Barrel-Aged Wake Up Dead - Left Hand Brewing Company

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Cast in full-on ebony, sizable tan head drifts down soon enough.

Rich aromatics, cocoa and coffee, with sweet bourbon notes just below, gets bigger and fuller as we go in. Vanilla and oak notes peeping up.

Tasting it: A full blast on the palate, all those flavors promised in the nose board together. There's licorice bumping up against molasses, vanilla hints and oakiness meet chocolate and caramel.
There is a nice imperial stout under here, hiding under a cloak of bourbon. Sweet stuff, probably too sweet for some, and potent, for sure. Cloying? Just a little. But for bourbon barrel lovers, like me, there's a lot to like. And maybe love.

It's easy drinking for an imperial stout, never gets near chewy, stays clear of viscous. Goes down smooth and brimming with stout-y and barrel-y flavors.

Here's one that's been unjustly maligned, I think. Maybe it needed a bit more time, or perhaps it's better in the keg?

Serving type: on-tap

03-15-2011 00:58:59 | More by feloniousmonk

Phelps

Arizona

3.05/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Enjoyed on tap at Papago in a snifter.

The beer looks deadly black, dark and absorbing. A minuscule, creamy head of light tan becomes medium ring.

The nose: bubble gum, powdered cocoa and a soft sweetness. It's hard to pick up any aroma at all, really.

This was barrel-aged? Molasses and lightly sweet black patent show themselves in the flavor, but there's no bourbon, no oak, no nothing. It's smooth and lightly sweet at the finish, but not as flavorful as expected.

Smooth, creamy medium body. Very lightly fizzy. Some alcohol in flavor and more in throat. Very light, prickly carbonation.

I need more flavor! This is weak even for a stout, let alone a barrel-aged one.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2011 22:58:13 | More by Phelps

yemenmocha

Arizona

2.63/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Hmmm, starts alright with a decent b lack body and smallish head. Nose is quite a curve ball with band-aid plastic notes, touch of perfume, and a boozy vanilla oak like quality. Palate has a much lighter flavor than anticipated, almost as if it is not really an imperial stout at all. Some heat on the finish. Moderate roasty flavors here, maybe some wet coffee grounds.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 03:24:30 | More by yemenmocha

daledeee

Iowa

3.08/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A 22 oz bottle that's been in the "warm" frig for a while.

Poured a very dark brown with tan head. No lacing.

Nose is vanilla and booze.

Taste is just not as thick and heavy as I am used to. There are notes of chocolate, vanilla and some bitterness.

Mouth feel is also not quite up to greatness. Not a lot of carbonation.

Drinkability suffers. Not the most balanced flavor and the alcohol is very warming.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2011 01:12:43 | More by daledeee

nickfl

Florida

3.33/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours with two fingers of light brown foam, resting on a black body with ruby highlights showing through. The foam settles slowly and leaves thick lace.

S - Lots of molasses, brown sugar, and caramel. There is some dark fruity as well, cherry and red apple mostly as well as a bit of rum.

T - Dark, sugary malt up front. Lots of plum and brown sugar and a deep molasses note. Some spicy sugar in the middle with notes of chicory and clove. The beer finishes with moderate bitterness and lots of sweet brown sugar soaked with rum.

M - Medium-thick body, moderate carbonation, and a sweet finish.

D - This beer was a bit of a disappointment. It is cloyingly sweet with molasses and brown sugar serving as the primary flavor characteristics. The barrel aging seems to have had minimal effect with just a light note of rum that is heavily influence by the sugary malt. The beer is almost completely lacking in roasted malt character or chocolate notes, it is really all about molasses. Whatever the intention, this seems to be more of an imperial brown ale than anything else and it just doesn't work for me. A rare miss from lefthand.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 07:12:26 | More by nickfl

Allpe45

Arizona

2.23/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

bottled 10-26-10
Appears reddish dark brown with very little rosy white head despite being poured aggressively. Doesn't look like a stout

Very unpleasant smell. Rotten fruits and medicinal booziness. Cherry cough syrup? The smell is offputting, makes me scared to drink this.

