Posts Tagged ‘the lost abbey’

Thursday Night Belgian Theme

Friday, February 10th, 2012
stillwater artisanal ales cellar door

Stillwater Cellar Door

I recently brewed my first Belgian styled beer. Powered by that fact, I decided to tell the guys that the Thursday night get together would be fueled by Belgian beers. They all obliged. Unfortunately the evening got off to a late start and ended early; the long week took its toll on me. I was tired. We only made it through three beers (in the order we reviewed):

All three beers were good. Both Captain Fantasy and Cellar Door were first timers for the group as a whole. Both were easy to drink, dry, and effervescent. Captain Fantasy didn’t seem to pull it together 100% while Cellar Door had a bit more sweetness than I expected. I like a very dry, phenolic, and peppery Saison. Captain Fantasy was a bit more fruity with the green grape (almost similar to a white wine flavor in the middle) and pear highlighting the beer. Cellar Door was a bit more straight forward: phenols, pepper, and dry with only the sweetness pulling it down.

Red Poppy was the finisher: tart, vinegar, oak, and cherries give complexity to this beer. I have had it before and, if it wasn’t the for the price, I would have it much more often. Rich and Chuck took pours of this beer like it was coming out of a gallon jug. Alas, I was only afforded the last ounce, if I was lucky. Yeah, dregs for me. Enjoy!

Useless Fact: The honeybee kill more people each year world-wide than poisonous snakes.

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The Lost Abbey Sinners Blend 2009 (365 Day 364)

Thursday, December 1st, 2011
the lost abbey sinners blend 2009

Lost Abbey Sinners Blend 2009

The eve of my last American craft beer on the journey to 365 was Sinners Blend 2009 by The Lost Abbey. I received the beer as an extra in a transaction approximately a year ago. As an extra! I have really gotten into sours over the past couple of years, thinking of brewery one up, and when I received this beer I was very excited as I know it has met with fairly high reviews. Also, I haven’t met to many beers from Lost Abbey that I haven’t liked.

I eagerly opened the 375ml bottle. The first aromas brought on tart, old, worn out Belgian candy sugar, and vinegar. Oxidation, wood (not really definable), sour cherries, pepper spice filled out the sensation. The oxidation and vinegar, which both showed in the mouth, took away from the overall experience for me. It was a bit over the top. The mouth brought on more of the same as the aroma, delicately creating a complex beer that was a very good offering.

I have a feeling that more vinegar will seep into this beer as time goes on. I recommend drinking it now before it goes to much further. Enjoy!

Aroma: 8 (25%), Taste: 8 (25%), Look: 9 (15%), Drinkability: 8 (35%), Overall: 8.2

Useless Fact: The Discus Thrower by Myron, one of the most famous of all Greek statues, is not Greek at all. The statue as we know it today is a restoration assembled in the nineteenth century from pieces of a Roman copy of the Greek original.

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The Lost Abbey Judgement Day (365 Day 290)

Saturday, September 17th, 2011

Lost Abbey Judgement Day

Surprise American craft beer: a beer that delivers past your expectation. This might sound vague but I think it perfectly covers my thoughts on the topic. I keep it vague to cover the prospect of believing a beer to pretty good and exceeding those expectations. This is the category that I would have to place Judgement Day by The Lost Abbey.

Judgement Day is a Belgian Quad that seems to fit the style quite nicely. Raisin and plum are the first to greet the nose and. later, the palate. Yeas, Belgian candy, and alcohol also can be found. In spite of the alcohol presence and ABV of the beer it is smooth going down.

The bottle had less than a year of age on it and leads me to imagine that this should be fairly smooth up front. I don’t know how much ageing would help this beer. Definitely on my revisit list. Enjoy!

Aroma: 9 (25%), Taste: 9 (25%), Look: 9 (15%), Drinkability: 9 (35%), Overall: 9.0

Useless Fact: In 1790 only 5 percent of the American population lived in cities.

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The Lost Abbey Framboise de Amorosa (365 Day 271)

Monday, August 29th, 2011

The Lost Abbey Framboise de Amorosa

I have to admit before sharing this beer (more on this shortly) with Rich, I had two IPAs, neither of which lived up to past expectations. Pliny the Elder and Exponential Hoppiness both went down easy but neither seemed to “pop” my senses like they have in the past. The rest of this week I might have to refrain from IPAs to give my senses time to recoup.

American craft beer number 271 was Framboise de Amorosa by The Lost Abbey. This is where the rest of the story from above continues. I brought out a bottle received in a recent transaction, straight from the cellar, while opening it the cork broke at the top of the bottle. Into the house for a cork screw (yes, luckily this was outside). Finished opening the bottle with the cork screw, at first, slowly pulling out the cork. I heard a bit of carbonation release before I just yanked the rest out.

