroma- big black malt presence- chocolaty, tarry, a touch of licorice and some apparent alcohol. Very warming palate- a bit hot even. Chocolate liqueur in the fore flavor- salty and tarry. Some evident dark crystal malt, fudgey chocolate notes followed by lots of peppery alcohol which continues into the finish. If there were less fusels on the back it’d be better, but it’s still pretty solid.

Tasting at a beerfest [Disclaimer: This was tasted along with many, many other beers during a tasting at Julios. Some of the details are a little hazy]. Not bad.

(bottle from Weber St Liquor in Colorado Springs). Pours a black color Small tan head. Aromas of nuts, roasted malt, and light alcohol. Coffee and alcohol flavors. Long duration. Astringent finish. Alcohol texture. Spare lacing. Soft carbonation.

Bottle. Poured a see through dark brown. Doesn’t look like an Imp. Stout more like a Brown. Nose is spicy with sweet roasted malts and coffee. Flavor is pretty typical Imp Stout, full bodied roasted malt with coffee and chocolate notes throughout.

Bomber as part of an “Imperial Stout” blind tasting. Pours surprisingly lighter brown, with minimal head. Aroma of dark chocolate, brown sugar, some molasses and roasts. Palate is on the thinner side for an IS. Flavor is bold, of chocolate malt, cocoa, and roasts. Kind of settles on this “brown,” roasty flavor and sits content. Finishes with a hint of alcohol, more sweetness, and some lingering warmth. Overall, I find myself drawn to the boldness of the flavor, but I would have preferred a “darker” offering. Tasty as this may be, it never achieves the prestige of experience that I get so often when drinking top Impy Stouts.

650ml bottle. Strong aromas of bitter chocolate and alcohol. Semi-pleasing.Pours black with pretty much no head. Veeery smooth texture, with the most notable flavor being coffee upfront, with hints of anise or licorice and chocolate in the background. Fairly complex stout, but the creamy smoothness of it almost takes away from it. A bit cloying the more I drink..kinda syrupy almost. Not bad.

Bottle. The smell is very malty, strong coffee, bitter and strong alcoholic. A very nice aroma. The head is small, brown and creamy but not long lasting. The body is black. A strong taste of coffee and malt, bitter and with a long duration. The finish is a little bit sweeter and creamy. The body is very heavy and creamy without much carbonation. A really great Imperial Stout!