Left Hand Fade to Black, Volume I

One-hundred thirty-four days of blackness. Three thousand, two hundred and sixteen hours before the clocks are switched again. Welcome to Fade to Black. That time of year when the day seems to fade away. Drifting further into the darkness with each passing day.

And welcome to Fade to Black, a new seasonal beer already fraught with controversy. Is it a Winter Beer, a Christmas beer, a Holiday beer, what exactly is it? Does it have spices? Is it a dark beer? What style is it?

Fade to Black ties into that time of year when we fall backwards an hour, this year from November 1st until March 14th. Creatively brewed to pair with shorter, darker days, Fade to Black is a Foreign Stout that pours black with notes of licorice, espresso beans, molasses, and black cardamom notes. Its 8.5% ABV gives way to a feeling of self loathing, burnt opportunities and smoked relationships. And like “some late visitor entreating entrance at your chamber door”, six different malts and two different hop varieties create the “darkness there, and nothing more.”

And as we eventually creep back to brighter days, leaving the shadowy hours behind, so too, will this year’s Fade to Black be gone. For each and every year the style will change, but the name will remain the same. So, for this year’s Foreign Stout, to quoth the brewer, “Nevermore”.