Left Hand Oak Aged Imperial Stout

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

750ml bottle, corked & caged: This is so obviously on a totally different level from any other beer Left Hand/Tabernash/Indian Peaks have ever done before. The beer pours, a bit thinly, very dark brown with a somewhat retained dark tan colored head. The aroma really get interesting with notes of vanilla, nuts, chocolate and a resrained element of smokiness. Oak really comes through in the flavor, along with coffee, roasted nuts, and chocolate. My only complaint with this beer is that is just a bit thin on the palate, other than that it is exquisite.

750ml Bottle. Pours deep black brown with a vigorous khaki head that results in a thin though persistant layer skimming the top of this lovely brew. Pronounced licorice on the nose, soy sauce, burgundian pinot noir, and earth. The flavour is a cross between barley wine and chocolate stout. So incredibly complex. Coffee, oak, vanilla, black strap molasses and (again) youthful pinot noir. Beautifully aged. I wouldn’t age this. It’s simply too good to wait.

Very dark brown, light passes through, much like their regular Impy Stout. Decent head lasts pretty well. Must put aside pre-conceived notions as to what an imperial stout should be, and view this more as a variation on porter. There, much better. Aroma of milk chocolate with a bit of vanilla. Excellent use of oak, with vanilla wrapping around the chocolate of the stout, making it far more complex and interesting. A faintly tannic note on the finish. Not bad, much better than their original imperial stout, but still nothing to get overly excited about, unless you are really into the judicious use of oak.

Bottle. Via trade w/crosling. Pours a rather light color of mahogany with a tan head. Peppery aroma with some vanilla notes. Chocolate milk like flavors with some musty notes. Licorice flavored finish.

Courtesy of Indiana_Red <P> Aroma is full of sweet chocolate malts, hints of the oak it aged in and whiffs of vanilla and alcohol. The beer appeared to be a dark brown coming from the bottle, but turned deep black in the glass. Never developed any sort of head just a thin mocha film. Rich chocolate malt in the fore followed by a tinge of oak, alcohol and vanilla. Lighter raisin notes that give it a baltic porter feel develop in the middle. Finish is oaky and alcohol laden. Palate is a lot thinner than most Imperial Stouts of this ABV, but I have noticed many of the Oaked Impy’s to be somewhat thin in comparison to non oaked ones so I assume it has something to do with the oak aging. It tastes very good it just doesn’t feel like an Imperial Stout...more like a Baltic Porter.

750ml bottle. It has been sitting in my cellar since March ’05.Served at 59° in a NB worthy glass (snifter). I poured the glass and sat it down while I was doing some other work and the aroma wafted up and was teasing me. From a foot away, the beer has a great chocolate aroma. When you get your nose into it there are huge flavors of chocolate, vanilla, mild oak, alcohol, and frangrant hops. This is a very good smelling beer! The beer is a dark reddish brown color, nearly black with a small, but existant head. The initial taste is both bittersweet and milk chocolate and sweet dark malt followed by oak, bitter hops, fiery alcohol, some roastiness, and a mellow oaky, roasty, moderately bitter finish. The flavor is actaully very mellow and easy drinking for a 10% imperial stout. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing, I guess I would rather have knock your socks off flavor, but this is very nice and the alcohol is certainly catching up with me. The mouthfeel is silky smooth. It doesn’t have the chewy texture of the Expeditions and the Dark Lord’s, but that certainly contributes to it’s easy (for an Imperial Stout) drinkability. I still have half a bottle left, should be a fun night.

750ml bottle-pours a tan head with brown color. Aroma is malt. Taste is malt, sweet alcohol. Big Beer.

Decent sized brown head of dense bubbles. Decent carbonation for an impy. Head reforms nicely upon swirling. Rich roasty aroma with a light soy sauce aroma and raisins. Lots of roasted grains and a hint of smoke. Color is black. Dark and heavy. Plenty of roastyness, coffee and a dry bitterness. Little bit of chalky carbon in there. Only a slight hint of tartness from the oak aging. Not really noticable though. Alcohol is hidden pretty well. Dry, bitter, coffee aftertaste with more charcoal. A very good impy stout.