Left Hand “Black Jack” Porter
Linda just don’t stop! After her time in CO, she apparently rode the Porter wagon all the way home, coming back with not only the Great Divide porter from yesterday, but this Left Hand offering, as well. Again, I’m all too happy to review any brews that my friends bring back for me…
This one pours an extremely dark brown – nearly motor oil black – with a coarse caramel head that flairs up and dies very quickly. In the nose, there are light chocolate and toffee hints here, but the flavor is altogether not too powerful. In the mouth, however, this beer comes alive! In contrast to yesterdays brew, this one displays a bit more meatiness and a lot more refined sweetness. The mouthfeel is generally a bit lighter and more fleeting than the Great Divide offering. The flavor begins sugary sweet, moving into a smokey pork flavor around the center of the mouth that still generates some sweetness, almost like a sugar-cured ham. On through the mouth, a bit more chocolate comes into play, finishing off with a flavor that is predominantly chocolate and toffee with just a light smoke that sticks in the back of the mouth. I’d say this is generally more typical of a porter than yesterdays tasting, though it’s hard to say if it’s better or worse. The flavor is certainly complex here. However, it’s also a bit more quirky, and some may not like it as much. As for me, I think this is pretty good, though it tastes a bit coarser and ‘cheaper’ than the Great Divide, for lack of a better word. This is rich and sweet, but the level of refinement just isn’t there to the extent that it was with yesterday’s porter. So, while this is a good brew, and better than a lot of porters out there, I gotta throw the silver medal to the Black Jack in this instance.
Categories: Beer Reviews, Left Hand, Porter
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