The taste isn't nearly as bad as the smell, but that's not saying much. Typical chocolate maltiness. No roast flavors. Barrel aging is not noticeable.

Disappointing mouthfeel for a stout. Way too thin

Tough to drink because of the smell. Nothing special in the taste to make up for it.

I hope this is just a one-off gone wrong, and not the product they were expecting to end up with.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 05:48:02 | More by Allpe45

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

2.78/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

decided to try this beer since i had the fade to black Volume 2 smoked baltic porter and really enjoyed that beer.

Poured into a snifter.

Appearance: light black color with redish glow when held up to light. Nice lacing that stick well to glass, but head dissapates quickly.

Smell: Mellow smell of roasted malts and very faint oak. Tough to find the smell in the beer. Not much here.

Taste: sweet malts and a alcohol almost cough syrup taste with the cough syrup flavor dominating the aftertaste. Not at all what i expected.

Mouthfeel: I bit over carbonated and a thin body from this beer. Does not match up with what a stout that is barrel aged should be like.

Drinkability: not easy to drink because the beer does not taste right to me.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2011 03:53:37 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

Kakaraht

British Columbia (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +27.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark brown with a thin tan head that has decent lacing.

S: Very sweet and alcoholic with roasted coffee and burnt molasses. There is hints of brown sugar and a faint sour oakiness and a tinge of vanilla toffee.

T: Very heavy and sweet, almost syrupy with a decent amount of oak quality. Very reminiscent of the smell, but with an astringent burntness that gives a good bitter balance.

M: Very heavy, light carbonation and a deep thick syrupy alcoholic finish.

D: Hard to drink a full glace because of its heaviness, but perfect to split between a few friends as a dessert beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 00:26:33 | More by Kakaraht

BierFan

Michigan

3.38/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Very thin light tan head. Dark brown/black body.

Smell: Alcohol is noticeable, faint roasted malts, and there's something else that is off-putting that I can't quite put into words. Nail polish remover? Definitely fusel-like.

Taste: Luckily this beer tastes a little better than it smells. Still has a weird chemical thing going on. Vanilla, butterscotch, dark malts, alcohol, fusel alcohol, and a moderate bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2011 08:56:31 | More by BierFan

carolinahophead

North Carolina

2.78/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Left Hand Barrel Aged Imperial Stout ...
Poured nothing like a big time stout.
Light in color ... almost like a brown ale .
The smell is very tight , a little dark malt does come out .
The taste has a good start with smooth dark cocoa and hops.
Mouthfeel is a light to medium approach , nothing special here .
Its a big beer and thats all . NO hype and does not it.
A big disappointment for me . Maybe better next year...

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 21:24:47 | More by carolinahophead

shir0043

Minnesota

1.63/5  rDev -51.5%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1

I saw the left hand name + barrel aged imperial and thought this would be a sure thing.

Poor'd into the glass like a darker brown ale which I can see some light through. Minimal head and zero lacing. Oh Well, appearance isn't the most important attribute for me (and should warrant 20% of the score).

The smell is OK. Sweet matls, brown sugar ... again like a brown ale. Where is the barrel aging??? The smell takes a huge wrong turn if you swirl the glass around. It smells like band-aids. God awful.

Taste is similar to the look and smell. Starts off like a brown ale then gets worse as you swirl it around your mouth. Again like band-aid or rubber.

I let this one sit for an hour thinking it would get better once it breaths ... nope. Down the drain it goes.

This would be an OK strong ale if not for the band aid flavor. I have no idea where the imperial stout title comes from???

I used to trust the left hand name but now I'll think twice before trying a new brew from them.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 02:32:38 | More by shir0043

jlindros

Massachusetts

2.73/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Pours a light creamy 1 finger head that fades semi slowly with a touch of lacing over dark brown molasses colored almost black beer with some light coming through.

Nose starts pretty bad, a dry bready funk, woody esthers, sawdust and that bad funky wild aroma that comes from a bad wild beer. That overpowers most of it, but under that is a slight toasty bready dark malt, and hints of roast.

