Left Hand SmokeJumper

Pours thick and black w/ super full semi creamy froth. Aromas are deeply roasted, smokey sweet malts w/ cigar box and citrusy scents. Like a pine forest ablaze. Full nectar w/ very soft residual effers creating an oily texture. This is one heavily smoked porter. Heavy malt backbone like molasses. Sweet maple, roasted espresso bean, smoked jerkey, cocoa, old leather, and citrus rind. The finish is long and lingering w/ a perfect bittering from the hops that finally kick in. As this brew warms it really starts to balance out. The oily texture turn to velvet and the molasses mellows to brown sugar. Drinks better cool not cold. A killer brew none the less. I scored this perfect classic because of it’s duality. You get two brews in one. The cold version and the cool version (after it’s warmed a bit). It would be so easy for a brew of this decandent nature to get lost in itself showing a narrow, straightforward character. But this one pulls it off and really hams up it’s inherent complexities. Connoisseurs Choice! Highly Recommended. Get it while you can.

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.

650 ml. No abv on label, but says "2008 bottle conditioned". Pitch black with a lasting quarter-inch of creamy foam. Aroma is hickory-smoked molasses and country ham with some sea breeze. Taste is the smoky-sweet hickory, molasses, caramel, and coffee drippings that were used to fry/saute country ham. Some light dabs of milk chocolate. Medium-heavy body is smoothly carbonated, just watery enough to be drinkable and just sticky enough to be a delicious and dangerous dessert. Nicely dried by the smoke and roast. Frosty lacing left everywhere.

Bottle: I am not sure where the bottle says 10.5% because my bottle says that it is 9.2% abv on the bottom left of the silk screened label, but I digress. Anyways, pours a very dark brown, almost black. The head is a nice white with a little bit of a reddish hue to it. The smell, well, I think WOW sums it up. The smell smells like smoke, as I should have expected. It smells like some sort of meat is cooking over a campfire, maybe some pork. It’s an incredibly intense, thick smell, much like a wild fire would produce. After the smell, I am a little weary of what the taste may bring, since I could barely whiff the beer without feeling like something was wrong... much like a fire. The taste is not quite as intense as the smell, but it is still amazing. This beer has a little bit of everything. I note a lot of meat still, like pork cooking over a fire as I noted above. I also notice some chocolate, which only compliments the nice meaty flavor. I feel like I am sipping on a nicely smoking piece of meat. This is great.

A rich smoky aroma. Great black color, full tan head. To be honest, I did not expect this. I am surprised by how smoky this was and also how greatly flavorful. Some graininess in the finish. I found this to be a truly excellent beer.

Bottle shared with Blankboy, GregClow, Mds, and Hogtown Harry, Harry’s bottle. Stunning smoke aroma - beer breaks through too - some roast and malt but wow - smoked bacon yet outdoors like campfire smoke as well - fantastic. Very very dark brown, thick frothy beige head. taste is excellent - rich malt, lots of smoke, some bitterness from hops? alcohol? other? Complex layered levels of smoke here - great contemplative stuff. Powerful and not for those afraid of smoke - truly stunning. Thanks for sharing Harry!

pours black with a huge brown head that lasts forever. aroma of smoke, hops, peaches, and more smoke. nice flavors of chocolate, vanilla, hops, and yes....smoke. the smoke lingers long after the beer is finished. i loved this.

Draft at Jerry’s. Black with big, foamy chocolate shake head / Nose of roast barley, chocolate and smoke / Medium to full body, good balance of malt and hops, with long, dry finish / Flavors of bittersweet chocolate, dark roast coffee, salami, and smoke, with some citrus notes / The complexity and balance supported by the subtle use of smoke make this the best smoked beer I’ve ever had, but then I find most Rauchbiers overbearing and dreadful.