Left Hand Fade to Black Volume 3: Pepper Porter

3.9/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled 10/27/2011. Pours clear almost opaque dark brown color with a thin tan head with good retention that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. A decent amount of lacing on the glass as you drink. Aromas of big chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, red pepper, chilies, light coffee, and a bit of smokiness. Very nice aromas with good balance; pretty much everything I expected. Taste of big chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, light coffee, red chilies, light smoke, and nice spiciness. Small amount of bitterness with spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, chocolate, roasted malt, and light coffee; with long lingering spicy heat on the finish. Medium body and carbonation; with a very nice creamy mouthfeel that drinks fairly smoothly. The peppers limit the drinkability a bit, but it still goes down nicely for being over 7%. Alcohol is not noticed at all, and is probably masked by some pepper heat in the back. Good balance of flavors, but the peppers take the front a bit more in the taste. Overall this is a very nice, unique, and enjoyable porter. I really enjoy spicy food, but I believe a little less pepper heat would have made it even better.

A nice porter as I would have expected. A little to much heat, but still very enjoyable.