Left Hand Brewing Company- Imperial Stout: Come to the Dark Side!
Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 5:56PM | by Wes 
Lately I have been trying to venture away from my severe IPA fixation. Slowly I have been getting into dark beers, mostly stouts and old ales. I have noticed that slapping the word “imperial” on beer really peaks my interests. Imperial translates into “bigger” for a lot of brews and you can often exchange the term “imperial” for “double.” Since I am still not a “huge” fan of stouts; I am rather curious about what will happen when I sample this imperial version.
Imperial Stout is one shade off of black, with a tint of root-beer-like brown swirling around. It has a khaki foam head with traces of fine lacing. Upon further inspection I was surprised by the amount of carbonation. Thousands of little bubbles could be seen a good ten minutes after the pour. Left Hand has crafted an olfactory orgasm hear. I detected hints of roasted malt, coffee, toffee, chocolate, and woodsy molasses. This brew smells like a fine French dessert.
Thankfully, Left Hand has doubled downed on the parts of a stout that I enjoy. The flavor is very thick and full with hints of sweet, roasted malt. The middle of the flavor is warm and cedary. And the finish was dry and slightly alcoholic. Imperial stout has subtle hint of coffee, but not enough to turn off a coffee hater like myself. Imperial Stout, unfortunately, does not taste quite as good as it smells. But, it remains a tasty and welcome break from a strong, hoppy IPAs. If you are a stout lover, this is a beer you shouldn’t pass by.
ABV: 10.4%
Consumed: Sensory Glass
Verdict: Buy a Twelve Pack
