It was a few years ago and I was out at the Pensacola Greyhound Track playing low-stakes poker. As a rule, I don’t drink any alcoholic beverages while playing as booze can loosen inhibitions and convince me to sit in on hands that I know better than to play. Except this time, I was up pretty nice in chips and only intended on sticking around for another hour, so when I wandered by their bar and spotted Left Hand Black Jack Porter in their cooler, I made an exception.

As someone who’s been a beer geek for a long time, I always have my ear to the ground. There isn’t much in terms of beer news happening around here that escapes my attention. That night in the poker room, I had cause to get excited over finding Left Hand. Not only is it largely – and unfortunately – uncommon to find actual craft beer in such an environment, but I had the inside authority that Left Hand was leaving our distribution area. This was, essentially, the last of any Left Hand in greater Pensacola. Doesn’t hurt at all that it’s one of their tastiest offerings, too.

Left Hand Brewing - Left Hand Black Jack Porter (12oz can) $ 12.99. Go to shop Fullerton Beverage. USA: (CA) Fullerton. Standard delivery 1 week No minimum order. – Left Hand has 3 beers named after local geographic landmarks: Sawtooth, Twin Sisters, and St. – In Left Hand’s first year, they took home GABF medals for Sawtooth Ale, Black Jack Porter, and Juju Ginger! All three styles are still available today. Happy Birthday Left Hand. Here’s to 20 more tasty years.

Perhaps it was having my mood elevated by such a discovery, but my stack of chips got even bigger when I completed a suspicious pre-flop raise in late position with low suited connectors. The flop came down 4-5-6 to complete my low-end straight. When it was all said and done, I trapped my opponent with a vicious check-raise to encourage an all-in bet. My estimation of her hand proved correct – pocket aces with a three-flush draw – and all I had to do was fade the turn and the pot was mine.

Wait… I thought this was a beer column, not a poker tutorial. Even the name of the beer is Black Jack. Don’t I have any good black jack stories?

Thankfully, Left Hand decided to make a return to the panhandle a few months ago; card room status unconfirmed. It had always been a great seller for us so we jumped all over everything they had available. In the hiatus, only one thing had changed at Left Hand.

Their beer labels got fancy. Really fancy. Beautiful, even. These intricate works of art incorporate minute detail, movement, intrigue and even hidden images. Created by Charles Bloom at Moxie Sozo in Left Hand’s hometown of Longmont, Colorado, each label features the face of a different brewery or design firm employee.

Ante up and score yourself a Black Jack. Dark brown with garnet highlights, its head settles quickly to form a thin ring with miniscule, oily lacing. Scents are black coffee with sugar, chocolate and dried fruit. Rich, smoky malt dominates the flavor along with notes of toasty nuts, cocoa and a faint kiss of hop bitterness. Body is robust yet creamy and the finish stays with you for a nice long time.

Go all-in with Black Jack and you’ll come up a winner each time.

Product description: Roasted malts create a full-bodied classic with rich chocolate malt and dark berry notes. Malts: Pale 2-row, Munich, Crystal, Chocolate, Carafa. Hops: Centennial, Cascade. 6% ABV, 24 IBUs.

Left Hand Brewing Company – Left Hand Death Before Disco Porter – 12oz can poured into specialty glassware – 6% ABV

Death Before Disco debuted this year as an all-new, year-round beer for Left Hand. However, it overlaps almost perfectly with their Black Jack Porter (6.8% ABV), which has been around for at least ten years. There’s not a lot of info out there about this new release, but what I did find is that Black Jack Porter is conspicuously missing on the Left Hand website. My current guess is that Death Before Disco is its replacement.

I sampled this beer from a couple of 12oz cans with a best before date of 11/23/18 printed on the bottom. I’m guessing this was canned in April, so that’s about a 6-month window, which sounds about right for this style. Into the glass, this is fully black in color with sepia highlights on the edges. Thick, khaki-colored foam rises up and sticks around for several minutes.

With the first can, I opened it up a bit too cold – hovering around 45° F. At this temperature, the aroma and flavor had too much grape soda and tootsie roll going on. Once it reached closer to room temperature, this beer improved greatly. The second can was opened closer to 65° F, which solved the issue. At this temperature, the aroma is immediately explosive with black licorice, pumpernickel bread, and dark caramelized sugars. There is also something like black cherry hidden within. That dark fruitiness may be what Left Hand mentions in the official description as “dark berry notes.” Though I think at colder temperatures, that aspect ends up harming the beer with a grape Fanta character that I find is common in porters and stouts.

Alcoholic Beverage

A few sips in and I’m already enjoying this immensely. Death Before Disco is refreshingly simple. There’s no special ingredient nonsense, and it doesn’t try to push the envelope. This is a well-made porter for everyday enjoyment. The focus is on roasted malt with earthy, semisweet chocolate flavors that never go ashy or acrid. Similarly, acidity from the roasted malt is dialed-in so that you are left with a silky smooth body – an impressive feat in this lower ABV segment. The caramelized dark sugars in the aroma really don’t play a role in the mouthfeel. This porter leans bitter and dry with an earthy – almost gritty – cocoa nib flavor that persists into the quick finish. Black cherry peeks through from time to time (possibly from the crystal malt addition), but it doesn’t make a big impact.

Left Hand Brewing Black Jack Porter Wagoner

Left Hand Brewing Beer Finder

Overall, I was very impressed by this new release. I’m a big fan of the modest ABV coupled with the earthy, bitter flavors that elevate this above normal porter into more of a robust porter category. I like where this fits in the Left Hand lineup too, as most people will spring for the Nitro Milk Stout, which is softer in mouthfeel and much sweeter. Death Before Disco offers a dry and more traditional alternative for the regular-strength black ale.