Mar 8, 2013

Left Hand Brewing Wake Up Dead

Before we get into the actual contents of this bottle from Left Hand Brewing, let’s take a moment to check out the slick label artwork. This design style started with the Fade To Black series back in 2010 and I love that they’ve integrated it with a bit more color. And with a name like Wake Up Dead, I couldn’t picked a better DVRed show to watch than The Walking Dead when I first enjoyed this big Russian Imperial Stout.

Weighing in at 10.2% ABV this is no small beer. It’s brewed with several malts (Pale 2-row, Munich, Crystal, Chocolate, Roasted Barley, Black Barley and Flaked Oats) as well as a solid helping of Magnum and US Goldings hop varieties. The result is a wonderfully roasty, earthy beer that keeps you on your toes with a touch of licorice and a decent hop character in the warming afterglow.

Appearance

Wake Up Dead a not-quite-opaque dark, dark brown with a creamy, light brown head.

Aroma

This beer smells wonderful. Wafts of coffee, licorice notes, dark chocolate, earth and a light, herbal hop presence all come together nicely.

Taste

I love the earthy nature to this beer. Dark coffee arrives immediately with cocoa and a light licorice presence. As the full bodied brew travels across the tongue a touch of hop astringency more akin to a black coffee bitterness shows through before allowing the alcohol warmth to wrap it all up. The finish is slightly drying.

Overall

This is a big beer with big, earthy flavors. It’s not the smoothest version of this style, but it’s robust and roasty character were exactly what I was looking for at the time. I’ve got a couple of other bottles that I’m hoping to resurrect in a year or so to see how it’s turned out.

Rating: 4.25/5

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