Festive Cheer

To begin with on Christmas afternoon I decided to go with a bottle of Black Jack Porter from Left Hand Brewing Company. The beer pours a jet black with a nice thick tan head that dissipates quickly. The aroma is sweet and malty, but the taste is a total counterpoint to the aroma. The taste is very strong with concentrated coffee flavours with a hint of chocolate on the end, you also get a lovely vanilla aftertaste. Slightly over-carbonated but a nice light to medium body. Everything you would expect from a porter, nothing outstanding but a nice beer. I think I might have a second bottle of this before changing things up.

Next up was Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, had as a post dessert tipple. Pours a jet black with a thick tan head. Aroma is of strong dark chocolate, also hints of something sweeter in the background, possibly from crystal malt. Taste is very complex, dark chocolate dominates with a nice coco bitterness, with hints of burnt caramel and a very slight sourness, this is all competed by a lovely espresso hit on the end. Medium bodied with a nice level of carbonation. Certainly a beer to take your time with, strong complex flavours and a 10% ABV. This is one to slowly sip on a cold winters evening, perfect for Christmas night with a foot of snow lying on the ground.

Later in the evening I relaxed with a couple of bottles of Flying Dog's Doggie Style Classic IPA, this is a beer I have had before and really liked, my thoughs can be found here.

Last but certainly not least, Sierras Nevada Tumbler,described as an autumn brown ale. I had this on draft previously in the Bull & Castle and really liked it. Pours a lovely reddish brown colour with a thin off white head. Medium bodied with a lovely velvety smooth mouthfeel, this beer is all about the malt. Amber malt is very discernible with a hint of black and chocolate. A really nice beer, however I have to say that I preferred it on draft, the bottle version loses some of the sweet caramel plavour and surprisingly does not seen to have the same level of hops. Overall though a pretty nice way to finish the evening.

A Very Large Monkey

400 Pound Monkey is an English Style Pale Ale from Left Hand Brewing in Colorado. The beer pours a very light golden colour with a thin White head that dissipates quickly. The aroma is malty with a nice level of floral and piney hops. It is medium to light bodied with a strong mouthfeel of hop oils which coat the tongue and throat.

The flavour of this beer is well balanced. A nice strong sweet malt profile is balanced with a strong floral and pine character, this is all followed by a nice stiff bitterness on the end and a dry finish. The bitterness lingers in the throat which is a nice way for an English IPA to finish.

Overall a very nice refreshing IPA, at 6.7% it certainly is not a session beer but one I could see myself enjoying a few bottles of. Not as good as Fuller's IPA but ticks all of the boxes for what you would expect from an English Style IPA.

Jackman's Pale Ale



Jackman's. a complex American
Pale Ale



Left Hand Brewing Company is one that I have heard a lot about but until now I had not had the pleasure to try one of their beers. Last night I sampled their Jackman's American Pale Ale.

Pours an attractive amber colour with a large white head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is a mixture of bready malt, lemon and grapefruit hops along with a slight spiciness. The malt is a lot more apparent on the nose than other American Pale Ales that I have tried recently that tend to be more hop focussed. Body is medium with a creamy mouthfeel and a nice coating from the hop oils on the palate (typically a sign of dry hopping). The taste follows the aroma, the malt flavours are bready at first followed by a hint of caramel from the crystal malt, hop flavours are spicy and lemony with a lasting bitterness. The finish is quite grainy with a lasting dryness.

Quite a complex Pale Ale, whereas most beers in the style focus on hitting you over the head with the citrus hop flavours (something I really like), this beer offers a lot more. For those who like a multi-faceted pale ale, highly recommended.