Black Jack Porter - Left Hand Brewing Company

merc7186

New York

3.85/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this beer poured from a growler into a tumbler glass.

A: Dark Opaque Hue, Passes No Light, Thick Off White Head, Great Lacing

S: Dark Mildly Roasted Chocolate Malts, Nutty, Mild Coffee

T: Dark Roasted Malts, Chocolate

M: Great Carbonation, Full Bodied, Mildly Bitter

Overall, this beer had a great nose but the taste just didn't follow.

Serving type: growler

10-11-2012 21:17:06 | More by merc7186

tdm168

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - dark brown with a reddish hue; very little head

S - roasted malt and faint coffee

T - roasted malt, coffee, mildly sweet, faint bitter finish

M - medium bodied, well carbonated

This is a ncie, sessionable porter. The roasted malts are great. It's well balanced and smooth which makes for easy drinking. I'll buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 08:25:45 | More by tdm168

rangerred

Tennessee

3.1/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a very deep dark brown with a half finger tan head that is quick to fade. Really not much lacing either.

Aroma is of heavily kilned malt along with some lightly roasted coffee. Dark fruits and licorice are also present.

Flavor has some milk chocolate along with coffee and roasted malt. I definitely pick up licorice and dark fruit in the flavor and also some caramel. The flavors are kind of muddled and not especially bold. Bitterness is light with nothing in the way of hop flavor. The best thing about this beer is the mouthfeel. It is thicker than I was expecting and very rich and creamy.

Overall, I am really not impressed with this beer. There are many better examples out there of an English Porter so don't waste your time seeking this one out.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 00:34:44 | More by rangerred

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer poured out as a deep brown color, the head was thin with a creamy tan color. The smell of the beer had some nice roasted notes without much of any hop aroma. The taste of the beer was probably the best part, it's was sort of creamy and lightly roasted. The mouthfeel was soft, gently carbonated and smooth. Overall this is a good brew in my opinion. I could see myself Drinking this one again.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 18:15:21 | More by Knapp85

GregBlatz

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Ruby brown with khaki head. Head falls slowly and slightly laces the glass. Looks more carbonated than expected.

S - Caramel, sweet, coffee and alcohol heat. Slight metallic nose.

T - Very roasty and nutty. Not as sweet as expected. A general buttery flavor indicates British influence. Somewhat tangy, sour and acidic.

M - Medium body. Very slick. Med-high carbonation.

O - very nice sipper. I'm a fan of this porter.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 23:39:34 | More by GregBlatz

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Black Jack Porter
Left Hand Brewing Company
Style: English Porter
ABV: 6.40 %

LOOK: Dark brown with an off white mocha like foam. Leaves plenty of lacing down the glass. Mostly clear, with no sediment.

SMELL: Roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, and vanilla emerge as a very nice aroma. Smells like something you want to drink.

TASTE: Bitter, unsweetened coffee flavor upfront, giving way to milk chocolate, burnt sugar, and dry cocoa. A bit of sweet vanilla comes out as it warms. The roasted malts and a ghost like hop provide enough bitterness to balance the beer. Quite tasty.

FEEL: Full bodied, velvety smooth, good level of moderate carbonation, lingering coffee and chocolate flavor.

OVERALL: A well crafted beer from Left Hand. Really good flavors and a solid offering altogether.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 22:06:41 | More by Stinkypuss

denver10

Colorado

3.76/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours black with a half thumbs width mocha head that quickly recedes to the edges. A rich and roasty aroma of roasted barley, chocolate, some coffee,and a nice dose of molassess. A big, rich flavor. Starts off with the molasses and some light coffee, then comes the roasted barley, then closes out with a nice creamy chocolate. Big flavor for the lower abv. Also kinda feels like a stout, thick and creamy. Overall, as expected a nice porter.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 00:05:00 | More by denver10

ChrisPratz

2.78/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours to a ultra dark, almost black, brown coloring thats almost transparent if not for the dark hues with about a fingers worth of head that dissipates to blotchy patches of head.

S: Nice toasted malt flavors with some dark chocolate and coffee mixed in. Light breadyness mixed in as well.

