Angel's Share
(has 6 batches)
The Lost Abbey in San Marcos, California, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Regular|
Score
7.83
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Down in Kentucky and across the pond in Scotland, distillers who age their whiskeys for many years refer to the evaporation of the spirits from their barrels as “The Angel’s Share.” We couldn’t agree more. Our Angel’s Share is a barrel aged burgundy colored ale infused with copious amounts of dark caramel malt to emphasize the vanilla and oak flavors found in freshly emptied brandy barrels. Each batch spends no less than 6 months aging in the oak.
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9/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
The bottle looks incredibly good. The beer in the glass deep black, almost oily, no head. Wonderful malty-old aroma. Starts fiery-malty, very complex, very woody notes, very strong, modest alcoholic. Very nice finish, warming, well balanced, prickly, very long. Wonderful beer! Big thanks to scrizz for sending that beer to my house!
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Jun 2009
at 14:38
4.1/10
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Appearance 2
Aroma 5
Flavor 4
Texture 4
Overall 4.5
Bottle: Poured a deep murky brown color ale with no head whatsoever. Aroma of of alcohol vapor with some gross residual sugar. Taste is overly dominated by brandy notes with some sweet sugary malt with an almost gross feel. Body is full with no carbonation and strong alcohol showing. I know the issue this beer had with carbonation but the fundamental issue are bigger then only carbonation – way too much alcohol is showing even though I understand beer as been barrel-aged with a lack of complexity. I must admit that this example is definitely over-hyped and fall well below my expectations.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Jun 2009
at 23:00
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
750 / 2008. Murky burgandy colored ale. No head. Aroma is of not too sweet dark fruit. Extremely mild, but existing, carbonation. Getting lots of oak and caramel, possibly some chocolate and vanilla. There’s a lot of body and flavor. Heat is subdued, but noticeable. Aged for a few years this likely would turn out like the older Gales Ales. It all depends on how you like that. This stuff seems quite aged already.
Tried
on 11 May 2009
at 21:13
7.2/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
tap, nørrebro bryghus tasting.pitch dark, no head.aroma is very boozy, old beer, toffee.flavor is raisins, booze, much better than aroma.i?m not much of a barley wine guy, and for me, this one is too true to style. Must admit that flavor beats aroma hands down, only the good stuff from the aroma lasts into the flavor. Re rate 20170109 aroma is complex roasted malts dark fruits boozy caramel.
Tried
from Draft
on 29 Apr 2009
at 04:41
7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
From tap Nørrebro Bryghus. Pours dark Brown, unclear and with a fully gone, initially tan head. Dense roasted malt, dark chocolate and brandy barreled notes. Subdued sweet raisin note. Sweet and raisin flavoured. Dense malty and roasted caramel malt. Sweet and warming finish. Smooth and lovely. Lasting warming and fruity impression.
Tried
from Draft
on 29 Apr 2009
at 04:04
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
12.7 fl oz corked and caged bottle. 2008 Vintage, from the Sinners Club. Cork pulls out with pretty much no sound. Pour is murky mahogany with only a few soapy bubbles on top. Aroma of raisins and plums, cooking brown sugar and vanilla. Behind that is Brandy, oak wood barrel and a clear blast of alcohol. Starts nice, but turns a little harsh towards the back. Taste is syrupy Brandy, a bit of the raisin brown sugar vanilla sweetness, then all kinds of alcohol heat. There is also some soy and saltiness. Palate is medium, coating and dead flat. Aftertaste of pure booze. I have had straight Brandy that was about as smooth as this. Syrupy sweet and boozy. Not my bottle of beer, and I’m also not entirely sure this bottle was 100 percent good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Apr 2009
at 09:04
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle ’08, tasted 4/11/09: Very dark brown pour with no head. Strong smells oak and earthiness, just a little sweetness from the brandy. Rich tastes of malt and lots of woodiness. Some more brandy. A little bready too. Not real distinctive in any one area. Very low carbonation, almost flat. Re-rate, 5/26/13 with an ’09 bottle. Really great aroma; sweet and sultry barrel notes, roast, light cocoa, and vanilla. Wood has subsided a bit from my first review... in a very good way. Tastes of malt, roast, toffee, dark fruits, vanilla... very smooth and silky. With age on this it reminds me of older viscosity, but more mellow. Same low level of carbonation, nearly flat. Nevertheless a fine experience.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Apr 2009
at 14:13
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Rerate following some lovely help from Lost Abbey. Thanks! Pours a dark brown with very little head (maybe a touch more than the bourbon AS, but still little more than a film on the surface. Aromas are wonderfully full of brown sugar, raisin, toffee and booze. Flavor is pretty similar, but seems a little more edgy than the bourbon variety. Sticky and sweet on the palate. Good, but I think I like the bourbon better.
Bottle. Pour is a beautiful mahogany brown with bubbles on the surface but little head. Aromas are thick with apples, grape jelly and junk... so I begin to wonder if this is infected. Pushing on, though, there are slightly sour fruit flavors from apples and raisins, but things fall apart from here. Alcohol and flavors don’t match, barrel aging is detectable, but seems out of place, strange sour notes are not good... But this all makes me wonder... is this infected or is this not for me?
Bottle. Pour is a beautiful mahogany brown with bubbles on the surface but little head. Aromas are thick with apples, grape jelly and junk... so I begin to wonder if this is infected. Pushing on, though, there are slightly sour fruit flavors from apples and raisins, but things fall apart from here. Alcohol and flavors don’t match, barrel aging is detectable, but seems out of place, strange sour notes are not good... But this all makes me wonder... is this infected or is this not for me?
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Jan 2009
at 00:04
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
[July 23, 2010] Hazy mahogany with a medium sized beige head. Sweet nose with roasted malt, brandy, caramel, overripe plums, figs, dates and chocolate. Sweet flavour with hard roasted malt, brandy, caramel, overripe plums, figs, dates, chocolate, wood and vanilla. finished sweet. Nice. Dark brown with beige head. Sweet aroma with roasted malt and caramel notes. Sweet aroma with roasted malt, caramel, flavour has signs of infection though hoppy and malty with alcohol notes. Finished sourish.
Tried
on 31 Dec 2008
at 09:28
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
courtesy of ibrew2or3. One amazing offering, thanks Dave. ’07 bottle. Pours black, brownish head. Aroma had clearly something more of a brandy barrel, oak and dark fruity(cherry) nose that the latest Angel Share doesn’t have. Taste is as good as always. You really can’t go wrong with this amazing beer. Great use of brandy barrel, dark fruits and good caramel mats. Side by side, the bourbon barrel remains my favorite. Drinkable, well balanced, and a taste that is unique.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Oct 2008
at 10:29