Left Hand Fade To Black Vol. 5: Black Rye Ale
Summer is over, but cheer up pretty people, it’s time for the newest installment in our Fade to Black Series. This Rye Ale boasts a deep dark brown body with an off white head. This dark brew envelopes your nose with aromas of dark coffee, maple wood and hints of dark agave nectar. The flavor is an intense evolution that starts off with nut bread flowing into molasses followed by a taste of licorice. This lands on spicy rye notes all before being washed away by earthy hop, leaving behind a slight black pepper sensation. So put away the bathing suit, pop a bottle of this black beauty and watch summer fade way.
3.6
171 reviews
Longmont, United States
Community reviews
[6143-20140124] Bottle. Burnt grainy coffee roast aroma. Hazy, dark brown body with a quick foamy off-white head. Coffee roast flavour has a mild cigarettes burnt wood note. Medium-full body. Average, seems like a porter. (6/3/7/3/13) 3.2
2014 Fade to Black, Tap @ The Beer Market Bolingbrook: Pint glass, nearly opaque with a small head and not much lace. Lots of rye, quite dry, toasty and not sweet. Marbled rye in the glass, yummy
Dark black, smell of liqurice, rosted malt and coffey. The head dies quickly and disapears. Sweet taste of chocolate, liqurice and coffey. It taste as it smells. This is a nice beer a cold and dark evening.
Tallahassee, Fl - Growler Country - via a growler (thanks for the trade Aurelius). Reddish black deep dark inky pour with a quickly fading off-white head. Some minty rye in the aroma, a touch of licorice and creosote. Flavor has a similar profile as the aroma with some licorice and creosote, a touch of chocolate, a hint of black coffee. Pleasantly thick mouhfeel Pretty solid - did not know this was a series - may have scrolled past a few of these in the past
Inky black with a loose tan head. Lots of chocolate and coffee, a little rye acid twang in the flavor and aroma. A little creosote. Mouthy. Growler County, Tallahassee.
12oz. bottle. Dark malt aroma with suggestions of dark chocolate, spicy rye, coffee, maple sugar, earthy hop and faint smoke. Deep, dark brown in color with a very fine, lasting, khaki head. Flavor profile is nicely hoppy, spicy, earthy and darkly sweet, with more semi-sweet chocolate, licorice and faint coffee, blending with the rye and lightly piney, leafy hop presence, closing with a light-moderate dosage of bitterness. Smooth and lightly viscous on the palate with fine effervescence and a medium-full body. Interesting and tasty stuff.
Bottle. Pours dark blackish brown with tan head. Nose was rye, coffee, maple, mild oaky, molasses, nuts. Complex flavor with coffee, roasty dark malt, walnuts, oak, and a dense and smooth mouthfeel.
22/VIII/14 - 12Fl. Oz. bottle from a trade @ home - BB: V/2014 (2014-934) Thanks to hackobock for the trade!
Clear dark purple brown beer, creamy beige to brown head, little stable, dissipates quickly, adhesive, leaving a nice lacing in the glass. Aroma: milk chocolate, grains, bit dusty, molasses, spicy, cinnamon, cloves. MF: ok carbon, medium to full body. Taste: spicy start, some cooked vegetables, lots of pumpkin spices, soft bitterness, sweet, little roasted, sour touch. Aftertaste: pumpernickel bread, sourish, bit lemony, toast, cocoa powder, bit of alcohol, soft bitterness, a touch of cooked vegetables, liquorish, spicy ending.
Dark copper, coca-cola color, very smooth texture, full body, flavorfull, long palate, bitter but not dry, crisp, roast flavors,
(Bottle). Dominant aroma of roasted malt and hops. The taste is heavily roasted, slightly burnt malt. Also hints of pepper and chocolate, maybe also some licorice. In the aftertaste hints of burnt malt.
Pours perfectly black into the glass, with a light ring of lace that dissipates into trace spot lacing. The nose is of roasts, chocolates and agave indeed. Flavors have predominantly roasts and chocolates, rye all the way through the earthy finish, which ends with a kiss of licorice. The mouthfeel is smooth and spicy on the palate. Nice newest incarnation of the ’Fade to Black’ series.
Great beer overall. Nice roast and chocolate taste. Quickly fading aftertaste.
Bottle. Sweet earthy roasted malt aroma. Black brown with a moderate tan head. Sweet molasses and roasty/ashy malt and cola flavor - not really getting any rye. Medium body, soft carbonation. Nice, and easy to drink.