T: Toasted malt and smokyness dominate this brew. Some dark espresso flavors but theres a strange sweetness here as well, one that reminds me of chewing on a cherry or grape stems. Really having a hard time placing the flavor. Pretty unique in itself but the smokeyness and toasted flavors are bold and pretty overwhelming here.

M: Light carbonation, light creamyness left on the tongue, aftertaste lingers.

O: Really wasn't expecting the boldness from the toasted malts and smokeyness here. Kind of curious what everyone else thought so i looked thru some reviews and im not sure if this particular bottle was off or what. Would def try it again and would like it to be on tap.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 03:10:02 | More by ChrisPratz

dbrauneis

New Jersey

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

Served on tap at Northern Soul in Hoboken, NJ

A: Pours an opaque very dark brown to black in color with lots of brown and dark brown around the edges when held up to the light. The beer has finger tall creamy light tan head that slowly reduces to a thick film covering the entire surface of the beer with a thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Significant lacing is observed.

S: Moderate aromas of dark roasted/burnt malts along with some lighter aromas of coffee, cocoa, molasses, and a very light hint of dark fruit (raisin).

T: The taste of this beer very much follows the smell, with the primary flavor being that of the dark roasted/burnt malts. There are some more subtle hints/notes of coffee, cocoa, and some sweetness from molasses/raisin. There is a very nice complexity to the flavors of this beer and there is just a very light amount of bitterness.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amount of carbonation. Smooth.

O: Very easy to drink and very enjoyable, feels like a porter made for the summer. I really enjoyed this one and would have grabbed another if I had the time.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2012 13:51:20 | More by dbrauneis

superspak

Michigan

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled 2/12/2012. Pours fairly crystal clear dark reddish brown color with a nice 2 finger fairly dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Some decent lacing on the glass. Aromas of chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, biscuit, nuttiness, light coffee, slight fruitiness, and herbal hops. Very pleasant and balanced aromas with decent strength. Taste of chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, biscuit, toast, toffee, nuttiness, slight coffee, light fruitiness, and light herbal spiciness. Light bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, caramel, biscuit, toast, and roasted malt on the finish for a good bit. Great balance of flavors, and a nice malt backbone; with no cloying sweetness at all. Medium carbonation and body; with a nice creamy and slightly slick mouthfeel. Very easy to drink with no alcohol presence other that a slight warming after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice porter. A good amount of robustness, with great flavor balance; and very enjoyable. Really well done.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 02:12:42 | More by superspak

avalon07

South Carolina

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and a slightly hazy consistency. There was an inch of foamy head that lasted a fair amount of time. Good lacing.

S: A very malty aroma, with hints of coffee in it. About what you'd expect.

T: Tasted of roasted malt, light hops, a little yeast, and a hint of coffee. Like most English porters, this beer has a mild flavor. Not bad but not overly assertive either.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: On the whole, a decent enough beer, but not particularly memorable.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 12:25:03 | More by avalon07

hustlesworth

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- clear dark chestnut brown with red-orange highlights. Short tan head disappears quickly and leaves very little lacing.

S- deeply toasty and coffee aroma with apparently no sweetness. Some dark chocolate and herbal hops as well

T- sweeter and more chocolatey on the palate with coffee fading into the background. Woodsy with some tobacco and well balanced.

MF- somewhere between medium and full bodied. Ample carbonation in the beginning that calms down considerably.

D- this one is ok, but not the bomb. Less alcohol would be welcome.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 02:40:19 | More by hustlesworth

JEdmund

Kansas

4.55/5  rDev +23%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Looks perfect—black body with a healthy than head that has good formation and retention.

Really nice aroma—big! And it’s not so big it might as well be a stout (not overly roasty). It’s just a big porter with a lot of cocoa coming through with some toasty notes and a bit of caramel sweetness. I’m really impressed by the smell of this.

