Left Hand Brewing Company- Wake Up Dead: Dead On Delicious!
Friday, December 24, 2010 at 3:38PM | by Jason 
Fridge empty, beer has been moved to cold garage to make way for holiday goodies. One of the brews that remained in the fridge (due to review purposes) was Left Hand Brewing Company’s Wake Up Dead, a barrel aged Imperial Stout. Yes!! Barrel aged and Imperial Stout, I am so ready for this one. I picked this one up at the beverage depot a couple of weeks ago and I really grabbed it because of the wicked-ass label. Left Hand Brewing Company has done an amazing job with their rebranding efforts and I have to say that it worked on me as I had to have this bottle. That and I happen to love Left Hand Brewing Company, a brewery that I have yet to have a bad beer from. Despite being absolutely wiped, it’s time to Wake Up and get this bad boy reviewed. Wake Up Dead is poured and ready!
Left Hand Brewing Company classifies this brew as a Russian Imperial Stout and their website describes Wake Up Dead as, “Good Morning. You’ve woken up dead. You’re in ruins. On the brink of catastrophe. But don’t be discouraged. You are ripe for a revolution! Just like the Bolsheviks of the early 1900’s, our barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout doesn’t happen overnight. Patience is required. Wake Up dead hibernates in our cellars for over 12 months before being blended to woody perfection. Hints of raisins, cherry, licorice and toffee, followed by earthy, herbal hop notes that rise up, joining you in your fight for a better life. Don’t be afraid of the dark. All power to the stouts!”
Wake Up Dead pours a pitch black with a 1” mocha colored head. The aroma is very reminiscent of Left Hand’s Milk Stout with more roastyness, chocolate and fruit smells.
The first thing that stands out about Wake Up Dead is it’s creaminess. This is a good Russian Imperial Stout that doesn’t try and crush your face with an over abundance of alcohol flavor. Coming in at 10.2%, Wake Up Dead’s flavor is a cornucopia of different flavors that range from raisin, chocolate, roasted malts with the ever so slightest hint of alcohol warmth at the end. Wake Up Dead reminds me a lot of Left Hand’s Milk Stout, only with more flavor and an extra kick. The balance is very enjoyable and if you’re not careful you could knock back a bunch of these before you know it. This is a good brew that I would highly recommend, however if you are looking for a skull crushing, taste buds wrecking Russian Imperial Stout then this is not it. Left Hand Brewing Company’s Wake Up Dead is dead on delicious!
ABV: 10.2%
Consumed: Nonic Pint Glass
Verdict: Buy A Twelve Pack