12 ounce bottle. Poor is a dark with a thin brown head.. Taste of spicy grain and smoky.. slight hops.. Good body..
Pours dark brown with super huge off white head...light lacing....nose is malt coffee licorice....taste is dark chocolate,coffee,malt,dark berries...very tasty beer....i do not taste the pepper....which i feel is a good thing...thumbs up to this one!
[Tap] Draught at a Left Hand tap takeover. Very dark brown pour with a small amount of light brown head. Nose is of spicy rye grain, charred malts and noticeable anise. Taste profile includes roasted malts, cocoa, mild coffee and rye spice. Dry and peppery finish. Nice balance and good looking lacing on the side of the glass. Good stuff.
Black with a foamy white head. Aroma is bitter toasted malt and oak. Flavor taste a bit like carbdoard. Yeah I’ve had it! Otherwise tastes like a milk stout. Has that lactose sweetness and thickness to the body.
Draught at Beer Pub Bamboo, Shinjuku. Black - white head. Licorice. Ok burned malts. Earthy. Chocolate. Dark dark chocolate. Coffee. Acid. Nice.
Pours dark with a thin head into a goblet glass. Notes of dark fruit and coffee, with a hint of nut. Smooth and enjoyable.
Tap at Pizza Luce. Deep brown with no head. Aromas of smokey wood, rye, maple syrup and a little burnt sugar. Taste is quite sweet with a woody dryness. Heavier body with a syrupy feel and fine carbonation.
12oz bottle pours with a deep dark body that supports a thin mocha colored head (man I love this beer series). The aroma offers up chocolate, a thin dark roasted malt note and other faint clouds of aroma I can’t really make out. The taste starts smooth and creamy and it brings up notes of malt sweetened black licorice, chocolate bar and a thin ribbon of dark roasted malts. There’s a dollop of resiny hops and a rye bread twang that surface about midway and ride into the finish. Darn tasty brew.
Pours dark brown, nearly black with a caramel colored head. Tons of lacing. Aroma is chocolate malt and rye. Taste is smooth with a bit of roasted malt and rye. Nice finish of alcohol...not real bitter. Nice beer.
12oz bottle 3/14/14 (Binny’s Plainfield Mix A Six)-40° in Shaker-Pours black with a brown head. Aroma of rye, coffee, malt, and chocolate. Taste of the same with a nice hop flavor along with more chocolate and coffee. This medfium bodied brew is well balanced and quite tasty. Great Job.
Best by April 29, 2014.
Appearance: The body seems opaque but under a bright light some garnet hues appear around all but the center. The body appears murky, but a nice color. The head is short and khaki, poor retention. It settles to a thin, but full, coating with a creamy ring.
Aroma: The aroma leans a little sweet with bittersweet chocolate and a slightly herbal quality. Licorice shows through, but doesn’t dominate. The aroma is pleasant with good strength.
Taste: The flavor is a nice blend of chocolate and hints of bitterness with a slight licorice and roasted finish. No real rye is showing, perhaps a touch on the base, but this is mostly chocolate and licorice.
Palate: Soft bodied, a bit flat tasting.
Overall: This is a decent rye stout, but the licorice throws it off a bit for me. I also feel like this is a bit muddy in flavor, no real stand out flavors. This drinks nicely though, I just wouldn’t buy it again.
Deep brown with only a hint of foam. Spicy aroma of rye but there’s some noticeable chocolate and citrus too. Medium bodied. Chocolate and toasted malts allow the hop to balance and the rye to add complexity.
Dark brown with a tan head and light lacing. Aroma of roast, rye, earth, and chocolate. Taste is rich with some rye spice and moderate sweet and bitter flavors. Creamy, medium bodied, with soft carbonation. Pretty good.
Dark brown with ruby hilites and rimming tan head; aroma is slightly chocolatey, slightly roasty; flava is roasty, hints of chocolate and grainy spice; feels light with moderate fizz; finishes roasty dry and grainy/rye notes
Hel del chocklad i aromen, lite kokos sötma?! Bra balans i kropp och smak. Lite rostade toner va.
12oz bottle from Georgio’s, Billerica, MA. A black pour with a ring of cream froth; chocolate and coffee aromas; thinly bodied, with a sourness from the rye and a chocolate taste with a touch of licorice; then a dry peppery finish. Pleasant stuff.
Bottle at home. Black beer with an offwhite not lasting head. Coffee, chocolate, vanilla, malty aroma. Similar flavour but feels a bit thin.