Flavor doesn’t disappoint. Starts off with everything I’m getting in the aroma, and it just feels nice—good light and fluffy body, right in line style-wise for a porter’s drinkability. Pretty big finish with a lot chocolate/cocoa powder flavor. They kept harsh roast to an utmost minimum, clearly making this a porter to style. Hop bitterness peaks out only in the finish, helping to dry up any residual sweeness.

Black Jack Porter is one of the best porters I’ve ever had. It’s more wowing than Sierra Nevada’s totally respectable and enjoyable porter, though not as massive and flooring as Founders’. Glad to realize this is a year-round beer, as I will not want to wait a year for another release. I will be buying more soon. I like it a lot. Good work, Left Hand!

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 02:48:34 | More by JEdmund

matjack85

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I tried this at Cooper's Bar on Belmont in Chicago. $5.50 for a 12oz brown bottle.

The beer poured a very dark brown/nearly black color with no head and only spotty lacing. Very disappointed with the look of this one. Hope it's not over the hill.

Roasted chocolate malt, coffee, and smoke aroma. It smells pretty good.

]The main flavor is bittersweet chocolate - in fact, I found the beer as a whole to be more bitter than sweet. Roasted malt, bitter coffee, a hint of raisins, and a touch of hops round out the other flavors.

Creamy smooth and full bodied with medium carbonation.

It's not bad, but I prefer my porters on the sweeter side.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 08:12:50 | More by matjack85

twaddlac

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours dark brown with a nice, lacy, creamy head.

S- Coffee and molasses - smells wonderful!

T- Coffee and lactic acid off the bat and finishes with a nice lactic bitterness and a slightly metallic flavor.

M- One of the better mouthfeels I've had coming from a porter. Very creamy with the perfect amount of carbonation. Finishes very dry.

O- An above average porter - recommended for any occasion due to it's drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 19:53:15 | More by twaddlac

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Pint glass fills with an opaque black ale, lots of dark brown around the edges though. Creamy head forms to a nice size, around two fingers. Good retention and random webs of lace.

S- Black and brown ale feel. Roasty malt, cocoa, coffee, caramel, buttery and dark fruit notes.

T- Dark, roasty and a bit sweet. Dark fruit pretty big here with the roast malt notes balancing it. Cereal grain, raisin, cocoa and nutty hints. Some hops are earthy and spicy.

MF- Slightly thin body but I seem to notice that in English porters. Roast and hop bitterness finish on the palate. Moderate silky bubbles.

A decent porter that does have a bit of an English feel, in body and flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 02:27:35 | More by cbutova

kemoarps

Washington

3.65/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep dark brown with a thing creamy head. Head retention and lacing are pretty good.

The nose is fresh and smoothe. Primarily composed of burnt malts with almost a hint of dark fruits hidden in the shadows. Smells crisp.

Following the nose (big ups Toucan Sam), it's a surprisingly crisp brew for a porter. The burnt malts aren't overly musty, and that light fruit undertone carries through. There's some cocoa but it's not particularly strong. Just a hint of spice in there as well.

Thinner than I expected, but certainly not watery, it's almost like a crisp summer take on a porter. Surprisingly drinkable and smoothe. I like it. It's not as good as some other porter's I've had and I still like their Milk Stout better, but this one has kind of grown on me.
Definitely give it a shot (even if just for the bottle art alone: I love the labels Left Hand puts out). Not one that necessarily warrants a fervent hunt for, but certainly worth drinking. Might be good for those who are not accustomed/who aren't super big into big dark beers (aka an intro porter to get a friend newly hooked??).

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 21:05:11 | More by kemoarps

soju6

Missouri

3.38/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a mahogany color with a tan ead that fades slowly to nice lacing.

S: Aroma of chocolate, coffee and some roasted malt.

T: Taste is a mixture of bittersweet chocolate, roasted malt and coffee. There is a nie bitterness and a clean finish.

F: Medium body, smooth and a bit creamy.

O: Not bad for the style. Not overpowering just an enjoyable Porter.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 10:17:30 | More by soju6

thegodfather1076

Ohio

4.09/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

This beer was served out of a 12oz. bottle dispensed into a glass....

Presentation - Label artwork is fresh and intense visually. I really really like the way Left Hand does their labels.

