Left Hand SmokeJumper

Bottle. Pours deep oily brown. Smells of wet campfire and roasted malt. Creamy on the palate. Definite smoky flavor profile. Starts and ends with smoke. Nice complexity midpalate. Dry molasses. Hint of earthy peat. Bit of raisiny sweetness. I’m not a huge fan of smoked beers, but this is good for its style.

2006 bottle left out of the fridge for 15 minutes before opening in goblet. Pours thick brown-black with huge brown head that grows after pouring, little lacing. Aroma of wood smoke, bitter chocolate, bread (?). Flavors of roasted chocolate, wood smoke. Bitter finish with lingering chocolate sweetness. Full-bodied but slightly overcarbonated. After a while, when completely warmed up, the flavors are better melded and the carbonation leaks out. This is a delicious beer. I would have only wanted a softer carbonation. I still prefer smoked porters that are not “Imperial” because I like to session them. I drank four Alaskans in a row at Toronado, but I don’t think I could do that with this. Anyhow, A+ for effort. Cheers to bold brewers who brew bold beers. Re-rate: When completely warm to near room temperature, this is much better. Mouthfeel is softer, lacing is excellent, carbonation has escaped. Points added in palate and appearance. good brew. Cheers.

750ml bottle from 2006. Pours a midnight black with a ridiculously thick, meringue-like tan head. Aroma is a bit strange at first. I noted a sharp smokiness very similar to a heavily peated single malt Scotch. Then you notice the more typical cocoa and coffee aromas you expect. The first taste is dominated by the smoke again. But after several sips, a more complex mix of chocolate, caramel and dark fruits. A lingering bitterness finishes the beer. My first smoked beer -- it’s a keeper!

Pours deep, dark, ruby-hued mahogany, with a large, creamy, tan head. Strong aroma of smoked/roasted malts, a bit of chocolate, and lots of sweet fruity undertones with notes of plum, and raisins most present. Very smoky, and slightly peaty flavor. Not the overly meaty flavor you get from some smoked brews, but a bit of the fruity undertones I expect from a full bodied porter, a bit of mingled chocolate, and nice dry smoky bitterness in the finish. Palate is medium/full, creamy and silky smooth, slightly bitter, dry, a bit chocolaty, and yes....smoky. Alcohol is slightly noticed, but really only adds to the complexity of this brew. This is an exceptional offering from Left Hand: easy drinking, yet flavorful and complex. Definitely a must try.

CBF07, what I can understand was another of Jeppes bottles (I’ll see if I can get replacements for this in the states), this time shared by someone else at the Mikkeller stand. Pours brown and amber. Aroma is roasted malts and slight smoked. Flavour is dry malty, smoked and goes into a good and decent bitterness in the finish.

Courtesy boboski. Pours black with a medium light brown head. Smells like smoky bacon and campfires. Big, big smoke. The taste is quite smoky as well, but with some nice chocolate. Very nice that the taste isnt all smoke, but just a right amount. Very thick, oily mouthfeel which is very warming and coats the palate. The aftertaste is really chocolatey and delicious. Greta brew.

Dark dark dark brown...beautiful...dark tan head...rich smoky aroma with malts breaking through...malty body blanketed by smoke, smoke, and more smoke...medium weighted on the palate...finishes with bitter hops...smooths out as you drink it

Bottled. Pitch black coloured. Dense brown head. Smoke, butter, sweetness and alcohol in the nose. Flavour has loads of chocolate, alcohol, smoke, tar and liqourice. Medium bodied. A chocolatish smoked end. Nice one.