Taste has lot more of the bad part, a dry sawdust thrown over vomit induced wild funk. The bad part of a wild gone wrong, mixed with sawdust and at least some decent dark malts, a bit of roast, a slight bitter earthy hop, fairly bitter that gets stronger on the finish.

The mouth is medium to a little heavier bodied, with decent carbonation and bit of warming booze.

Drink is not so great either, it's hard to scoff down something that barely keeps on the plus side of tasting better going down than coming up, which it almost seems that it wants to eventually do. If I didn't spend so much on this one I probably would let it go down the drain without passing through my liver and kidneys (or back up the esophagus the other way first).

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 03:36:34 | More by jlindros

bluejacket74

Ohio

2.53/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

22 ounce bottle, bottled on 10/26/10. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown with about a half inch tan head that went away quickly. Average amount of lacing left on the glass. Not much to the aroma, it smells like charred malt, a bit of dark fruit and some licorice. I have no idea what kind of barrel this was aged in, but I don't notice anything in the aroma that would make me think this was aged in one for long. It tastes like bitter roasted/burnt malt, licorice, and also an overall herbal flavor. Some sweet flavor (molasses) does come out as the beer warms up more. Like the aroma, there's nothing in the taste that would make me think this is a barrel aged beer. Mouthfeel/body is medium with moderate carbonation, but for the style I think the mouthfeel is light. Drinkability is a little below average, but I did finish the bomber so it can't be that awful. Overall, I just don't care for this brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2011 23:25:15 | More by bluejacket74

Beejay

Virginia

2.05/5  rDev -39%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: Dark brown with ruby hues when held to the light. Almost no head at all, what is there dissipates almost immediately.

S: I don't know how I feel about this... first I smelled a bit of salty brine scent. A second whiff smells like burning rubber.

T: Not impressed with this... Plastic continues a bit, as well as a touch of olive brine. There is a bit of oak, but the majority of the stout seems completely lost. There is an almost cloying flavor in the finish alongside some roasted grain. As it warms it gets a bit better, but this still doesn't taste like a barrel aged imperial stout.

M: Light on body, carbonation seems high for the style. This feels watery for the style, and comes off a little hot.

D: I have had other beers from Left Hand and have enjoyed them, but this is a huge miss for me. There are practically no redeeming qualities about this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2011 03:51:39 | More by Beejay

barleywinefiend

Washington

2.17/5  rDev -35.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: Poured dark dark brown with a nice tannish cap. So far so good.

S: Alcohol, some roasted notes

T: Bland chocolate notes, not much flavor or anything to this just sordove misguided. No real bourbon, wood, vanilla

M: Thinner body than I expected from the ABV, not much flavor

D: I drainpoured after three sips. Waste of money

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2011 00:49:07 | More by barleywinefiend

ne0m00re

Ohio

1.58/5  rDev -53%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Live review of a 22 oz bottle.
A: Poured black with a light brown or amber hue and a one-finger cream head that leaves a little lacing.
S: Very licorice and herbal/floral... not as oaky as you'd expect. It comes off like pine wood and a weird medicinal toffee. No, more of a bubblegum or an artificial sweetener. Imagine the spice of a saison, but stronger and in a barrel-aged RIS. Infection? There is no real roast. This is not very good. At all.
T: It starts out nice, with a chocolate... wait a second! What is this? Chamomile? Some strange medicinal herb again, which almost comes off like licorice root or artificial sweetener. Weird rum and cheap imitation vanilla extract alcohol. Strong "buttery" or irish cream as well, and not in a good way. Ugh. It gets a 1.5 because the taste isn't quite as bad as the smell.
M: Too thick and syrupy, with an awkward carbonation that doesn't really cleanse nor smooth it out.
D: I'd prefer not to have a full glass.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2011 00:43:11 | More by ne0m00re

beerman207

Kentucky

1.6/5  rDev -52.4%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Ok....so I saw this on the shelf and thought "sweet!" then saw $8.99 for the bottle. Thought ok...not too expensive. The lady at the register rang it up at $4.99 and I thought I got a steal! Turns out after reading the review for this, that perhaps it was marked down :(

A: Pours a dark brown in the glass? WTH? No real head to speak of. The thing looks like a nut brown - not an imperial stout. Already pissed.

