Pours an opaque black with lovely rust-coloured head. Cookie dough mixes with peat-infused smoke in the aroma. Its an extremely full bodied and foam textured beer. Despite that, Fade to Black flexes its dark malt muscles with surprising subtlety. I wouldn't go as far to say the flavours are subdued or lacking, more restrained and refined. Dry roast barley, ash and cinder notes prevail throughout but a background malty sweetness (think demerara sugar or darker) balances this, as does the restrained use of resinous hop. Smoke comes through dryly in the finish, but again its been used with a light touch to add a dash more complexity. All components harmonise to create a smooth example of a 'Baltic' stout. Its incredibly moreish... I want more!
Left Hand Brewing Co, the brainchild of homebrewers Dick Doore and Eric Wallace, was founded in Colorado in 1994. The company has gone from strength to strength and are one of the most popular and distinctive microbrewers in the US today. Part of their success must lie in their fantastic label art (appearance is everything, after all). Pour Curator, the blog that combines art & beer, has a great page dedicated to Left Hand's beer labels here. Fade to Black vol. 2 is the second of three (so far...) in a range of seasonal dark beers. Sud Savant reviewed the first here. Fade to Black vol. 1 was a foreign stout, the second a baltic porter and the third a chilli pepper porter. The beers are brewed each winter; vol 2 was inspired by a visit to Danish brewery Nørrebro. Left Hand say the smoked malts employed are redolent of 'burned thatched roofs' and I can't really argue with that...
- MALTS: SMOKED MUNICH, MALTED RYE, CHOCOLATE MALT, CARA AROMA, CARAFA, CARAFA 3, SPECIAL 2
- HOPS: MAGNUM, NORTHERN BREWER
- IBU: 35
- ABV: 7.8%`
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