Left Hand Oak Aged Imperial Stout

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

Draft. Light, dark chocolate aroma followed by an intense malty attack. This is a fantastic product.

Bottle from Butters. Smells roasted, toasted, vanilla, and alcohol. Tastes of vanilla with a good roasted finish. Little hot.

How perfectly appropriate that this gets to be my 1000th rating! The inaugural batch of OA Imp Stout was not only my 100th rating, but the very reason that I agreed to start rating in the first place (many thanks to Maniac for offering me the bait). Sampled at Beerhawk’s Beer Gods in the Boro, aka 1000 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, By God Beer God Gathering, BG1K Tasting. Very dark brown pour with ample sustainable brown head. Chocolate notes are prevalent on the aroma, along with some raisin, and dark rum soaked fruits. In the flavor however, the base stout’s roastiness and chocolate notes are overpowered by the massive bourbon and brandy, woody infusion. Medium chewy body, and verging on boozy. But I’m sure that the flavors will meld and the alcohol will mellow nicely with a few years of cellaring. I feel like the more ’Oak Aged’ beers I come across, I almost always prefer the ’un-oaked’ version. This one is no exception. Still, I can’t wait to revisit this one later on down the road.
Earlier Rating: 5/21/2008 Total Score: 3.9
I was at Maniac’s and saw this beer, and instantly wanted to have it. He told me that he would only allow me to have it, IF I started rating on RB. He then proceeded to tell me that he would only let me have it as my 100th rating. So thanks. Inaugural brew 2006 anniversary edition. Beautiful DARK brown pour with modest dark tan head. Nose of raisins, plums, chocolate, roastyness, coffee and a twinge of alcohol. Oak is perceptable in the flavor, vanilla, caramel, and alcohol is evident, though, not burning. Mouthfeel is medium, but i would prefer a little more. Delicious.

Pour is a light black color, fairly clear, with little head or lacing. Too light for an imperial stout. However, the aroma blows you away with strong blasts of oaked bourbon that blends into subtley oaked coffee beans as it warms. Flavor matches the aroma, which complexes as it warms. Nice warming body buzz. Mouthfeel is again too light, but the finish is malty, sweet and creamy. Not bad at all, but let it warm so the booze isn’t so strong.

Bottle. 2007 Vintage. Pours a black color with a small tan head. Has a roasted malty licorice and chocolate aroma with some woody hints. Roasted malty licorice and chocolate flavor withsome hints of coffee. Has a roasted malty licorice finish with hints of coffee and wood in the aftertaste.

Courtesy of sea bass. Pours deep clear garnet to amber with nice mocha head. The aroma is musty roasty malts mixing with wood along with light hints of bourbon and molasses. The taste hits first with notes of roasted malts, wood, molasses and vanilla. Then I get a bit of bourbon joining the oak and the other notes by midway. It smooths out some into the finish.

Crushed with Jakebra at BSAF. Thin, yet packed with flavor. Not as good as their regular imperial stout. It loses the dark fruits and chocolate. Still very drinkable and pretty damn good.

2007 bottle courtesy of sebletitje. Pours a murky pitch black color with a thin tan head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of wood, vanilla, smoke, ripe dark fruit, caramel, chocolate, some hints of bourbon or brandy. Flavor is sweet and malty with notes of honey, caramel, ripe dark fruit, raisins, chocolate, just faint hints of roasted malts and coffee. Generally full body with a pleasing sugary and malty finish. Nice brew.