S: Nothing. Are you f'ng serious? I am furious right now

T: Ok...so the taste isn't bad for perhaps an american strong. This is a review however for an imperial stout which is labeled as such on the bottle. As a result - F.

M: Mild - thin as water

D: WTH is this beer? Left Hand - you really dropped the ball with this brew. The only reason my drain isn't drinking this beer is because the american strong flavor is halfway decent. Wow.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 01:15:35 | More by beerman207

oline73

Maryland

3.45/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a snifter.

Appearance: Pours almost black, some light comes through. I expected this to be a bit darker. There is a tan one finger head, some of which remains throughout.

Smell: Some mildly sweet roast with hints of molasses, bourbon, and sweet fruit.

Taste: There is a mild sweetness to this one and then you pick up the bourbon. I'm not tasting very much roast, but I do find some molasses and maybe a bit of brown sugar. The finish is quite hot and tastes of bourbon.

Mouthfeel: I find this one to be a bit thin. The carbonation is fine and the finish is dry.

Drinkability: I enjoyed this one enough, but I would opt for other beers of this style before coming back.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2011 14:25:18 | More by oline73

Spider889

Ohio

2.6/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Sigh. I had been really looking forward to this beer since the announcement of this and Volume 2 of Fade to Black.
Review from notes.

Heh, the first thing written on my little notepad is, "Stout?"

The beer simply doesn't look like a stout. It was way too thin for an Imperial Stout, and a brown color more akin to Dr. Pepper than a black stout. I was sharing this with a couple other people so I didn't have the largest glass ever, but I didn't get much head or lace out of this one.

It smelled great. But not like a great stout. There are fruity notes of fig and dates. There are mild vanilla and caramel aromas as well. But barrel aged? Really? This also seemed to be an odd descriptor of the beer, as the barrel aging barely comes through at all.

The flavor was less a stout than the aroma. It didn't taste bad, but not the listed style at all. There is some biscuitty malt and serious sweetness to it. You can kind of taste the barrel aging in the booziness of it, but there's no bourbon flavor, no nuance. The flavor finishes with cinnamon and a light chocolate malt flavor.

The mouthfeel is very dry and mildly oaky. Drinkability is low. I'm sorry, but if I want an Imperial Stout, this is the last thing I'd reach for. The beer itself wasn't bad; had the brewery labeled it as a strong ale I might have rated as high as a B or B+, but as is, this beer simply disappoints.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 10:09:51 | More by Spider889

evilkalla

Alabama

3.53/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Serving: Bomber into a pint glass.

A: If I had been handed this beer and not been told what style it was, I would have rated it higher than this. However when I read "imperial stout" on the label I expected something very, very dark, black, opaque. It is not the case here, it is a very dark brown ale. There is very little head to speak of, not even a finger. Overall appearance isn't bad, it just doesn't look like an imperial stout.

S: There are some stout-like qualities to the smell, some chocolate and coffee and dark, roasted malt. Overall not a bad smell.

T: If you forget that the label says "imperial stout", then this beer is actually pretty decent. It has roasted, dark malt flavor to it, with some raisin and dark caramel hints to it. The taste is overall pleasant, but an imperial stout it is not.

M: I expected something a little more thick for an imperial stout but I don't really get it. Otherwise, a fairly average mouthfeel, nothing remarkable.

D: Overall, this beer tastes pretty good, but be sure you have a friend rip the label off first, since it's not an imperial stout. More like a blend of a dark amber/brown ale and a stout. Fairly drinkable, if the 10% ABV holds true, I'll be falling off my chair in no time.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 23:39:53 | More by evilkalla

Dhren1979

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Vintage: 2010

Serving Type: 22oz Bomber poured into a Tulip Glass.

A: Pours a very dark brown..like a coffee bean. The head is thin and off-whitish.

S: The aroma is not that strong which is surprising for this style. Coffee, roasted malts & sweet choclate.

T: Not tasing much bourbon/whiskey as I would expect. WHY??!! Sweet raisen and wood.

