Left Hand Oak Aged Imperial Stout

This is an excellent american version of the famous "Russian Imperial Stout". In fact I have never actually tasted any imported Imp that was better. On par with Stones Rus. Imp. Stout. The oaken barrels mellow the taste. Very tasty and a "BIG" beer indeed.

Aroma is sweet with coffee notes. Color is solid black with good carbonation and a thin tight tan head. Taste is crisp, nutty and roasted. Starting with a bold medium body it goes down crisp and a little lighter then I was expecting. Finish comes in sweet with coffee and raisin then a faint bitterness that has vanilla and oak tones to it. After taste is roasted with a hint of alcohol and a little wine like taste that rolls in at the end. This is a nice Imperial Stout, very drinkable with a little lighter body then some.

Bottle. Dark black with a moderate brown head. Aroma is was sweet malts and roasted coffee. Flavor is the same, with hints of some vanilla. I didn’t pick up on the bourbon as other people have, but it had a nice overall taste that worked well with the palate. I really enjoyed the thick chewy malts but something still seemed a bit lacking with the palate.

750ml, 2007 version. Smooth black pour that required a slightly aggressive pour to bring out a nice tan head. Head dissapated slowly but eventually conceded to a thin film. Aroma was a lot of rich chocolate, roasted coffee, and some vanilla notes. The flavor and mouthfeel of this stout is pleasantly surprising...a silky smooth sweetness coating the mouth finished by a small bitterness at the end and a short aftertaste. Very impressive with some individual characteristics that set this apart from other imperial stouts.

Brown-black, opaque, small tan head. Chocolate and vanilla, neopolitan-like but subtle and smooth. Silky, creamy mouthfeel. Very chocolatey and not pulling much more out of it. Not terribly complex, just a nice sipper.