Left Hand Brewery Black Jack Porter

Left Hand Brewery Black Jack Porter

Style: Porter

Alcohol Content: 6.8%

From: Longmont, CO, USA

Purchased From: Utobeer, Borough Market, London
http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/

Left Hand began in December 1990 with a home-brewing kit founder Dick Doore received from his brother. According to Dick, "it was all downhill from there." By 1993, Dick had teamed up with college buddy Eric Wallace and they resolved to start a brewery.

On September 21, 1993, they incorporated as Indian Peaks Brewing Company, and purchased a former meat-packing plant next to the St. Vrain River outside downtown Longmont, Colorado. A few weeks after beginning production, it was discovered that the name Indian Peaks was already in use by another Brewery, so the name was changed to Left Hand, in honor of Chief Niwot (the Arapahoe word for "left hand") whose tribe wintered in the local area. Left Hand's doors opened for business on January 22, 1994. Their first batch of beer was Sawtooth Ale, which has since become their most popular brew. In October of that year, Left Hand took home two medals at the Great American Beer Festival, a Gold Medal in the bitter category for Sawtooth Ale, and a Bronze Medal in the Robust Porter category for Black Jack Porter.

In recent years, the brewery is prospering and growing like never before! Beginning with over 30% growth in 2010, Left Hand is breaking barrelage records each year, even making the Brewers Association’s Top 50 Craft Brewers list in 2012. What started as a humble brew house extension in 2008, has turned into a 5 year $9 million expansion, as the brewery sprints to keep up with thirsty fans.

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Colour: When poured, you are presented with a thick jet black liquid with a light brown head. Soon the head settles down to a brilliant white which slowly dissipates to a foam. If you hold this beer to the light you are not able to look though it. In my book, this is a sign of a great porter.

Aroma: On the nose, you are presented with rich coffee and dark chocolate notes. These smells come from the rich dark malts used in the brewing process. Smelling deeper, you may also be able to pick out notes of sweet caramel. Yum!

Body: This beer is excellently smooth on your tongue and slips down a treat. The water used in the brewing of this beer has quite a high mineral content. This helps to clear your palate after every sip and lightens the beer to drink. Unlike some porters that can be rather heavy, this porter is reasonably light.

Taste: This beer tastes a lot like a black Americano with a spoonful of sugar added for a hint of sweetness. After you have adjusted to this taste, you are suddenly over whelmed with notes of dark chocolate. The sweetness of the beer helps to mask the high alcohol content of this beer. This is then cut thought by the mineral after taste, which as I allude to before, helps to cleanse your palate. If you are new to this style this beer would be a great place to start. Extremely flavorsome and lighter than your average porter.

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