Appearance

The Wake Up Dead Nitro has a left hand on the bottle cap identifying the Left Hand Brewing Company easily. The label on the bottle is blood red with white text and a skull. I do like skulls. The Wake Up Dead Nitro pours black and viscous with a slightly tan head with approximately a half inch depth.

Aroma

The aroma has sweet malts, and some chocolate buried underneath. For a Russian Imperial Stout, I was expecting a more intense experience here.

Flavor

Each sip reminds me of why I love the nitro style so much. Huge creamy mouthfeel, big chocolate notes, vanilla, coffee and boozy malts. For a 10% ABV beer, I find this very crushable. The Nitro mouthfeel makes all the difference here.

Balance

The first part of the sip is very balanced. The end of the sip comes apart as the chocolate, malts and boozy notes seem to arrive individually and never harmonize. As the beer warms up, there is a tannic quality that starts to come through.

Finish

The Wake Up Dead Nitro finishes with heavy booze, then some tannic notes, and then coffee.

Overall

The Left Hand Brewing Wake Up Dead Nitro is a solid performer in the nitro category. It takes a Russian Imperial Stout and smooths the flavor out, making it extremely approachable. Although the stout itself is not overly complex for a Russian Imperial Stout style, the overall experience is enjoyable.

John McTavish

SCORE

6.17

Cost/Point

$0.42

Scoring System

Personal Beer Review: Left Hand Brewing Wake Up Dead Nitro