Left Hand - Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout

Dead Soldier

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Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout

Left Hand Brewing Company
1265 Boston Avenue
Longmont, CO USA
Est. 1994

www.lefthandbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 10.2 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 22.0 

Postmortem Brew Review

Dark mahogany color. Brown with reddish tones.
Mostly chocolate, roasted coffee. Faint whiffs of oak on the nose.
Thick, two finger tan head that lasts quite a while.

Thin string lacing down the side of the glass.
Roasted malts and dashes of vanilla in the taste. Some oak, but not much.

Lightly carbonated.
Light to medium bodied. Thin and slippery mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Imperial Stouts are usually a bit on the dark side. Aggressive malting will make them pour with the color spectrum of used motor oil all the way to jet black. This stout was - - - not so much. It was a dark brown, at best. On the other hand, the alcohol will be noticeable. At 10.2% ABV, Wake Up Dead was on the boozy side, so good points for that. And it did give forth a luxurious frothy head. Another point added.

Some of the flavors that you would expect in an Imperial Stout were there; roasted malts, licorice and coffee. But overall, there were some flavors that I couldn't derive. Even the oak was a bit more of a suggestion than fact.  It did slowly work its way into the profile late, late, in the glass.

A good ale? Yes. An Imperial Stout? All things considered, I had high hopes for what should have been a slam dunk write-up, given my macabre nature and the name of the stout. But, my fellow pallbearers, we will have to bury this one for now. I will say that while it was enjoyable, it wasn't my expectation of an Imperial Stout.

Left Hand - Good Juju

Dead Soldier

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Good Juju

Left Hand Brewing Company
1265 Boston Avenue
Longmont, CO USA
Est. 1994

www.lefthandbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.0 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review

Clear (filtered) and light amber in color.
Mostly a nose of ginger. It tends to mask other notes.
Off-white, half finger head that disappears quickly.

Thin string lacing down the side of the glass.
Crisp ginger taste.

Lightly carbonated.
Light bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
I may have asked this before, but when is a Ginger Ale not a gingerale? When it's a Good Juju. This simply refreshing ginger flavored ale from Left Hand is just the thing for switching up your taste buds.

I found several things refreshing about this ale. First off, the taste. It is certainly different than anything out of the ordinary. But that is overstating the obvious. More importantly, Left Hand has recently begun changing up their branding and the labels are looking quite awesome. I would be remiss as The Reaper if I didn't point out that the crazy quilt of art on the label forms a skull. Me likey!

Equally refreshing is the addition to the neck label proclaiming, "Brewed on the banks of the mighty St. Vrain." Uh, a bit of an overstatement there (grin) as the St. Vrain "river" is technically listed as a creek. You've got to admire their pluck!

Tip of the hat to Left Hand for showing an off beat sense of humor along with an off beat brew. As always, there's plenty to enjoy from this brewer.

Left Hand - 2009 Oak Aged Imperial Stout

Dead Soldier

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Left Hand - 2009 Oak Aged Imperial Stout
Left Hand Brewing Company
1265 Boston Avenue
Longmont, CO USA
Est. 1994
www.lefthandbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 10.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 22.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Solid black color.
Malt, deep fruits, chocolate/toffee and trace alcohol on the nose.
Creamy, foaming two finger tan head leaves spotted lace on the glass.
Malty, chocolate and rich fruits in the taste.
Modest amount of carbonation.
Full bodied. Complex flavors and mellow alcohol taste at end of sip.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
This stout was a find. On a trip to Orlando, over one year ago, I noticed this bottle sitting on the floor in a corner of the bottle shop. There were other plain and ordinary beers around it; almost as if someone stashed it away with the intent of coming back for it at another time. Maybe they needed to get some money out of the ATM and didn't want anyone else to snag the last bottle in the store? Perhaps someone was going to buy it and found something else that caught their eye, so they jettisoned it at that point? No matter. It was mine, a-l-l mine, now!

This was one of the first beers I chose to put away with the intention of aging it for a year. Several others have followed since. And today was the day to de-cap-itate it and release the nectar held within. I took some time to look at other reviews prior to drinking this; something I almost never do. I don't like to know what is in it, or know what others experienced. Most times, I rarely even read the bottle label, lest the brewery notes influence my experience. But this time was different, having chosen to age the Left Hand Imperial Stout. Consider it 'research' necessary to see how the ingredients co-mingled in the bottle for nearly 18 months.

