Black Forest Nitro
Left Hand Brewing Company

I loved how creamy it felt. I loved the flavors and the look was gorgeous. I am a big Nitro fan.

 

 

L - Poured black with a two finger tan nitro head. Lookin' like a Guinness.

S - Nose if very light . . . Roasted malt, vanilla and cherry.

T - Taste follows the nose with the addition of chocolate. No hop bitterness.

F - Very smooth and creamy with little carbonation.

O - Very nice drinkable stout. Not too overwhelming with the chocolate and cherry flavors.

 

 

 

Nitro can split with my brother-in-law. Beautiful nitro pour eventually resulting in a Guinness-like tan head. Aroma and flavor feature dark roasted malt, semi-sweet chocolate, burnt coffee, and a hint of sour cherry. Mouthfeel is a bit too close to flat. Overall not a great beer.

Not so much into this one, the cherry was non existent in the first can. Looked cool in the glass and all but basically just tasted like the milk stout which isn't a bad thing but yeah....

 

Nitro can poured into a tulip

A- pours jet black with a three-finger creamy khaki head that has great retention long after the pour

S- milk chocolate and caramel, with undertones of charred malt, black cherry and a hint of cream

T- sweet chocolate with some charred roasted malt up front, followed by some caramel notes before giving way to dark cherry notes. The finish gives more sweet chocolate that continues into the linger

M- medium-heavy body with a creamy mouthfeel that continues into a silky smooth finish, high drinkability

 

light malt taste the cherries and chocolate come out in every sip

 

Pours deep mahogany. Tan foam. Not much of an aroma. Mild cocoa body. Fades to a roasted malt finish. Not much cherry flavor to speak of. Very smooth. Good but nothing special.

Ebony with a 1" thick, creamy tan head, which lasts. Heavy lacing.

Aroma is cocoa, coffee, roast malt.

Tastes of dark cocoa, coffee, slight cherry, roast malt, lactose.

Full body, thick and creamy. Light carbonation. Semisweet finish.

Cherry is a bit muted. Very good overall.

 

 

Look: PItch black liquid with a tan whip cream head that you would expect from a nitro. Foam fingers of lace hang on the glass for eternity.
Smell and Taste; Definitely black cheery notes with some chocolate. Reminiscent of a cheery cordial candy.
Feel: Have yet to find a Nitro that isn't smooth. This is very easy going down.
Overall: Could use a higher ABV but that's just me.

"Best by 5/25/22"; drank 12/19/21 @ the Yarchives.

Opaque dark brown/orange appearance.

A violent pour yielded a nice, tan nitro head; nice, frothy lace.

Fresh earth, mild cream & faint dark cherry notes in the nose.

Creamy, medium mouthfeel.

Cream, mild fresh earth & faint dark cherry flavors.

Pleasant mouthfeel...but this is so immaterial, it's hardly worth the effort. Permanent pass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a very good stout in their ongoing series of different variations on their famous Milk Stout. It's not super sweet, so don't worry about that, and it's only 7.7% so it won't leave you hurting as some imperial stouts will. There's not much of a smell, just a faint cherry odor, but there's a solid tart cherry flavor to balance out the sweetness of the lactose. The cocoa nibs are a nice bridge as well. All told, a fine effort, and a good dessert beer if you're into that.

 

Pours an effervescent mahogany with one finger of tight tan head. Great head retention & average lacing

S: Faint cocoa notes, some roastyness

T: Cocoa, a little coffee, some vanilla notes, some dryness up front. Roastyness, cocoa, dryness, a little coffee, hints of dark cherry as this warms. Finishes dry, roasty witrh some vanilla sweetness

MF: Medium body, smooth carbonation

Pretty drinkable, I do always think most Nitro beers have fairly muted noses, also the case with this

13.65 FL. OZ. can
Served in an imperial nonic pint glass

This beer pours black with some waterfall action. It is topped with a tightly bubbled, tan head that leaves spotty lacing.

I get some chocolate and tart cherry.

The taste is the same. The nitro really limits the flavor.

Full bodied with a creamy mouthfeel

Great mouthfeel. Not much flavor or smell. Not a fan of nitro unless it is used in a style that lacks much flavor like an ESB.

 

16oz can into a pint glass. Best by 5/22/21, so plenty fresh.

