Left Hand Brewing Company Black Jack Porter

Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company
Location: Longmont, CO
Style: Porter
Brewery Website
Rating: B

Today’s tasting is the Black Jack Porter from Left Hand Brewing. The Black Jack Porter is a deep mahogany brown color (bordering on ebony). If takes a firm pour to get a modest-sized, fine-bubbled head that is a nut-brown color. The nose detects roasted notes, some caramel and faint chocolate aromas.

The palate finds roasted malt notes up front. The Black Jack Porter is quite dry. There is some moderate hops bitterness, but without much hops flavor to speak of. There is a bit of a mineral water note. Some bitterness from the roasted malt is here as well. I also detect something akin to grilled or roasted corn. There are also some highlights of brut champagne as well as some aged cheddar/gouda. The Black Jack Porter is medium-bodied with a touch of astringency and some fine, prickly carbonation. The finish has dry, toasted malt notes with some mineral and bitter notes (the latter similar to unsweetened chocolate).

The Black Jack Porter has some very nice complexity. I did find it to be a bit too dry for my tastes. I would also like to see a bit more hoppiness for balance. All-in-all, this is a decent porter. It is not particularly suited to my tastes, but it is still worth checking out if you are a fan of dry porters.