Fade To Black (Volume 3 - Pepper Porter) - Left Hand Brewing Company

jaasen64

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle from a 6-pack

A- Pours a dark black with absolutely no head, very little carbonation, and not much in terms of lacing.

S- smells like a typical pilsner- coffee, chocolate, malts.

T- Light coffee, chocolate, and licorice taste (not nearly as much as I expected from the smell) with a lot of underlying tastes. The pepper definitely adds a nice underlying slightly spicey kick to it that remains as an aftertaste.

M- Medium bodied, a tiny bit lighter then I expected, smooth, drinkable, and nicely balanced between the sweetness and slight spiciness. Surprised when I saw the 7.5% ABV, definitely well hidden.

O- This was an interesting offering from Left Hand. I've always been a fan of their milk stout. While their Fade to Black wasn't as good, it definitely didn't disappoint. The smell and appearance were pretty typical for a pilsner, but the taste was what was truely unique. The beer had a typical sweet pilsner taste too it but the pepper definitely added a unique light kick. Left Hand did a good job at making the pepper not too strong so that it balanced nicely with the sweetness.

The only beer I can compare to this one is the Chili Tats from Wormtown that I had at EBF. That beer was basically a stronger version of this (higher ABV, way more kick, and a little bit sweeter). While I liked the take on both beers, I think it would be interesting if Left Hand made a little bit stronger version of this beer in the future. I liked the Chili Tats but it definitely had a little bit too much kick to it (my mouth was almost burning afterwards), I think a balance between the two would be perfect (ie- increase the sweetness a little bit, but keep the kick around the same level).

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 23:56:29 | More by jaasen64

Ciocanelu

Romania

4/5  rDev +4.2%

05-21-2013 12:37:35 | More by Ciocanelu

beerdrifter

Germany

3.29/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

Picked this up while on vacation in PA. Dark brown, nearly black pour with a beige one finger head with great retention and lacing. Nice roasty, earthy nose with hints of cocoa, dark chocolate, and some subtle smoke. The taste follows suit with hints of mocha, tobacco, cocoa, coffee, dark chocolate, some subtle chili, and the smoke is even more prevalent. The mouthfeel is somewhat chalky and mouth-coating and very thin with a dry finish. Overall, a bit disappointing. Never had the base beer, but this didn't convince me to seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 16:36:46 | More by beerdrifter

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

05-09-2013 05:04:13 | More by Kelp

FLBeerGuy

Florida

4/5  rDev +4.2%

04-29-2013 03:48:52 | More by FLBeerGuy

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.15/5  rDev -18%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

Left Hand Brewing's Fade To Black Vol. 3 Pepper Porter is brewed in the style of an American Porter brewed with Chile Peppers. No label information. Bottled on 1/14/12.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a snifter. Served north of 52º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a chocolate milk-tone head of a frothy cream consistency with an average retention and quality. Body color is a very dark brown, near black with deep orange highlights and a mild viscosity. Carbonation is not visible. Decent appearance for body color, but a little shallow in depth and the head quality suffers. 3.25

(Smell) Aroma consists of mild hints of roasted cocoa, a pinch of black malt, a bit of alcohol heat and some aromatic wet cardboard funk, likely from the age of the beer. Aroma is already a bit dated with most of the chili content gone and the remaining body soon to follow. Potency is medium at best. 3

(Taste) Flavor maintains better. Roasted chocolate malt and barley body with a scratchy chili spice on the mildly dry finish. Not a bad balance although it's certainly lacking a touch of balance against the sweet and dense malt body, perhaps a touch of earthy hop character that the chilis can't really counteract well. As such, the beer's flavor profile is very heavy without being equally complex. 3.25

(Mouthfeel) Mildly viscous slick texture with low carbonation, a touch of chili heat and a mild dry finish. It's a bit lacking in carbonation, and doesn't really go for drinkability as much as it should. 2.75

(Overall) Chili-infused beers are definitely a product of 2012, but it's not a part of craft beer history I regret tasting. This was not a bad take on the style, and the chili managed to stay well preserved in the flavor over the past year, whereas the carbonation and aroma have either been always lacking or fallen out. I hope that in the future if chili porters are brewed again that they will keep in mind that these beers can stay drinkable and light while maintaining the chili kick just as well. 3.25

Left Hand Brewing Company's
Fade To Black Vol. 3 Pepper Porter
/5.00

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 01:37:25 | More by Jadjunk

Zach136

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

04-03-2013 23:45:38 | More by Zach136

WilstonOreo

Germany

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%

03-24-2013 01:11:47 | More by WilstonOreo

BrockGibson31

Indiana

3/5  rDev -21.9%

02-23-2013 21:30:57 | More by BrockGibson31

shep8821

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%

02-09-2013 07:15:52 | More by shep8821

srw

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

02-08-2013 22:46:47 | More by srw

calcnerd

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -15.4%

02-02-2013 01:22:49 | More by calcnerd

JimmyFlatRock

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

01-25-2013 22:09:14 | More by JimmyFlatRock

Chokobo

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +4.2%

01-20-2013 05:58:53 | More by Chokobo

Thirstygoat

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

01-20-2013 02:21:29 | More by Thirstygoat

muchloveforhops3

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

01-19-2013 08:52:35 | More by muchloveforhops3

StevenH

New Jersey

2.5/5  rDev -34.9%

01-13-2013 04:28:58 | More by StevenH

NickThePyro

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

12-24-2012 04:30:42 | More by NickThePyro

rcjennings

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

12-15-2012 19:29:04 | More by rcjennings

schoon

Iowa

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%

12-12-2012 00:54:09 | More by schoon

Liquoric3

Germany

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

12-09-2012 19:21:39 | More by Liquoric3

bigd03

4/5  rDev +4.2%

12-09-2012 14:52:40 | More by bigd03

cackalacky

South Carolina

2.75/5  rDev -28.4%

11-25-2012 04:54:50 | More by cackalacky

HxC90

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

11-21-2012 15:27:37 | More by HxC90

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from tap into a shaker. Poured a massively dark brown with a one finger off-white head that subsided to a half finger slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, smoke, smoked meat, milk chocolate, roasted malt, and dark fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, milk chocolate, smoke, smoked meat, powdered chocolate, and chili pepper. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a pretty decent brew. I really like what I found on the aroma as there was a nice balance of sweetness and smokiness going on throughout. I did like the chili pepper aspect that showed up on the flavor as this brew warmed up. It really added a nice touch of complexity to it. The smokiness was definitely the highlight of this brew as it was actually quite nice. A well put together brew, but it just fell a little short. Worth trying if you get the opportunity.

Serving type: on-tap

11-21-2012 12:16:38 | More by thagr81us