Midnight Project #3 Oxymoron
Left Hand Brewing Company

Midnight Project #3 OxymoronMidnight Project #3 Oxymoron
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From:
Left Hand Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
Imperial Pilsner
ABV:
7.2%
Score:
81
Avg:
3.52 | pDev: 13.07%
Reviews:
65
Ratings:
91
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 30, 2014
Added:
Aug 26, 2010
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  2
India Pale Lager
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by emerge077:
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

3.44/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Nice jewel-tone orange, deep saturated color. Fluffy cap of foam that stays around for a bit. Sticky crest of lacing arcs around the glass, retaining some dimension. A thick ring of foam remains around the edge of the liquid, while a wispy skim floats on the surface.

Sweet malty nose, initially a little skunky from noble hops. Later a swirl brings out dry floral aromatics, a little bit perfumey.

Medium bodied with some bitter citrus peel, and dry weedy notes. Fleeting malt sweetness in the form of crispbread or crackers. Bitter citrus tea. Dry bitterness lingers in the back of the throat, like after eating a raw dandelion. Carbonation is ok, but the jarring dandelion bitterness building in the finish doesn't really jive with the beer as a whole. Something I can finish, but not hoping for a repeat brewing of this one.

Time may have faded this some, unfortunately the stamped date was smudged on all the bottles at the store. "~ 18 10" (can't make out the 1st digit, probably an 8 or 9, judging from the earliest reviews here...making this brew 2-3 months old).
Nov 30, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 2 by largadeer from California

Oct 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Latarnik from New Jersey

May 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by afsdan from Colorado

Mar 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by jaydoc from Kansas

Dec 14, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by tswater from Colorado

Nov 04, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Cronkite11 from Colorado

Oct 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by ridgeline23 from Pennsylvania

Jan 31, 2013
Photo of Jadjunk
Reviewed by Jadjunk from Georgia

3.33/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
"Sometime around midnight in a city nobody can agree on, the idea for Left Hand and Terrapin to brew a collaboration beer was born. Oxymoron is the third in a series of one-time releases between our two breweries. A combination of contradictions embodied in liquid form, Oxymoron is an American-style IPA brewed with three German malts, six German hop varieties, and a lager yeast strain. Obnoxious yet reserved, elevated yet modest, it's the embodiment of blending two brewing philosophies together in order to achieve singularity. Consider it an expression of cruel kindness." Brewed in the style of an Imperial Pilsner.

Poured from a 22 oz. bomber to a pilsner glass. Served north of 48º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a creamy white head that recedes at an average rate. Body color is a hazy copper amber with sediment in suspension. Carbonation is busy and excited. Overall it's a decent appearance although not reminiscent of a pilsner in terms of coloration or substance. The chunks of matter in the beer may not be appealing either. 3.5

(Smell) Creamy caramel malts, a touch of rye malt, some honey malt. Yeast presence is bready and robust. Hop character is faint, but earthy and pine trace remains. Still not like a pilsner, and not like an India Pale Lager either. Smells much like a rye lager, very forward on malt and less on hops. A very full flavor, pretty heavy in aroma but pleasing. 3.5

(Taste) Toasted caramel grain and some peppery rye malt. The murky hop flavors are far past their prime and have rapidly faded. A remaining buttery rye character is most dominant, plus a touch of caramel and a wet cardboard funk (oxidation). I wish I'd have found this a long time ago, because a full bouquet of hop character would certainly balance this beer out. It's still surprisingly decent but has faded significantly in the fragile hop character. 3

(Mouthfeel) Creamy textures, some mild slickness and resin. Heavy bodied amongst Pilseners and India Pale Lagers, and medium+ bodied overall. The texture is quite decent for a bready, malt heavy beer. Alcohol presence is mild. 3.75

(Overall) The malt character remained mostly intact and dominant in this beer but the six types of hops were all but faded with time, leaving this malt-heavy beer out-of-balance in flavor and bitterness. Still enjoyable even at this time, I would still recommend approaching with caution and the potential of being disappointed in the lack of remaining flavor this beer has to offer. 3.5

Left Hand Brewing Company's
Midnight Project #3: Oxymoron: A Teutonic India Pale Lager
3.3/5.00
Jan 26, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Zach136 from Georgia

Dec 09, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by sendbeer from Georgia

Nov 18, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by Keith_R from Georgia

Sep 06, 2012
Photo of bigfnjoe
Reviewed by bigfnjoe from Pennsylvania

2.89/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Poured from a bottle into a perfect pint

A- pours a cloudy shade of orangeish/yellow with a one finger offwhite head...the head is very thick. That looks nice at least

S- stale citrus hops....ugh

T- mild bit of citrus hops....they not very strong or juicy. Mild bite in the end. Bleh

M- thin body. Not too bad, actually

O- I'm sure this would be a lot better fresher, but it is what it is.
Jun 20, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by GRG1313 from California

May 28, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by IdrinkGas from Pennsylvania

Mar 26, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by BugTownPub from Pennsylvania

Mar 01, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by ltdantheman from Georgia

Feb 20, 2012
Photo of JohnnyMc
Reviewed by JohnnyMc from Ohio

3/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A very unique, once-in-a-lifetime brew. Terrapin and Left Hand have come together to create this "Teutonic India Pale Ale."

The aroma is like an IPA, fresh with a hint of citrus, but the taste is very different. As it first hits the tongue there is the light hop flavor which quickly changes to a sweet malt taste. Unfortunately, all that's left after a few moments is a strong, bitter aftertaste. Not a great beer, but not bad.
Feb 16, 2012
Photo of kevosbob
Reviewed by kevosbob from Colorado

3.21/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
In my own opinion, when breweries form friendships and collaborate it makes me proud to be involved in the craft beer culture. It’s what make this business better than any other. Lefthand Brewing Company and Terrapin Brewing Company have collaborated on a few different beers over the years. Oxymoron is their third beer in the limited “Midnight Project” series of beers. Oxymoron is an India Pale Lager that was brewed in the summer of 2010. Oxymoron has a 7.2% alcohol by volume and is brewed with German malts, six German hops, and with a cold fermenting lager yeast.

This beer pours a beautiful deep orange color with a mild haze. The head pours a creamy white color with a slight yellow tint. This beer smells complex and takes a second to decipher the malts, hops, and yeast profiles. I pick out notes of pine, wet-grass, berries, orange peel, and a mild iron-ish undertone. Definitely a hoppy beer, but smells less organized and more complex like an unfinished puzzle.

At first sips I recognize the similarities between the the lagered German malts in this and in traditional German lagers. Oxymoron has a light mouth feel with a slight alcohol burn but does not have the expected lager crispness. The complexity is nice but I feel like the lager yeast mutes the potential IPA intensity. I feel that less hops but with specific characteristics would have been better for a lagered IPA. The beer has a nice finish that has a dry citrus quality.

Overall this beer isn’t bad but also isn’t too special ether. It’s nice to taste this beer and start to understand the qualities of lager yeasts. It makes me want to know what other ales would taste like if you lagered the brew process. It also makes me understand why you see hoppy beers brewed with a warmer, ale, brew process. If you like tasting beer I suggest buying a bottle but if you can’t find it anymore, don’t sweat it.

My Beer Rating: 3.5
Feb 13, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by stampfler07 from Colorado

Feb 05, 2012
Midnight Project #3 Oxymoron from Left Hand Brewing Company
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 91 ratings