Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 10.2

85/100

Aroma:	11
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	17
Mouthfeel:	4

Left Hand Brewing Company Wake Up Dead Nitro

What the brewers say

Super smooth trifecta of cocoa, dried fruit, and licorice notes.

What our panel thought

Aroma: “Nice chocolate malt character with some caramel, coffee, and a little roastiness/toast character. No hops character. Cherry and plum esters accent the toasty malt profile. Spicy alcohol notes are a friendly warning. Roast character builds over time.”

Flavor: “Sweet chocolate and dark fruit. Rich and thick caramel-oat combo. Some earthiness and some spice character. Silky mouthfeel with low-medium carbonation. Chewy and medium body. Balance is definitely toward the malt, but not cloying at all. Finishes a little roasty chocolate with some earthy spice notes and slightly bitter and slightly sweet making you want another sip. A slight warmth in the finish as well. Still and sweet, but with a good balancing bitterness that keeps it from being cloying. The malt profile is fairly simplistic, not offering many details besides caramel sweetness and roast finish. Alcoholic warmth is smooth.”

Overall: “The roast and chocolate sweetness help to make this beer what it is. The earthy spice character adds some complexity and helps to balance the sweetness along with the warmth. Just enough hops bitterness to avoid being cloying. A good dessert beer.”

What our editors thought

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How We Review

REVIEWS FOR YOU >

Lagunitas Brewing Company Imperial Stout

**Aroma:** “Moderate caramel, a touch of licorice and molasses, dark chocolate, moderate coffee, moderate smoke phenol. Medium alcohol heat, roasted peanuts, hint of cacao nibs, rose esters. Moderate citrus hops.” **Flavor:** “Malt flavors are excellent—dark chocolate, dark roasted coffee, slightly caramelized sweet finish. Moderate smoke. Hint of piney hops bitterness. Light body. Sweetened black coffee with a boozy shot added. Dark fruit reminiscent of abbey styles. I’m not sure what they’re attempting with this one.” **Overall:** “The flavor profile is excellent, but the body is a bit light to support all the malt complexity. Caramel coffee—like a (boozy) specialty drink from the coffee shop. A touch of Belgian ester character.”

Perennial Artisan Ales Barrel-Aged Abraxas

__Aroma:__ “Smoky chile notes, with cinnamon and vanilla also strong. Hints of plum, sweet tobacco. The base stout’s slight bit of chocolate malt and roast reminds one of French-roast coffee with some maple sweetness.” __Flavor:__ “Notes of dried plums, apricots, cinnamon, chiles. The balance is spot on. The roast base helps balance the sweetness and chocolate, and the barrel brings things together with deep toffee flavor.” __Overall:__ “The barrel character is incredible, only made better by the base beer and adjuncts. Complexity is off the charts, while still maintaining a surprising level of drinkability. Beyond the flavors, the mouthfeel truly sets this apart. Rich, viscous, and full-bodied, but not cloying and just enough backbone to hold the line for the flavors. This is the standard by which all other stouts in this category should be measured.”

Left Hand Brewing Company Milk Stout Nitro

**Aroma:** “Strong roasted malt character with sweet creamy lactose coming through. Some chocolate and coffee notes provide a bit of malt complexity. Very pleasant chocolate milk up front, some black licorice, some mild earthiness and pepper. Very sweet on the nose in a classically lactose way.” **Flavor:** “Wonderful round chocolaty sweetness. If it were the right color I would swear I was drinking chocolate milk with a touch of coffee. Chocolate flavors are complex, from semisweet to cacao nib. Nice mild roast with a touch of bitterness to balance the sweetness. Very subtle dark fruit ester notes. Finish is balanced with a lingering roastiness.” **Overall:** “An amazing beer. A very tasty milk stout with a bit more pronounced roastiness for the style, but very well executed. Very sweet from start to finish with hints of chocolate and lactose.”

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