Appearance - Pours a dark root beer brown with a 1 finger tan airy foam head which stick around for a bit before dissipating into a light foam ring. Light lacing left behind on the glass.

Smell - Smells of toasty smokey toasted caramel malts and very slight hints of cherry. Hints of dark chocolate are evident as well.

Taste - Tastes of smokey roasted caramel malts that give way to a smokey coffee bitterness on the back end.

Mouthfeel - Smooth. Medium to light bodied with light carbonation.

Drinkability - Very drinkable in my opinion. The flavors and smell are very nice and blend together excellently. The lighter feel of this beer leads me to say a 6-pack would go down very easily!

Overall a very solid porter which I enjoyed greatly and would definitely recommend trying if given the chance. Classified as an "English Porter" which would be my first as far as I know.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 02:16:00 | More by thegodfather1076

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

3.08/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

From notes:

P: Very thin with no head, cloudy dark but not transparent. Looks like watered down cola.

S: Sweet caramel, vanilla, roasted nuts, prunes, subtle spice and a touch of coffee.

T/M: Big bitter sweet bite of floral hops, roasted malts, caramel, spice and vanilla. Surprisingly effervescent with apple, pear traces of butterscotch and pepper on the finish.

O: Solid porter but didn't really care for the mouthfeel or the floral hops in this combo.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 01:43:14 | More by Hopswagger

bump8628

Oklahoma

3.03/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Black Jack isn't bad beer, it's actually pretty decent beer, but it's too light even for English-style Porter. More like an English Brown with it's crystal malt driven backbone. Toffee, caramel chewiness, a hint of nutty roast in the background. Mild hopping with an earthy spice current just beneath the maltiness. With the exception of the Fade to Black Series, Left Hand beers seem to be getting dumbed down slowly over the years - just sayin'.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 20:17:29 | More by bump8628

enfield249

Michigan

3.15/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - A pours a deep ruby red, with 3 fingers of tan kahki foam.

S - Not much. Nothing offensive, just a litte roast malt.

T - First I get malts, sweet,slight coffee. Not very full flavored.

M- Straight up medium. Slight astringency, but it's from the malts rather than hops.

O - a nice middle of the road porter.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 00:25:23 | More by enfield249

dmfrench

Indiana

3.95/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sweet yet dry, creamy yet thin fruit and cocoa porter
___

A: Not quite opaque black body (actually a clear dull ruby when held to a light), topped with a fleeting one finger tight khaki head.

S: Dry cocoa is the dominant expression, with a bit of sweet and slightly sour dark fruit and some dusty hops and spices sitting on top.

T: Again, dry cocoa greets you up front and persists all the way through the finish. Sweet rather than sour apricot and/or plum is apparent, making up half the body, and the now more spicy than dusty hops balance out the fruit sweetness well. Finish is on dry cocoa and spices. A good flavor set, but I'm left wishing that the malt foundation was a bit stronger.

M: Just a bit on the thin side, but still creamy and mostly satisfying, with enough texture to feel in a slightly dry presentation.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 00:53:05 | More by dmfrench

Blueribbon666

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Review from notes. Part of the Left Hand sampler 12-pack I picked up.
Pours a rich black, brownish/ruby color into pint glass. Very little brownish head that dissipates quickly.
Smells of roasted malts, slighty smokey, with hints of coffee, licorice and semi-sweet cocoa.
Taste/mouthfeel; Good full rich, roasty malts with a bit of smokiness in the front, a bit of spiciness like licorice/anise, little carbonation before finishing clean.
Overall another solid entry from Left Hand, a good english porter that has a lil more in the body, mouthfeel and abv than normal but these are all a plus and very well done.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 12:30:56 | More by Blueribbon666

57md

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance is dark brown, almost black with ruby tones. There was a finger of head at the beginning, but there was little retention. However, this offering left some nice lacing.

There is a very mild coffee nose to this offering. Some light chocolate comes through in the flavor along with classic roasted bitterness. The bitterness comes on stronger on the finish which is the bets part of this offering.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2012 07:54:46 | More by 57md