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Left Hand SmokeJumper

Percentile
99
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
4353.91/5.03.89/5.0Special9.8%99.3Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein
Commercial Description:
If you've been reading our newsletters, brewer Ro Guenzel gave you a flavor last month of what it took to brew this smoked Imperial Porter (singed hair, smoke in the eyes, sunburn, etc.) - all a labor of love. Available in beautiful 750mL bottles. The National Smokejumpers Association has made Smokejumper the "Official Beer" of their organization. So, here's the smoke in your glass, not in the woods.

Editor's note: this beer is described as 9.2% on the brewery website, but there are two sets of bottles on the market, labeled as both 9.2% and 10.5%. Left Hand has since had this beer lab-tested; the correct amount is actually 9.8%.

 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 TheEpeeist (1460), Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/57/104/517/20
Jan 26, 2008  
25.4 oz bottle, 2006. Dark, but penetrable, brown with maroon edges and a smooth tan head. Nose is fruit wood smoke layered over plums, prunes and malt. Even with some age this is still quite bold. Medium full body, coating with a tangy tingle. Taste is chocolate and peanut with building grapefruit. Ending a bit sharp with smoke.


 beerbuzzmontreal (2911), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/515/20
Jan 12, 2008  
Pours a clear dark brown color with a ring of offwhite head. Good aroma and flavor of smoked and roasted malt with a bitter finish. The body is light to medium with a liquorous texture and gentle carbonation.


 GeneralGao (3057), Iowa City, Iowa, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/517/20
Jan 6, 2008  
750 ml corked and caged bottle. 2006 vintage. My bottle says 10.5% AbV. Poured a nearly opaque black color. Head was thick and light brown with good retention but minimal lacing. Chocolate dominated aroma with burnt toffee and subdued smoked malt. There was also a whiff of raisin. Delicately sweet on the tongue with distinct chocolatey malt and alcohol flavors. The flavor imparted by the smoked malt was subtle relative to German varieties, but was a nice accompaniment to the chocolate flavor and imparted some bitterness that tempered the sugars somewhat. Delicious beer.


 a10555 (125), West Chester, Ohio, USA
2.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/105/55/103/510/20
Dec 31, 2007  
Again not a big fan of smoked beers. Although they look amazing in the glass, it is like sucking on a bottle of liquid smoke. Not my thing.


 Pailhead (2593), Allen Park, Michigan, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/104/516/20
Dec 30, 2007  
Bottle: The aroma is a big dose of smoked cheese with a solid chocolate presence as well. It pours a dark brown with no transparency and a large creamy tan head that leaves behind nice sheets of lacing. The flavor starts with a moderate dose of chocolate with hints of molasses. The finish has light-moderate smoke with some light piney bitterness. The smoke flavor is much lighter than expected based on the aroma. Medium bodied with a soft mouthfeel.


 Indra (2029), Prairie Village, Kansas, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Dec 30, 2007    Updated: Jan 15, 2008
22oz. bottle. Thanks to Greg! Massively smoky, ashy aroma, some roasty, coffeeish malts, huge and powerful with a sweet undercurrent. Dark brown in color, bottle-conditioned so there is some sediment, head is fine and lasting. Flavor contains an equally huge amount of smoke but it is infused with dark caramel sweetness and cocoa throughout, some mildly spicy hop tones to be found as well. The blend of these attributes may not seem exceptional, but in conjunction with one another, this becomes something really special. Smooth mouthfeel, low in effervescence, body is quite full, some mild warmth noted. Really indulgent stuff here. Wow.


 ebarnes (213), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/512/20
Dec 28, 2007  
750ml bomber
Pours nearly black with a huge brown head that takes forever to subside. Aroma smells like you just poured a bottle of "Liquid Smoke" into a glass of beer. Flavor is really smoky choco-coffee. Smoky taste is really powerful. Taste like that mouthful of smoke you get from the campfire. Alcohol is fairly well masked. (by the SMOKE!) Not bad though


 Syd (901), Waconia, Minnesota, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/105/514/20
Dec 15, 2007  
Big bottle pours red to black with a nice tan head and good lace that seems to go away after a few. The aroma starts out smoke house bacon with a hint of malt and some hops make it through. The flavor has mutilple components that dance all over the mouth. You have a malty and slightly floral porter in there, but then the smoke comes through only to be followed by a chocolate linger that is really quite nice; perhaps a bit like Mexican Mole - a bit of a stretch, but it really reminds me of one of my favorite sauces. The alcohol is nowhere to be tasted. The palate is mouth filling, but fresh enough for a nice mild carbonated finish. I gotta say, this is good. I’d like this with a good steak on the grill. After an hour or two of this, it is a bit like smoking a cigarette. Perhaps a bit too much of a good thing.



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