A Blessing And A Curse
Left Hand Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

eyes...
this is one foamy bastard, almost three fingers of fluffy white head, a total bubble devil roiling about the bottom of the glass shooting carb into the upper regions in sheer anger, a little lighter hued than some DIPAs as this grazes in the hazy golden straw category on that front, lacing is pretty sticky, a nice looking offering offered here

nose...
grassy and dry, with notes of pine, a hint of lemon dropping in here and there, a little small on the nose in my op-pine-yon (opinion on pine notes)

taste etc...
hmm, a pretty tame IPA flavor wise, it has some decent hop bite but drinks more like a hopped up wheat, you can sense the alcohol but it is not a distraction, some heavy hop oils try and peek through but mostly this seems like a slightly bigger IPA, maybe 1.5x not double, good mouthfeel though, just bright enough to drink well, very easy to quaff down

verdict?
not bad, pretty easy drinking, just not very remarkable, there are too many great DIPAs out there to fudge around, if this was the last chick @ the bar @ 2am would I take her home ? sure... I have standards, just mostly low ones...

This brew is from a can...the liquid is hazy, with a thin white head. The aroma is clean, with a little spicy hop scents. The taste is tilted dry, with malt and bitter hop flavors. Light sweet malt and lots of hop bitterness. Full body. NIce.

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a very slightly hazy, medium coppery amber with a fine, two finger white head with great retention and solid lacing. Aroma of pale malt, citrus and piney hops, lemon and grapefruit, very aromatic and spicy; inviting. Flavor is lightly caramel malt, piney and citrus hops, fresh pine, orange, lemon and grapefruit, honeydew melon, hints of tropical fruit, estery and bright. Finishes with lingering resinous citrus and piney hops, residual citrus rind and mixed fruit. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. A quite aromatic smell and flavor; complex and flavorful. There is a lot going on here, but the flavors seem integrated and invite analysis. There is a very bright, almost camphor-like flavor that makes the aroma and taste unique and interesting. Far too drinkable, its hefty ABV is well covered. Left Hand really created something fine here. I liked this a lot.

 

I loved this beer for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is it’s nicely hidden 9.5% ABV. But it’s oily, slick mouthfeel was a pleasant surprise, as was the plethora of tropical, pine and citrus notes that attended it. It may have just been me, but there was a grassy hint of mint in there, too. This is an outstanding DIPA from The folks out at Left Hand in Longmont, CO. Not surprised by the complexity and balance of this brew at all, as it brought back memories of my visit to the brewery many GABF’s ago. Have one, and you’ll fully understand why its name is A Blessing and A Curse. A blessing to drink and a curse to finish without another on hand...

 

12oz can from Charlie’s II (Acworth, GA). 15.99/ 6 pack. Best by 11/27/18, I’m hoping that means canned 8/27/18. Served in a Left Hand tulip. Enjoyed 9/6/18.

Pours muted orange with three fingers of dense ecrue fluff. The head fades to a thin layer and rocky crown, leaving copious lace.

Smells of grapefruit, pine, lemonade, bread and some vague mint.

Tastes piney and pretty bitter with notes of earthy orange zest, grass, tropical rind, hop bread, a whisper of peppermint and a deceptively slight nudge of alcohol.

Slick, medium full feel with moderate carbonation. Bitter, hop oily aftertaste of grassy citrus pine.

A decent double IPA from Left Hand. I wouldn’t call it a West Coast IPA bit it certainly leans more that way than the current low bitterness highly juicy trend.

12 ounce can into tulip glass, best before 11/27/2018. Pours fairly hazy/cloudy medium golden amber color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berry, citrus peel/rind, light peppercorn, pine, honey, toasted biscuit, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berry, citrus peel/rind, light peppercorn, pine, honey, toasted biscuit, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berry, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, pine, honey, toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt flavors; with an awesome malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/grainy/sticky, and lightly resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.5%. Overall this is an awesome DIPA. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical/earthy hops and bready malt flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink with the modestly bitter/resinous/drying finish. Not aggressive. Awesome Galaxy/Azacca profile. Very juicy and fairly dank/earthy hop complexity; nice sized bready malt backbone, not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and well rounded style example. Loved the hop profile as expected.

 

This beer pours a clear gold with a sizeable head. The aroma features a big hit of caramel malt to start, followed by pine resin, cannabis, mango, overripe peach, lemon flesh, and underripe pineapple. The flavor starts off with that expected dose of caramel malts, followed by gentler than expected pine, mango, bitter orange cedar, papaya, and underrip pineapple, with moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is fairly full with fluffy carbonation. Overall this is an interesting beer - with a huge, powerful aroma, that made me a expect a big, bitter, old school beast. But then the flavor is much tamer and softer, with tropical fruit blending with old school caramel malts, and a moderate, balanced bitterness. Overall a really cool beer.

Best by 11/27/18. 12oz can poured into a tulip. Pours golden with a subtle haze but has some clarity to it along with some bubbles racing upwards; some sediment/floaties; chunky white head that slowly falls leaving great thick retention and sticky lacing. The aromas have some subtle hints of citrus and floral notes. Lots of crackers and fresh bread. Malts are there. The flavors are bold and clean. A nice amount of orange along with some grapefruit. Solid hop bitterness. Somewhat unique hop flavor in the finish. Malts do their thing without dominating. Finishes dry for the most part. Alcohol is ultimately well hidden. Mouthfeel is full-bodied with moderate carbonation. It's slightly fluffy, smooth and dangerously drinkable.

This is a pretty solid DIPA. It's not super flashy, but it's slightly unique. There's something about this one that I'm really liking (the way it finishes). The craftsmanship is on point. It's enjoyable and fun to drink. I can appreciate this one.