Looks fantastic in the glass, similar to a guinness. Excellent lacing.

Light roast aroma with a hint of cherry.

On tasting, there is a light roast, and a deft hand with the cherry & chocolate. The body is very thin.

Mouth thin, finish is the roast overtaking the adjuncts.

Overall, a bit all over the place here. I appreciate the light touch with the cherry/chocolate, which can go very wrong. The roast floats in and out, but does last through the finish. The abv of 7.7 is completely hidden. I cant help but wonder if a heavier body would have made a more enjoyable drink.

WHY must this be a Nitro?

Color? Amazing. Foamy head? Amazing. Flavor profile? Amazing. But this beer just was not meant to be a nitro! It's so flavor-forward and features juicy, sweet notes-- even with the chocolate, it's just not heavy enough to justify being a nitro. I can't help but compare it to Left Hand's other holiday release for this year, the S'mores Milk Stout. I feel like that one had a straight-forward concept that knew what it wanted to be and stuck the landing. This Black Forest Nitro misses the mark so very slightly, that it almost makes me even more disappointed.

I really wanted to love this, and there were lots of things that did impress me. The flavor was perfect for a winter beer, enough so that I've still been recommending it to those I know really like stouts. I think it's worth trying on that merit alone! Still, it could have been so much more. Here's hoping it gets a revamp next holiday season!

Pour ended with a very dark body but the caramel looking head created a window of time where the body was espresso in nature -- a bit of an odd look but not unexpected as things settled out. Scent was a bit attenuated on the cherry (a bit cloying at times) with some of the cocoa peeking through. Taste was pleasant and a bit more balanced than the scent lets on, but it never quite reaches the heights I was expecting compared to other LH brews. Overall it is a solid stout but my preference leans towards their raspberry offering.

Best by 5/20/22

Alright since this is a fruited stout (with cherries no less) I’m expecting an all out assault on the senses. Tart and roasty is a flavor profile that doesn’t often work, but the possibility of it often excites me when I see these kinds of beers. What am I even going on about? Let’s just crack it open and drink

Pours completely pitch black with an infinite cap of creamy light tan head that leaves minimal lacing

Okay, there’s not all that much going on in the nose here, but I like the juxtaposition I get. I’m picking up on aromas of roasty chocolate, tart cherry, light vanilla, and lightly acidic coffee

Taste-wise, not very good. I think the nitro kimda ruins the sharpness that should be here. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting milk chocolate, light cherry, and vanilla. The swallow brings notes of medicinal cherry, roasty chocolate, and light vanilla

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a sticky sweet beer. Finishes sticky and medicinal

Yeah, no. I wanted to like this, but what’s here is bland and buried under the nitro

I don't remember a Left Hand this good. This great brew is going to skew my beer drinking on an upcoming trip to Colorado.

It opens with exactly what you expect from a nitro. Often, I am disappointed with flat nitros, but not this one. A full pint glass of glorious foam. It totally works. The aroma is muted by nicely displayed by the foam. Cherry and chocolate flavors are not prominent. It all just balances nicely and is extremely drinkable. The finish is smooth and creamy. Not thick or boozy. Very nice stout. I want another one.

Highly recommended. I will seek out high end Left Hands when I'm in state in January (SKIING!). This one is all about not being too overbearing yet delivering a classy drink.

Best by 5/20/22. 16oz can poured hard into a tulip.

Pours almost black; big creamy khaki head that doesn't fall leaving sticky lacing. It looks almost perfect for a nitro beer.

The aromas are on the mild and subtle side. Mild hints of cherry. Some cocoa. Lots of malts. It doesn't smell bad, it just doesn't really smell like anything.

The flavors are a little bolder than the nose. More hints of cherry. Some cocoa and chocolate. Mild hints of vanilla in the mix. Subtle sweetness. No bitterness. Malts do their thing. Alcohol goes completely unnoticed.

Mouthfeel is exactly what you'd expect from a nitro beer. It thin and watery while still remaining full-bodied. There's obviously no carbonation.

They absolutely nailed the nitro aspects, but the cherry and chocolate notes aren't as bold as I was expecting. They're there, but they just don't shine. Maybe it's too balanced, if that's even a thing. The craftsmanship is impressive and is definitely the star of this one.