Fade To Black - Volume 1
Left Hand Brewing Company

Fade To Black - Volume 1Fade To Black - Volume 1
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From:
Left Hand Brewing Company
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
Foreign / Export Stout
Ranked #8
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
91
Ranked #6,980
Avg:
4.08 | pDev: 8.82%
Reviews:
411
Ratings:
1,066
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 31, 2024
Added:
Nov 13, 2009
Wants:
  70
Gots:
  247
Volume 1 - Foreign Stout - Pours black with licorice, espresso bean, molasses, and black cardamom notes that give way to a feeling of self loathing, burnt opportunities and smoked relationships. 2010 Gold Medal Winner at the Great American Beer Festival in the Foreign Stout category.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by rustymoore:
Photo of rustymoore
Reviewed by rustymoore from Tennessee

3.9/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A: Pours a deep black like it's namesake with a substantial tan head.

S: Smells strong of coffee and cream.

T: Taste is strong with coffee, chocolate, and cream. Very smooth flavor. A little punch without being an imperial stout but on the borderline.

M: Very sweet with a smooth finish.

D: Strong beer that I could have a few of no doubt even with the higher ABV
Apr 06, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.88/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Snifter at Homebrewstuff. Dark black pour, small creamy beige cap, rings of lacing. Nice full roasty bitterness throughout the aroma and taste, creamy, silky feel. Not too strong, but still best to sip.
Jan 31, 2024
Photo of drewcole232
Reviewed by drewcole232

4.47/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
An absolutely great beer. Probably top 5, any style, in Colorado for me. I’m not good at leaving descriptive reviews so I’ll just leave it at that
May 06, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by KT3418 from Colorado

Dec 04, 2021
 
Rated: 4.16 by DOCRW from Kentucky

Apr 10, 2021
Photo of Copperhead08
Reviewed by Copperhead08 from Missouri

1.84/5  rDev -54.9%
look: 5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2
Slammed three of these at party one night. Worst hangover of my fucking life. This is a beer hipsters buy to think they're "edgy." Would not drink again.
Dec 31, 2020
 
Rated: 4.18 by Archfiend from Illinois

Sep 26, 2020
 
Rated: 3.74 by Simiy9 from North Carolina

Aug 30, 2020
Photo of milkshakebeersucks
Reviewed by milkshakebeersucks from Maryland

3.99/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Totally dark with a small beige head and light lacing. Some smoke along side ripe fruit in the aroma. Earthy, bitter flavor of coffee and roasted malts followed by a sweeter aftertaste with hints of molasses and caramel. Full bodied, decently carbonated mouthfeel leads to a long lasting finish.
Jun 21, 2020
Photo of just1cho
Reviewed by just1cho from California

4.03/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
*Poured into a Teku glass from a 12oz can*

Poured a pitch black color as the name of this beer would imply. Had an impressive two finger thick head which was khaki in color. It had a nice diversity of rocky and micro bubbles and had a good retention to it. Once the head subsided, it left a nice lacing around my cup.

On the nose, I got a bunch of black licorice upfront coupled with sweet roasted malts. There was also hints of sassafras roots, giving me a bit of a root beer, herbal, and earthy vibe to it. I can definitely see people either really enjoying these aromas or absolutely hating it. Unfortunately, I don't particularly like these aromas, but I think Left Hand does well on what they was trying to achieve here.

The taste follows the nose, so the same comments that I made about licorice in the aroma also applies here. There was an espresso-like mellow bitterness upfront which eventually developed into a sweet molasses profile that was complemented nicely with a bit of an earthiness from the licorice in the middle. The flavors then finished by showcasing more of the hop characters of the beer with some grapefruit bitterness and citrus, but were then quickly overshadowed by a deep earthiness from notes of yams, Sumatra coffee, and ash/char.

The feel was honestly a bit chalky for me. It left a bit of a ash-like coating around my mouth and left a very long and lingering bitter and earthy aftertaste, almost medicinal. This was pretty medium bodied with a light carbonation to it, these two things made this quite smooth and drinkable.

