#274: Left Hand Brewing » Wake Up Dead Nitro (Imperial Stout)

Left Hand Brewing » Wake Up Dead Nitro (Imperial Stout) 
ABV: 10.2% | IBU's: 45 | Rating: 9/10

As far as trends go, the current Nitro movement is an incredibly welcomed one, especially those gaining mass release in cans & bottles. Left Hand rocked the world with their Nitro Milk Stout in 2011 and last year they took it one step further with Sawtooth and the incredible Wake Up Dead Imperial Stout.

This skull nitro pours up jet black with a swirling nose of vanilla, cocoa, bourbon and amaretto. Boozy, roasted malt flavors follow with a full, silky mouthfeel. Big notes of chocolate and dried fruits, all sweet and sticking with an unabashed alcohol finish, but incredibly smooth.

A wonderful 12 oz for big, dark beer lovers.

#176: Left Hand Brewing » Twin Sisters (DIPA)

Left Hand's subtle double...

The Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Co. (Longmount, CO)
The Brew: Twin Sisters (DIPA)
Availability: Draft & Bottles (22oz.)
ABV: 9.6% | IBU: 77
Rating: 8/10
Location: Felicia's Atomic Lounge

The Story? I popped down to Felicia's over the weekend to meet up with the Artistic Director of the Ithaca International Fantastic Film Festival to discuss next fall's event. When I arrived, my partner was getting off of work early and relayed Left Hand's Twin Sisters had just been tapped two days prior.

The Beer? Served up in a half-pint glass because of the high ABV, Twin Sisters has a transparent brass body capped with a tuft of fluffy, white head.

For a Double IPA, this one treads softly and unassumingly. Smooth citrus flavors backed by well-balanced blend of sturdy hops and malt are preceded by a mostly transparent, but fresh nose. Cracked wheat; mild, ripe tropical fruit sweetness, and a touch of rind appear further in. The over 9% ABV is completely hidden. The whole thing has a bit of an old-school vibe to it; quality over flash.

Overall, not the most memorable of beers, but worth a go for anyone seeking balance over monstrous flavor. An interesting DIPA offering in the midst of the heavy hop wars.

#018: An Evening at Bandwagon (Compass, Too Kind, Sixty-One, 400LB Monkey, Rye of the Tiger, High Step)

We found out a good friend was still in town a few days after his band Del Paxton performed at Ithaca Festival, which prompted the notion that a catch-up hangout was needed, along with some quality beer. To Bandwagon..!

Figuring we'd be chatting for a while, I started things off with their aptly named "First Class" flight which boasted 2013 releases including Too Kind from Three Heads Brewing, Compass from Southern Tier,  Great Lakes' Rye of the Tiger, Dogfish Head Sixtey-One, plus Left Hand Brewing's staple 400LB Monkey.

Southern Tier - Compass: Bottle Conditioned Sparkling Ale w/ Rose Hips | 9% ABV
A wish-list beer. Deliciously delicate. Rose hips are very subtle. Dry, floral citrus ale with a touch of bitter.

I'm absolutely giving this one another try. It's brand new release for Southern Tier's bomber sized-bottles, which always peak my interest and usually my pallet as well. This one isn't as urgent, pull-you-in as I was expecting, thought I'm sure this one will climb in my ranks soon. I love that Southern Tier is getting into the bottle condition side of things. LIVE is fantastic. Curious to see what this will progress after it has a little time to mature.

Three Heads Brewing - Too Kind: Double IPA | 8.5% ABV | 87 IBU
3HB's first release of 2013. Based of the consistent experiences I've had with The Kind, the fact that this is a good beer is no surprise.

Nice floral flavor with hints of spice and a bitter, dry finish. Earthy with some rind-fruit tastes. If you've never had a 3HB, show some Rochester love and give 'em a try.
(Update: Turns very fruity drinking again after tasting the Rye and Sixty-One below!)

Left Hand Brewing - 400LB Monkey: English Style India Pale Ale | 6.8%
The "English" in this IPA should be emphasized. Far sweeter than expected, but pleasant and refreshing. A bit metallic and earthy - no American uber-hopping here. Wet up front with a butter-esq, dry finish. Almost a note of cheese on the nose.

Great Lakes Brewing - Rye of the Tiger: Rye IPA | 7.5% ABV | 92 IBU
My second time on dating this one. First on tap. My favorite brew from Great Lakes at the moment and it's their 25th anniversary beer.

Hoppy, bitter, and nicely spiced. Rye is very prominent. A bold, dry, bitter offering that is tops for the price.


Dogfish Head - Sixty-One (61): American IPA brewed w/ Syrah Grape Must | 6.5% ABV
Beautiful, ruby color. Big fluffy, lacy head. Fruity and hoppy and very drinkable with a pleasant mouthfeel. A very juicy IPA that is a wonderful blend of bitter and sweet. Faint hints of the Syrah's dry pepper and there in the background, but the whole thing is smoother than I was expecting, based on Dogfish's hop pallets and the Syrah. Another one off the wishlist.

Bandwagon Beer - High Step: Weizenbock | 9% ABV
While debating whether to finish the night with a after-flight pint, I was made aware that Bandwagon's Weizenbock is their brewer's favorite and won "2012 Best Craft Beer in NYS" from TAP New York Craft Beer & Fine Food Festival. Thank you for making my decision very easy.

Total opaque goodness. A big, boozy, matly beer. Looks like unfiltered apple cider and is simply amazing. Subtle inits of banana with very little carbonation. Hell of a beer to end on and one I'll be heading back for seconds for sure. Have a look...

Way to close out the night with the best beer of the batch, Bandwagon!

#007: Left Hand Brewing Co. - Good Juju (Ginger Ale)

Left Hand returns to Upstate NY...

The Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Co. (Longmount, CO)
The Brew: Good Juju
Availability: Draft & Bottles (12oz.)
ABV: 4.5%
Rating: 8
Location: Home

The Story? Several years back, my partner's sister brought over a 12-pack from a brewery I hadn't run across yet. The artwork was fantastic and the brews were even better. That beer was from Left Hand - Sawtooth Ale, 400 Pound Monkey IPA, Milk Stout, and Stranger Pale Ale graced my pallet. But then, just like that, they were nowhere to be found in town. I was able to snag one or two on draft while out of state, but otherwise hadn't run into them since and they slipped into the back of my mind.

Fast forward until a week back when I stroll into one of my usual pick-up places (Finger Lakes Beverage) and voilà! - they're back in our area. Into my basket go a sixer of Juju and Nitro Stout. Neither of which I'd tried yet.

Juju's story starts way back (ha) in 1994 as part of Left Hand's first 5 production beers, beginning life as Juju Ginger. 2010 the brew was rebranded as Good Juju with fantastic updated artwork.

The Beer? A full mouth of pleasant ginger satiates me in the first big swig. As well it should - they juice 20kg of ginger for each 60 barrel brewery batch, plus using the rinds in quite an innovative manor.

A smooth, wet, mild pale ale finishes the job. The ginger is ever present, but not in a spicy ginger-beer way... this is a far more subtle nature. A bit sultry, thirst-quenching and satisfying. A great alternative to skunky summer beers and boring, phoned-in fruit wheat beers. I'm peaked to try this with some good Indian or Thai food as well.

This isn't a beard-scratching, philosophizing ale; but that's not what it's aiming. Perfect for those of us looking for a high quality session ale as the temperature rises with quite it's own personality.