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Left Hand Oak Aged Imperial Stout

Percentile
98
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
4813.9/5.03.88/5.0Special10.4%78.2Snifter
Commercial Description:
2008 and prior years: This 10th Anniversary celebration Imperial Stout hibernated in our cellars in French oak wine barrels since deep in the winter 2002-03. An ambitious blend of rich, dark malts and a wild variety of aromatic and bittering hops yield a beer that is large in character. Available in cork-finished, bottle-conditioned 750ml bottles.

2009 release: Thanks for purchasing another offering in our Big Mo’ Series. Russian Imperial Stouts gained popularity as a British export style from the late 1700’s through WWI. It catered to the Russians’lavish and opulent tastes and was well suited to the rigors of shipping across the Baltic Sea. Hibernating in brandy barrels for nine months before being blended to woody perfection, it is then bottle conditioned for an authentic old world experience. Imperial Stout is the perfect warmer for chilly winter nights. Enjoy the complex flavors that develop during the cask aging, including raisin, cherry, licorice, and toffee. It finishes with earthy, herbal hop notes. If discontent is the fuel of revolution then this brew is sure to keep any Bolsheviks sitting quietly by the fire. 75% Malt Beverage & 25% Malt Beverage Aged in Oak Brandy Barrels
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 detroiter (958), Euphoria, Minnesota, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/103/516/20
Jan 21, 2007  
Pours deep black topped by a couple inches of sudsy tan foam. Decent head retention for a while, no lacing to speak of. Strong coffee and roasted grain in the aroma. The flavor is similar to the aroma, strong sweetened coffee, a touch of bitter chocolate, and roasty grain. A trace of the oak becomes apparent in the finish. Medium body, gentle carbonation.


 505 (271), Echo Park, California, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/510/104/516/20
Jan 9, 2007  
Pours dark brown, not too much head, litte retention. Aroma is nuty, some chocolate, lots of coffee, some caramel. Flavor is great, well balanced and full, coffee, almonds, sweetness. Full body. Pretty tasty.


 bitbucket (2034), Kirkland, Washington, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/58/104/516/20
Dec 14, 2006  
750ml bottle - Thanks shigadeyo! Very dark brown with a lacy tan head. Oaky vanilla and chocolate in the aroma and taste. Maybe a little plum? Medium body clean finish. Not as big as some Impys, but well rounded.


 after4ever (2766), Brier, Washington, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/512/20
Dec 10, 2006  
750, courtesy the fine hospitality of BitBucket. Pours fairly opaque black, more of a mahogany, with a big rocky head at first, then fairly well headless and laceless. Soft vanilla oak notes, decent amount of the same on the palate. Surprisingly little going on, given the brewer, the style, and the occasion, but it’s a fine, well-made beer.


 adrian910ss (1425), philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/56/103/513/20
Nov 24, 2006  
750 ml bottle. Pours a dark brownish red cola color with a medium beige head. Aroma is malty with barely a slight hint of oak and alcohol. Taste is malty with a more oak and alcohol presence than in the aroma. Was expecting more from this one. A big letdown.


 DCJack (146), Alabama, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/58/104/516/20
Nov 13, 2006  
my second Left Hand brew and I like them. They really do it right: a full bodied, well-flavored brew well within the quality standards expected of the particular beer genre, BUT they manage to make it SO mellow. I like mellow. Mellow is good. Reminds me of my stoner days.


 nolankowal (850), Columbus, Ohio, USA
2.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/102/56/102/512/20
Oct 31, 2006  
Bottle. Dark brown pour with a light tan fizzy head. The aroma was of oak, vanilla, coconut and a bit of chocolate. The flavor was pretty much nothing more than oak chips and a bit of bourbon...it pretty much overpowered anything else that was there. Lots of carbonation in the oddly thin body with a clean finish. Certainly not the worst thing in the world, but for the style it was kind of a mess and a clear indication that barrel aged beers can go in both directions.


chimney (9), cleveland, Ohio, USA
does not count click to see why this rating of Left Hand Oak Aged Imperial Stout does not count
4.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/510/105/519/20
Oct 30, 2006  
enjoyed after sharing a different 750ml bottle with a friend and allowing this one to slightly warm and then served in a unibroue "tulip/snifter" glass. upon opening it instantly smell of a popular chocolate syrup. during pouring i noticed that it poured with a surprisingly large amount of head for an imperial stout, although the head didn’t last very long. once tasted it again, at first, tasted almost exactly like the popular chocolate syrup with a nice after taste of oak and alcohol with a linger of chocolate syrup. although a little "sticker shock", but perfectly acceptable being oak aged, it was well worth the money and extremely scary as to how easy it is to quickly consume because of it’s wonderful chocolate syrup flavor and extremely strong alcohol content.



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