Black Jack Porter - Left Hand Brewing Company

damndirtyape

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle (bottled on 08/04/11) poured into a Shaker pint glass.

Appearance: Clear dark ruby red to brown beer. Light tan head was about 1/4" thick on pouring, but died down to a ring at the edge and very little across the top - barest skin of foam. Some strands of persistent lacing noted.

Smell: Molasses mostly - maybe a little bit bready on a swirl.

Taste: Molasses again. Malt-heavy beer. Molasses at the front, some roasted and caramel flavor malt in the middle, and a quite mild bitter finish, mildly metallic and part black coffee. Is indeed a pretty tasty porter.

Mouthfeel: Decent carbonation, just a hair thicker than water.

Overall / Drinkability: A decent English Porter. Quite drinkable, went well with food (Welsh Rabbit) and I could see myself having another. Simplistic flavor profile, but that's not a bad thing really.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 23:00:41 | More by damndirtyape

MistahBeah

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -18.9%

05-23-2013 02:27:29 | More by MistahBeah

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

05-15-2013 16:11:10 | More by Slatetank

Rusty_Pabst

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

05-12-2013 23:28:36 | More by Rusty_Pabst

Bill235

Ohio

4/5  rDev +8.1%

05-12-2013 22:31:55 | More by Bill235

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

05-12-2013 21:34:49 | More by twenty5

Zonian1

Ohio

3/5  rDev -18.9%

05-12-2013 20:18:02 | More by Zonian1

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%

05-08-2013 19:14:36 | More by blknikon

stanale

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +14.9%

05-08-2013 03:41:41 | More by stanale

ejimhof

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -18.9%

05-05-2013 22:13:47 | More by ejimhof

bob_d_j

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

05-05-2013 02:09:48 | More by bob_d_j

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A 355ml bottle with a BB of March 2013, so it's a little out of date. ABV is stated as 6.8%. Picked up a while back from Trembling Madness in York and stored in my garage. I hope it hasn't deteriorated unduly. For some reason there is a squid on the label....

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A dark reddish-brown hue with light carbonation. Yields a decent head of creamy beige foam that lasts for a few minutes before reducing to a patchy surface layer. Aroma of roasted malt with hints of burnt grain, mild coffee, chocolate, faint molasses and earthy yeast. Initially a metallic note was present but it disappeared after a while. Understated but pleasant.

Tastes of roasted malt with a dry bitter finish. Notes of burnt grain, mild coffee, subtle chocolate, a hint of molasses/caramel and earthy yeast. Dark and well-attenuated, with a restrained bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and slightly tingly, with decent carbonation but a rather insubstantial body for the style. Somewhat astringent, with an aftertaste of bitter roasted malt and earthiness.

Not bad but not exceptional. Looks a bit lacklustre, though the aroma is nicely rounded. Flavour is OK but not amazing - it lacks depth. Body is a bit too thin. A worthy effort, but it doesn't match the best porters I've tried - increased fruitiness in the flavour/aroma might improve it. There is the possibility that it has faded over time, although it doesn't seem off. Worth sampling, but no need to hunt it down.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 00:48:34 | More by jazzyjeff13

vicsju1991

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

05-01-2013 03:30:26 | More by vicsju1991

ItsTheLimit

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

05-01-2013 02:38:46 | More by ItsTheLimit

Dyerseve

Michigan

3/5  rDev -18.9%

04-26-2013 15:53:25 | More by Dyerseve

JoeLacy

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

04-26-2013 03:40:11 | More by JoeLacy

Kunstman

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

04-22-2013 01:18:22 | More by Kunstman

capuchinpilates

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

04-20-2013 19:53:16 | More by capuchinpilates

TKEbeerman

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

04-19-2013 18:27:36 | More by TKEbeerman

shand

Florida

3.83/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Left Hand Milk Stout is ubiquitous now. Everywhere you look, it's on nitro tap, and the Nitro bottles bring the experience home. Black Jack Porter doesn't get that kind of attention at all. It's the black sheep of the Left Hand lineup. Black Jack Porter pours a red-tinged deep brown with a couple fingers of head. The aroma is coffee and roast forward, a little on the burnt side, and there's something sweet here that doesn't quire meld. The taste is actually rather similar to their Milk Stout, just take out the lactose and push the coffee to the forefront instead of the chocolate. It's been a while since I've had a non-nitro Milk Stout, but I remember the normal variant having a similar mouthfeel - creamy and lightly carbonated. The drinkability is solid. Overall, Black Jack Porter was a good drink, but I'll take the Nitro Milk Stout over it every day.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 23:45:45 | More by shand

Ljoreilly

Georgia

4/5  rDev +8.1%

04-06-2013 00:18:08 | More by Ljoreilly

Falcone

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%

04-05-2013 01:47:40 | More by Falcone

akttr

Michigan

3/5  rDev -18.9%

04-03-2013 03:46:08 | More by akttr

AR_Rios

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +14.9%

04-01-2013 23:10:28 | More by AR_Rios

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -18.9%

04-01-2013 20:10:11 | More by TheBeerAlmanac