What a mistake!!! The liquid shot out of the 375ml bottle like it was coming from a cannon. A good three feet tall shot all but about an ounce of the beer from the bottle. Rich and I shared the measly bit but I enjoyed the sour, tart, raspberry flavor. The barrel came through a touch too.

I have another bottle in the basement that I am anxious to try, opening slowly, so that I will have enough to give a fair review on. Enjoy!

Useless Fact: The Chinese invented the speedometer. In 1027, Lu Taolung presented the Emperor Jen Chung with a cart that could measure the distances it spanned by means of a mechanism with eight wheels and two moving arms. One arm struck a drum each time a li (about a third of a mile) was covered. Another rang a bell every 10 li.

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The Lost Abbey Cuvee De Tomme (365 Day 203)

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

Lost Abbey Cuvee De Tomme

Ahh, Tuesday Night Beer Club (TNBC) brings out some of the best American craft beers from a group friends in which we all share. Trying to save the complete round up for another blog entry when and if Shawn gets me the ratings 😉 But the evening had a theme of states that touch either the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean. There was a nice mix of breweries represented from both coasts.

The highlight of the evening for me was a bottle of 2009 Cuvee De Tomme from The Lost Abbey that was brought by Ed. I had heard good things of this beer but you never know if a beer will live up to the hype. Also, I was worried how sour the beer might be based on some of the other American wild ales that come out of The Lost Abbey.

All of my worries were quickly quieted after I took my first sip but only after taking the appropriate five wafts of the bouquet of the beer. The taste is complex as is the nose. Cherries abound while oak, bourbon, vanilla, and a multitude of other flavors hit the pallet at various times. Tart but not sour, which is perfect for my preference. This beer is probably the best American wild ale I have had. I was almost going to give it a 10 and, if I have it again and impressed in the same, that might happen. An eleven percent ABV is completely hidden making the beer dangerously easy to drink.

Don’t hog this beer to yourself, share it with your friends. If you don’t have any, I am sure you will find some quickly if you tell them you want to share your bottle of Cuvee De Tomme with them. Enjoy!

Aroma: 10 (25%), Taste: 9 (25%), Look: 9 (15%), Drinkability: 10 (35%), Overall: 9.6

Useless Fact: In ancient Japan public contests were held to see who in a town could break wind loudest and longest. Winners were awarded many prizes and received great acclaim.

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The Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale (365 Day 93)

Friday, March 4th, 2011

Lost Abbey Red Poppy

There are some beers in all of our cellars that we keep for a special occasion; more than anything, to be shared with close friends that will appreciate the contents within. Red Poppy Ale by The Lost Abbey is one such beer for me.

Last night wasn’t something special outside of the usual Thursday get together, it was only Chuck and I, but I have been wanting to try Red Poppy for some time now. Just about every time I go into my cellar I look at the bottle, wanting to grab it, but I needed to share it with at least one person. I didn’t want to be glutenous.

The funk and sour are apparent in the aroma and even more dominant in the taste. After a few sips the acidity that cleaned my teeth pearly white, seemed to subside. Yep, it seems like the taste buds started to appreciate the funkiness within. I could have finished the bottle by myself, although Chuck disagreed, and I am definitely on the prowl for another. It might be time to hit up my cousin Russ again. Enjoy!

Aroma: 10, Taste: 10, Look: 9, Drinkability: 8, Overall: 9.2

Useless Fact: Hans Christian Andersen, creator of fairy tales, was word-blind. He never learned to spell correctly, and his publishers always had the spelling errors corrected.

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The Lost Abbey Deliverance Ale (365 Day 63)

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Lost Abbey Deliverance Ale

Let me start out by saying this is not the first time that I have had Deliverance Ale by The Lost Abbey. The first was at FOBAB. At FOBAB this was on tap and outstanding. Creamy, smooth, big, and perfect for the day. I had it another time from the group of bottles that I purchased. It is one yummy American craft beer.

Deliverance is a blend of beers, like most Lost Abbey beers, that includes bourbon and brandy ages ales. Each is subtle but strong enough to compliment, while not overpowering or being over powered. Sort of a perfect blend. The aroma and taste both have bourbon, oak, vanilla, some earthiness that seems from the barrel, dark fruits (mainly cherry), and molasses. It is a bountiful and pleasant. They aren’t cheap at $16.99 for a 375ml, so I don’t know if I will buy them again in quantity, but I will get one each year. Enjoy!

Aroma: 9, Taste: 10, Look: 9, Drinkability: 9, Overall: 9.3

Useless Fact: There are 22 stars surrounding the mountain on the Paramount Pictures logo.

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