Left Hand Wake Up Dead Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout

Brewed by Left Hand Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
Longmont, Colorado USA

Serve in Snifter

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750oz bottle-pours pretty light for such a robust brew-90% opaque. Looks fairly similar to the regular LH imperial stout, but then you smell it and its a whole different ballgame. huge rocky head that was relentless. very woody aroma, which dominates. The oak aging added a very strong flavor of smoke, wood, earthy notes but still very similar to the regular LH imperial. Good, but not a top 50 brew.

3/29/04: Bottle.
Tremendous tan-brown head accompanied by an opaque black body. Minimal lace. Malty, fruit aroma with a touch of hops. Tastes include malt and hops which are nicely balanced. Other flavors include molasses, with a bit of burnt coffee. Alcohol taste becomes more pronounced as the beer warms.

Opaque black color with a tan head. Light roasted coffee aroma. Nice roasted coffee and chocolate flavors, with some sweet malt and wood. Well disguised alcohol. The flavor was nice, but not as impressive as I expected.

Black, opaque color with a very large light brown head. The aroma was pure coffee...some woodiness came through as the beer warmed. The flavor was dominated by the roasted coffee tones as well, but with more woody/earthy tones present. The feel was not as thick as I had hoped...crisp, carbonated with a wet finish. This beer was nice, but not nearly as impressive as I had hoped.

Black with medium carbonation and light brown head. Not a lot of yeast sediment in the bottle. Smells just like Kayo (or yoo-hoo), which was a chocolate drink similar to chocolate milk. The flavor has a strong roastedness with the oak domininating the aftertaste. Slightly vinous. Not overly bitter or hop flavored. A sipping beer that needs a little more mellowing/aging of the oak flavor. Very well hidden alcohol.

Roasty nose with lots of oak overtones, black w/ clear brown edges, this is a nice looking brew. It has a velvetty tongue feel and subtle chocolate & coffee flavors. nicely done.

UPDATED: MAR 22, 2004 Kudos for the appearance - this is absolutely beautiful, the way the head beads up is a sight to behold. Dark brown but see through near the edges, and thinner in body as befits it's barrelled heritage. Aroma is all chocolate malt, and something more - fresh and from the vine - piercing. An oaky winey slightly sour flavor grabs you and never lets go - this was begun at near cellar temp so it was rearin' to go - but where? It's very good, yes, but it is one-dimensionally chocolate malty plus the barrel - Posiedon was far richer in my opinion, darker and meatier.

UPDATED: MAY 28, 2007 2007 bottle sampled on 5/28/07: Pours a mostly opaque with dark brown edges and a thin, wispy-lacing white head. Aroma of sweet caramel and dark chocolate with a nice blend of bourbon oak. Body starts fairly full and with a nice oaky caramel and dark chocolate complexity. Well-balanced and very drinkable.

Original release sampled on 3/20/04: Pours an opaque rich oily color with a nice thick tan head. Aroma doesn’t jump right out at you, but sniffing a little closer yields a wealth of rich caramel and chocolate malts with very nice oak notes. First sip is caramely sugary sweet with the oak making it’s presence known along with some dark chocolate and roasted malts. Has lots of rich oaky complexity. One of, if not the best, balances of oak and imperial stout flavors I have had in a beer. Finishes sweet, rich and with some oak and very little sense of alcohol. Wonderfully balanced and quite drinkable, this is a world-class imperial. Thanks ern!

UPDATED: FEB 6, 2006 Very dark,brown. Lots of carbonation,creamy head. Excellent aroma, lots of roastiness,vanilla,chocolate,red wine,and musty,wood. Slightly fizzy,very creamy,big body. Winey,chocolate,roasty,flavors,are blended perfectly. Finish is coffee,roasty,and slightly bitter. Lingering coffee,dark chocolate,wine,maybe some leafy hops. I like the oak effect in this beer. Thanks Aubrey!

UPDATED: OCT 23, 2005 Rating #500. Dark burgundy body and a cumulonimbus tan head. Complex and well-integrated aroma that slowly unwinds to reveal sweet cherries, port, coffee, dark chocolate, and polished wood. Flavor is of creamy dark chocolate, hazelnuts, and melted caramel. Nice full, vinous body with a viscous and velvety texture like a big chewy Shiraz on steroids. Considerably more complexity than the original Left Hand Imperial Stout. However, like its junior cousin, this beer is very powerful and full-flavored. The antithesis of a session beer, this one needs a palate cleanser in the middle of it. Nevertheless, this is a great monster of a beer. This impressed me as one of my first encounters with an oak aged beer. Later forays have been good, but less enthralling than my original rating of 4.4.