The bulk of the reviews I read from various blogs and beer gave it solid B to B+ ratings. As you loyal readers know, The Reaper no longer uses grading, (letters or numbers). You'll know from what I write if I like or dislike a beer, or even if I'm indifferent. Living within those parameters, I read beyond what might have given it off marks, in the areas of taste or complexity. Well, blah-de-dah, I'm not dragging it out any further. I found this extremely enjoyable.

This was super smooth and had a steady two finger head throughout the glass. Malty rich, with tones of oak shining through.  The bottle conditioning yielded modest carbonation and very herbal, earthy hop notes. Rich fruit flavors of raisin along with licorice notes were also detected. This was all served up nicely in my best tulip stem glass. It was a "wow" ale enjoyed on a cool winter's night. I think anyone would do well to age an ale such as this Imperial Stout. Give it a try if you can resist. Or better yet, buy two. Drink one early and take copious notes, then salt the other one away in a dark, cool spot for aging. You'll find the experiment fun and interesting, even rewarding.

As a closing note, I'm trying out something different on my blog today, by using dictation on my iPhone with an app called Dragon Dictation. Ironically, Left Hand Imperial Stout has a dragon on its label. Very cool when things come together like that!

Left Hand - Oxymoron

Dead Soldier

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Left Hand - Oxymoron
Left Hand Brewing Company
1265 Boston Avenue
Longmont, CO USA
Est. 1994
www.lefthandbrewing.com 

Terrapin Beer Company
265 Newton Bridge Road
Athens, GA USA
Est. 2002
www.terrapinbeer.com
 
Brain Damage Quotient = 7.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 22.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Amber golden color.
Hops, some malt sweetness and yeast on the nose.
Nice foaming two finger off-white head that drapes lace on the glass.
Malty backbone with hops bite and noticed yeast after taste.
Moderate amount of carbonation.
Medium bodied. Very drinkable at 7.2%.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
The Midnight Project Brew III from 2010, Oxymoron is aptly named due to its clash of beer styles. On one hand, a hopped India Pale Ale and on the other a Lager Pilsener. Crazy as it sounds, it makes for one nicely hopped lager beer where the lager yeast and the hops varieties share the stage.

Not too complex, Oxymoron is a very drinkable beer, approachable by lager heads and hop heads alike. The hops come into play on the nose while the lager yeast component is more pronounced in the late taste of the brew. In all, a different kind of beer experience, but hey, I like it.

This is a one-off brew, done in collaboration with Terrapin and showcases how brewers will take an out-of-the-box approach when daring to do something really different. Enjoy it if you can still find it, or wait for the IV to drop in the future.

Left Hand - 400 Pound Monkey

Dead Monkey

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Left Hand - 400 Pound Monkey
Left Hand Brewing Company
1265 Boston Avenue
Longmont, CO USA
Est. 1994
www.lefthandbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.7 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Translucent soft golden color.
Light hops aroma. Notes of apple? Something astringent in flavor.
Off-white, two finger head that covers to a wisp.
Draped lacing down the side of the glass.
Soft hops taste with a very dry hop finish.
Light carbonation with tightly packed champagne like bubbles.
Light to medium bodied mouth feel; pleasantly warming aftertaste. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Ringo Starr's/Beatles "With a Little Help From My Friends" is now resonating in the speakers and my head.

This election night, I decided to put out an instant vote between three beers, using Twitter. This was the winner. As usual in the election process, there were runoffs, tie votes, attempts to bribe the elector-at-charge et al. Also as in real life, it came down to the flip of a coin to decide the 'left handed' victory.  And a 400 Pound Monkey beat a Loose Cannon and some Turtle with a Gamma Ray, into office. Go figure- - -it's art imitating life, or is it the other way around?

This is a pleasant English style IPA, but unlike American IPA's, it hasn't got enough punch of hops to knock out a hanging chad. But a tip of the hat to the British style...at 6.7 ABV, it does have some alcohol warmth. A little drying on the tongue and a bit acidic. Feeling the buzz right now...hard race fought....election won....must be the champagne like bubbles in the head! Where are the balloons, confetti and streamers?

Many thanks to my constituents for getting out to vote:
@AGirlandHerBeer
@EmpireVanessa
@AlanCShaw
@BeerCruiser
@MrBikerBrew
@htcdesign

@MugOfStArnold will need an absentee ballot next time!  That was fun. We'll have to try putting it to a vote more often. Thanks guys!