M: Towards the far end of a medium body beer. Should be hevier! Average feeling on my tongue.

D: Very drinkable, yes. Something I must have again? Yes & no...more no.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 02:43:50 | More by Dhren1979

metter98

New York

3.15/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: The beer is very dark amber (near black) in color and poured with a thin off white head.
S: There are moderate aromas of alcohol and brown sugar in the nose.
T: The taste lacks complexity and the flavors imparted from the oak barrel aging are very subdued. It has some flavors of roasted malts and bourbon in the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a bit thin on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: There wasn't anything exciting about the taste that would make me want to try this again.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 00:13:15 | More by metter98

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +19%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Left Hand Wake Up Dead
Bottled on 10.26.10

With a little coaxing I was able to bring up a frothy head of (surprisingly subtly pinkish) tan that held quite well. When it eventually fell, it looked almost like wet yeasty dough. Lots of lacing was left behind, and although there was pretty much just a whispy surface covering throughout the remainder of the glass, the lacing remained strong. The body appeared black in the glass, but when held to the light you could see that it was a fairly clear, ruby-orange accented dark mahogany.

The aroma was fruity at first, revealing its chocolate and caramel notes later on. As my nose adjusted I found more of what appeared to be Bourbon. Ahh, but there's some woodiness there as well. Nice. There was just a hint of roastiness to it, almost like the ash and char of a camp fire the morning after, but not enough to make me think "Imperial" stout.

The wood comes through in the flavor, and it's not overdone. There's just enough there to give it some extra character. It's a bit like brown sugar on the tip of the tongue, followed by some fruit (berry-like with some cherry and a bit of dark fruit skins) and powdery cocoa-ish notes, and finally some golden caramel. A spritz of alcohol appears and then it shows its bitterness at the swallow, followed by chocolate notes. Dark bitter chocolate - nice. It's a surprisingly short finish until the alcohol starts to build on your palate, and then that lingers for seemingly forever. You really get that Bourbon barrel at that point. It's kind of like an alcohol soaked chocolate covered cherry.

All in all, I found it to be a really drinkable beer. It's certainly not a massive beer, with what I'd deem a medium body. Nor are the flavors overly rich, leaving it readily accessible. I thought the fruitiness was quite charming, and overall I found it really well-balanced and rounded. The only drawback to all of that is the fairly obvious alcohol note. How much of that is due to aging in Bourbon barrels, I don't know. Taking it as it is, hedonistically, I think it's a really solid, enjoyable beer. What I find missing, given the "Imperial stout" designation is more maltiness, body, and fuller flavors of chocolate and roast. It lacks depth, but not complexity.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 22:42:06 | More by NeroFiddled

JamnesCameron

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a snifter.

Pours a little light for a RIS, deep ruby on the pour, nearly black in the glass. One finger of tan head that drops fairly quickly. Some promise of lacing.

Aromas of cherries, vanilla, some wood tannins, faint hints of cocoa and coffee. Nothing intense. No real hop aroma.

First sip is of dark cherries, dark fruit (dates and raisins), some wood tannins, slight vanilla, slight cocoa, very slight coffee. Cherry pits. Medium finish that ends with some hop and tannic bitterness. Absense of any alcohol burn.

Mouthfeel is thin for a RIS. Some resiny coating from hop acids and wood tannins. But very light, unexpected. Some alcohol warmth.

Good drinkability. A little light, in all respects, appearance isn't dark enough, aromas, taste and mouhfeel are all a bit subdued for a RIS. In fact, if presented blind, I might guess an imperial porter, with some wood age.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 01:45:23 | More by JamnesCameron

jsh420

Illinois

2.15/5  rDev -36%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

bottled 10-28-10

pours dark caramel brown with a 2 finger tan soapy head that left no lacing

smell is very faint but i pick up sweet malt and some vanilla

taste - has some off flavor - this should not be called a stout imo maybe a brown ale - i do not pick up any barrel flavors either - light roast caramel malt some chocolate

mouthfeel is decent- medium full body low carbonation

drinkabiilty not good- poured out 75% of it

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 02:21:36 | More by jsh420