Bittersweet
Left Hand Brewing Company

BittersweetBittersweet
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From:
Left Hand Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
Sweet / Milk Stout
Ranked #160
ABV:
8.9%
Score:
92
Ranked #5,185
Avg:
4.13 | pDev: 6.78%
Reviews:
84
Ratings:
318
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 24, 2023
Added:
Jul 20, 2015
Wants:
  32
Gots:
  85
This big stout gets aggressive with a boost from Allegro Coffee’s exotic mocha java blend. The coffee’s dark cherry flavors and spicy undertones weave into the rich milky sweet stout like a chocolate-covered espresso bean melting on your tongue. Bitter then sweet. Sweet then bitter. It’s bittersweet.

36 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by comfygoodness:
Photo of comfygoodness
Reviewed by comfygoodness from California

4.26/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Dominant coffee flavor comes through from the first sip. From there the lactose comes though with a delightful sweetness. A touch over-carbonated, but still has a nice mouthfeel. Left Hand's milk stout is already a great beer and if you're a fan of coffee stouts this is a must try.
Nov 27, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.23 by AGoodStout from Kansas

Nov 24, 2023
 
Rated: 3.88 by BeardedWalrus from North Carolina

Aug 12, 2022
 
Rated: 4.03 by LXIXME from New Mexico

May 02, 2022
Photo of Captain69
Rated by Captain69 from Illinois

4.01/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
great coffee flavor after taste slightly sweet
Apr 21, 2022
 
Rated: 3.5 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Jan 17, 2022
Photo of EMV
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 oz can into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Dark, dark pour... nearly black with big fluffy mocha colored head. Fantastic lacing.

S: Big roast and espresso. Coffee and grains.

T.F: Sweet and roasty. Lots of coffee.... charred grains and light cocoa. Vanilla... more roast and coffee. Medium bodied. Smooth/creamy. A bit of roast for balance, but more on the sweet side.

O: A capably done coffee milk stout. Hits the flavors it should... hides its ABV and overall solid.
Dec 31, 2021
 
Rated: 4.09 by Taenim from Maine

Oct 04, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by MonkeyPilates from Minnesota

Aug 17, 2021
 
Rated: 4.29 by Abstractspirit from Rhode Island

Jul 19, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by NickMunford from Wyoming

Jul 15, 2021
Photo of tdm168
Reviewed by tdm168 from Pennsylvania

3.71/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a deep black with a soft pillow of off white head that fades after a few seconds. Smells of coffee and faint anise. The taste is very bitter up front with coffee and bittersweet dark chocolate followed by anise and a piney bitterness. The bitterness lingers through the aftertaste. This is a medium bodied beer with a moderate to high level of carbonation.

This is a good beer, and I'm glad to have tried it once.
Jul 02, 2021
Photo of DaveMaciolek21
Reviewed by DaveMaciolek21 from New Jersey

3.56/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Aptly named. Jet black pour with a minimal tan head. The coffee flavor is not shy. It is sharp, like espresso, and while the lactose does have a presence, it's pretty much dominated by coffee. Chocolate flavor is underneath, in support. The 8.9% ABV is nicely buried, but by the end of the glass, this Imperial Stout packs a punch.
May 31, 2021
Photo of TheRougeBastard
Rated by TheRougeBastard from North Carolina

4.17/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Initial taste is straight-up coffee! Aftertaste has a mellow chocolate notes, not overly sweet. Zero alcohol burn so the 8.9% can be dangerous!
May 23, 2021
Photo of schoolboy
Reviewed by schoolboy from Ohio

3.92/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
I went to World Wines last week, ALMOST fully vaccinated. I bought a huge bunch of great brews to take to my three year old granddaughter's birthday party (she really appreciated all the brews). This one stayed home, for tonight.

It opens very disappointingly with just slightly above average head - not very nitro (it does keep on giving). The aroma is strongly coffee (stout). The taste is nicely bitter (not that much sweet, but some). The aftertaste sits bitter too, and very clean (no booze or anything funky).

Recommended. It's good and tasty but ... disappointing more than amazing.
Apr 19, 2021
 
Rated: 4.03 by Mortarforker from Texas

Mar 16, 2021
Photo of HorseheadsHophead
Reviewed by HorseheadsHophead from Colorado

4.29/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pitch black with a huge creamy tan head.
Vibrant, saliva-inducing, freshly roasted coffee aroma.
Pops of dark chocolate and cacao upfront which immediately transitions into freshly roasted coffee, a bit nutty, black coffee and creamy milky lactose sweetness which balances perfectly with the roasted coffee bean bitterness. Super balanced.
Creamy in feel, moderately carbonated, slicky and oily initially but the palate is scrubbed clean.

An excellent imperial coffee milk stout. Fantastic job here.
Feb 23, 2021
 
Rated: 3.69 by khargro2 from Tennessee

Feb 13, 2021
 
Rated: 4.18 by cbcrunch from Wyoming

Feb 11, 2021
Photo of izraelc
Reviewed by izraelc from New York

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours dark. Light foam. Mild sweet aroma. Big sweet coffee body. Rich and bitter malt finish. Creamy and smooth. Not too rich. An excellent milk stout. To quote Big Head Todd & The Monsters... "It's bittersweet. More sweet than bitter, bitter than sweet."
Jan 24, 2021
Bittersweet from Left Hand Brewing Company
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 318 ratings