In the earlier days of my beer obsession the appearance of an American craft classic like Left Hand's Wake Up Dead would have been enough to pull me into town for the tick, though to be fair, I'm pretty sure that in those days in the early to mid 2010s it was readily available even here.
In any case I've never had it and when I spotted it in my local recently it looked quaint and nostalgic and was an immediate pick.
There is something nostalgic about Wake Up Dead. This is the antithesis of a pastry stout, seemingly hailing from a more innocent time. It is bitter, resplendant with cold coffee, dark chocolate and a hint of fruit. That fruit isn't raisiny like you'd expect but more bitter and tart red berries, although this is very much an undercurrent. The main flavour is dominated entirely by that bitter coffee and chocolate. It is robust and bracing, a true anti-pastry stout, and wonderful for it.
A suitable beer to mark the blog's resurrection. Great to see you back!
ReplyDeleteCheers John!
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