If Left Hand were trying to create a very dark, complex, earthy, and ash/char tasting beer, they have definitely succeeded. Personally, I'm not a fan of most of the flavor/taste profiles of this beer, but despite that I still enjoyed/finished this beer. Overall, this was an above average beer that I probably won't buy again, but like I said, I'm just not a fan of the profiles of this beer.
May 22, 2020
Photo of CTHomer
Reviewed by CTHomer from Connecticut

3.97/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
A: opaque; very dark brown in color; a 2 finger medium brown head that receded to a wispy cap; nice lacing;

S: deeply roasted grain and black coffee;

T: a balance between deeply roasted grain, black coffee, and licorice; moderate bitterness on the finish;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish; hides the ABV well;

O: nice flavor; smooth;
Apr 18, 2020
 
Rated: 3.59 by PatrickCT from Connecticut

Apr 08, 2020
Photo of TooManyGlasses
Reviewed by TooManyGlasses from Canada (AB)

4.04/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A slightly aged can but seems to have held up ok!
Pours a clear very dark brown with finger of tan to mocha head.
Super roasty malt on the nose with coffee, molasses, and a bit of an earthy/herbal note.
Tastes of roasted dark malt, coffee grounds, molasses sweetness, and a touch of licorice before finishing with a bit of earthy, spicy bitterness.
Mouthfeel is medium - thinner than expected for 8.5%, but still a slightly creamy sensation and a hint of espresso bitterness lingers. The age is on me but this is still a quality beer!
Mar 28, 2020
 
Rated: 3.86 by stanale from Illinois

Mar 01, 2020
Photo of RaulMondesi
Reviewed by RaulMondesi from California

4.18/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Well, this one definitely has flavor, that’s for sure. Son of a gun pops like a weasel. Question is: Is Raul into it? And I think the answer is: I think so. To be honest, I can’t put my pimp finger on what the flavor is. On the can it says that it pours black with licorice, espresso bean, molasses, and black cardamom. And, sure, why not?

So, pretty much like at the end of the day, if I make out with a hottie and she tastes good, what does it matter if I don’t know what kind of toothpaste she uses?

Yep!
Feb 23, 2020
 
Rated: 4.13 by chiefz1 from New York

Feb 19, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by mikerieder from South Dakota

Feb 15, 2020
Photo of jrc1093
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Best before 10/17/20

Pours a clean, glossy black body with mocha brown accents capped with a few fingers of frothy dark khaki foam; great retention fades steadily to a paper-thin cap, slight, creamy collar, and a thin, comprehensive caking of soapy lacing covering the glass.

Aroma opens with a tempered burnt malt tone feeding into prominent highlights of bitter roasted coffee; anise and milk chocolate show a contrastingly sweet and spicy middle fading into a silky roasted malt close.

Taste of dehydrated coffee grounds and moderately roasted malt to start accentuate a brief toasted black bread interlude; dry cocoa sweetness touched by a crackling anise spice on the back end of the palate along with a touch of black licorice and herbal hops.

Mouthfeel shows a roasty medium body balanced with a light-moderate carbonation and a deeply ingrained oily bitterness fleeting in the background; dry and pillowy soft on the palate throughout, and with minimal alcohol presence, though the quick finish is airy and a touch too thin.

What initially appears rough and aggressive ends up calming to a plush, sweetly roasty stout featuring straightforward assertive malts and a sharper hop backdrop seldom giving way to sweeter nuances; a bigger beer executed for palatability and easy presentation of a developing flavor profile.
Jan 06, 2020
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12 oz can with a BB date stamp on the bottom of October 2020.
Pours with an essentially black body that is topped by a short tan head.
This is a complex, smoky porter with a moderate amount of dark roasted coffee. The aftertaste has burnt toast, expresso, smoke, along with subtle hints of licorice, molasses and bitter chocolate and hops. Medium+ body with medium carbonation.
Dec 27, 2019
 
Rated: 4.07 by nasharm from New York

Dec 26, 2019
Fade To Black - Volume 1 from Left Hand Brewing Company
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 1066 ratings