Smoke Jumper Smoked Imperial Porter - Left Hand Brewing Company

sweethome

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Ink dated on neck - 2/8/12 - a fresh one!

Pours with a tan head - nice head - about one finger. Nose is rauchbier - smoke up front, backed by roast malt. Entry is full, creamy. Smooth, yet full flavored. Chocolate malt builds as the beer is consumed. A big porter malt blast with firm smoke - the right balance of smoke for me. The smoke brings cured bacon to mind.

Substantial yet drinkable, complex yet approachable. This is the best beer I have had from Left Hand. Bravo - a beer to savor.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 23:46:24 | More by sweethome

gleemonger

California

4.58/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Dark coffee brown, almost black with a small tan head that doesn't stick around for very long. Not really any lacing.

Dark smokey roasted malts as hoped from the name, with some sweet chocolate hints to balance. A little vanilla. Very sweet and savory smelling, I like it a lot.

Even more of the smoke on the flavor, but not super crazy because it's quickly balanced out by the sweet chocolate flavors and some of the usual porter malt flavors, with just a hint of hop bitterness to even it out. I get a hint of that vanilla I was smelling too. Pretty complex and evenly balanced.

Full bodied with fairly light carbonation but a nice crisp bite to it anyway. Somehow it still feels like a porter - granted it's an imperial porter, but still, I get the classification.

Really nice. I'm a big fan of smoked beers and this one didn't disappoint at all. I get plenty of the smoke, but not to the point where it's completely overwhelmed or the other parts are neglected. Very well crafted and balanced.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 21:31:55 | More by gleemonger

jstevep00

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

06-06-2013 06:22:58 | More by jstevep00

WynnO

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

06-04-2013 20:30:37 | More by WynnO

Polarslag

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

06-03-2013 01:33:35 | More by Polarslag

barnzy78

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber, pours near-black,topped with a tall, tan colored head that faded fairly quickly leaving little lace on the glass. Aromas are smoke, roasted barley, molasses, chocolate. Ample amount of smoked malt, molasses, roasted barley, chocolate, peppery finish, booze is well concealed. Creamy, fullish body, easy to drink. Overall, decent smoked beer, but I wouldn't get it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2013 20:46:33 | More by barnzy78

JHendu

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

05-23-2013 02:08:39 | More by JHendu

Zimm

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

05-15-2013 17:49:22 | More by Zimm

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%

05-15-2013 16:12:20 | More by Slatetank

ToddHolder

Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.7%

05-11-2013 01:53:49 | More by ToddHolder

kylehay2004

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

04-25-2013 21:07:21 | More by kylehay2004

kevanb

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

650ml bottle poured into a Left Hand Pint Glass.

The beer pours a nice black color, hues of brown and burgundy with a loose caramel head that is hardly a finger high that vanishes quickly and leaves some film atop the beer, but minimal lacing. The aroma very salty, smoky and robust. Lots of smoke, dark chocolate and bacon grease, it's quite savory, harsh and rather one dimensional. The flavors are a bit more balanced, but dominantly smoky, more of a chocolate and malt showing, but the smoke really punishes the palate with some sharp alcohol at the finish. The body is nice and rich, fairly smooth with some overzealous carbonation that finishes with a nice creamy touch.

Verdict: Certainly a powerfully smoky beer, a bit too much for me and my sensitive palate. This is definitely one of the more bacon and salty, savory forward beers I've had and the balance is really poor. Smoked beers really aren't my thing and this one is just way too intense for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 03:09:34 | More by kevanb

beercanman

Ohio

4/5  rDev -0.7%

04-03-2013 05:32:45 | More by beercanman

StJamesGate

New York

3.94/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black with chestnut highlights and beige foams that trails.
Smoky phenols with hints of red berry, peat and meat on the nose.
Red currants, cold coffee, lots of smoke, far whack of earthy hops. Sweetens as it warms, with red berry and brown sugar.
Sprucey end and roasty bitter linger.
Medium to full, round, plenty of chew.

1.021 finish, so full and sweet. Smoke is judicious and there's plenty of bitter in the roast and hops. Lean for 8.8%, which makes it a nice drinker.

Between the smoke, roast and sweetness, tastes more like BBQ than any smoked beer I've had.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 17:25:12 | More by StJamesGate

AR_Rios

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%

04-01-2013 23:12:39 | More by AR_Rios

KiltedCulinarian

Georgia

4/5  rDev -0.7%

03-24-2013 21:30:12 | More by KiltedCulinarian

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -6.9%

03-12-2013 19:25:02 | More by Zachtheporter

WritersBlock

Texas

5/5  rDev +24.1%

03-11-2013 22:12:10 | More by WritersBlock

rdobens

Tennessee

3/5  rDev -25.6%

03-08-2013 00:53:58 | More by rdobens

Woffy

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

03-01-2013 23:33:39 | More by Woffy

MasonJ

North Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +17.9%

02-26-2013 19:27:01 | More by MasonJ

seavercm

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -13.2%

02-06-2013 16:24:27 | More by seavercm

JeffreyJDavis

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -6.9%

01-30-2013 04:02:37 | More by JeffreyJDavis

scratch69

Missouri

4.33/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I poured a bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance- Black in color with a half a fingers worth of dark tan head. Light amount of runny lacing.

Smell- Smoke and chocolate aromas with a hint of char.

Taste- Sweet dark malt and smoke flavors dominate with notes of chocolate, char, and dark fruits.

Mouthfeel- On the light end of full bodied, creamy, and smooth. Light amount of carbonation with a faint amount of alcohol warmth.

Overall- This is one of the better smoked beers I have had. Tasty and complex but not too complex.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 00:20:47 | More by scratch69

dendroaspis

New Mexico

4/5  rDev -0.7%

01-18-2013 01:07:27 | More by dendroaspis