Left Hand - Oktoberfest

Dead Soldier

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Left Hand Oktoberfest
Left Hand Brewing Company
1265 Boston Avenue
Longmont, CO USA
Est. 1994
www.lefthandbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Amber and translucent.
Malty sweet smells. Minimal hops aromas. Notes of caramel.
Tan colored, two finger head that lasts to the bottom of the glass.
Rings of lacing down the side of the glass.
Rich roasted malt and chocolate tastes, moderate carbonation.
Medium to full bodied mouth feel; pleasantly warming aftertaste. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Left Hand makes some darn fine brews. This one is no exception.  There is however a malty sweetness to it that I don't expect of an Oktoberfest style. Let's just call it a modification. This does enhance the flavor and makes for a great brew, but as for a traditional Oktoberfest style, I found it probably wouldn't make a session beer for my tastes.  The sweetness is fine, but keeps coming. Maybe a bit more finishing hops would change my mind.

All in all, I really liked the beer and would recommend you try it to see what Marzens can be, given variation and interpretation by each brew house.

Left Hand - Fade To Black

Dead Soldier

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Left Hand Fade To Black 
Left Hand Brewing Company
1265 Boston Avenue
Longmont, CO USA
Est. 1994
www.lefthandbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 8.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Black color to body with ruby red tones upon pour.
Malty flavor with sweet hits of chocolate, coffee and molasses.
Tall tight tan colored head that lasts forever and leaves superb streaks of lace.
Rich roasted malt and chocolate tastes, moderate carbonation.
Medium to full bodied mouth feel; pleasantly warming aftertaste. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Brownish red upon the pour but inky black in the glass with a tall stiff tan head that tantalizes.  The chocolate/coffee flavors bops your tongue about five to ten seconds after each sip.  Simply delicious.  At a robust 8.5% ABV you too will fade to black as I did on this scorcher of a day.

Such wonderful goodness from the heart of Colorado at the Left Hand Brewing Company.  Wow!  Gonna make sure to get more of this on the next trip to the store.

Left Hand Milk Stout

Dead Cow

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Left Hand Milk Stout
Left Hand Brewing Company
1265 Boston Avenue
Longmont, CO USA
Est. 1994
www.lefthandbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Black color, similar to a cola soda.
Malty flavor with sweet aromatic hits of chocolate.
Wafer thin tan colored head is gone in 30 seconds; no lacing at all.
Rich roasted malt and slight chocolate tastes, moderate carbonation.
Medium to full bodied mouth feel; pleasantly warming bitter aftertaste. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Black as the night on the pour and rich tasting, this Milk Stout is unique.  It leaves me wondering if it is better on tap, as this bottle poured with very minimal head and no lacing at all.  Maybe it's the milk?  It tasted creamy and sweet.  The fact that there was no noticeable foaming head left me wanting for something more from this stout.  It may be what kept this out of the 'A' group.  I will try this stout again sometime to see if it was an aberration.

Update 12/03/2010 - A new label from Left Hand for Milk Stout.  I am happy to report that it was much more satisfying than the first time around. The head is still pretty much non-existent, but I have found that is just how it is with this beer.  The taste was similar to the first tasting, but with more pronounced malts than before.

Left Hand Sawtooth Ale

Dead Soldier

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Sawtooth Ale
Left Hand Brewing Company
1265 Boston Avenue
Longmont, CO USA
Est. 1994
www.lefthandbrewing.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.48 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Amber in color with orange hues.
Balance of hops and malt in flavor.
Two fingered head with good lacing.
Small hops punch at end of each sip.
Medium bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
I am reviewing again 'live' while enjoying some time off in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. This time around, the entire family crypt has come along for the experience. We returned to a favorite brew and pizza restaurant from the February trip. Wendy was our gracious server and brought the Sawtooth forth from their vault of beers and ales.

The Sawtooth caught my attention because it was listed as an ESB, or extra special bitters. Not seeing the ESB moniker attached to many types of pale ales, prodded my curiosity and so thought to give it a try. This proved to be a good session bitter running just below the 5% ABV level. It falls in within typical US 'bitters' classifying it as an ESB. A slight amount of hops in the finish, sealed the deal. All in all, a flavorful drink.