Angel's Share: Grand Cru
The Lost Abbey in San Marcos, California, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Special Out of Production|
Score
7.98
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Nearly four years ago, we hired some Angels to work their magic on all manners of oak barrels and beers in our barrel program. As Angels go, they’re alright. Sometimes they misplace barrels. Other times, they’re selfish and hide the best barrels. And at least one of these Angels is mischievous from time to time adding grapes to the barrels to see what might happen.
Recently, we found some of these "Angels Barrels" which we’d lost over time. After tasting them, we decided to marry some of the barrels together creating a time in a bottle snapshot of some of our favorite Angel’s Share barrels. This Grand Cru bottling has been thoughtfully blended to bridge the first batches with our most recent releases. We hope that you, like us and our Angels, find it worthy of the designation Angels Share Grand Cru.
Recently, we found some of these "Angels Barrels" which we’d lost over time. After tasting them, we decided to marry some of the barrels together creating a time in a bottle snapshot of some of our favorite Angel’s Share barrels. This Grand Cru bottling has been thoughtfully blended to bridge the first batches with our most recent releases. We hope that you, like us and our Angels, find it worthy of the designation Angels Share Grand Cru.
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8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle thanks to Sebastian! Poured a deep hazy brown with a grayish brown head that started and finished at the edges. Aroma was sweet with grains and breads but also had notes of light fruit, caramel, bourbon, toffee and vanilla. Flavor was similarly complex with the bourbon really combining nicely with the sweet grains and caramel
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jan 2011
at 13:28
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 4
Overall 7
Big thanks to Alen for this one! Bottle looks really great, beer in the glass as well, deep black, small head, a bit oily. Starts very strong, modest alcoholic, heavy-malty, somehow old-smoky with earthy notes. Finish dominated by an unbalanced maltiness, still modest alcoholic, earthy-prickly. Not too drinkable. I liked the other two Angels Share version much better!
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Nov 2010
at 21:56
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
@Tampa Wkly Gathering @TampaPourhouse Thanks markwise-12.7oz bottle-pours a tan head with mahogany color. Aroma is dark malt-molasses, sherry, alcohol. Taste is dark malt-molasses/chocolate, wood, sherry, alcohol.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Nov 2010
at 07:13
8.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 10
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 8
From old notes (probably from Toronado’s Barleywine Fest 2010). My favorite of the three versions of AS that I’ve tried. I found the normal bourbon version to be a bit dominated by bourbon, but the Grand Cru is smooth and the bourbon barrel-aging blends very well. This beer has a ton of different flavors bouncing around, though they all manage to fuse into a sweet, complex explosion. There are notes of brown sugar, molasses, raisins, grapes, cherries, oak, bourbon, caramel, vanilla and chocolate. The booze is felt but is warming without being harsh. Mouthfeel is smooth with a good level of carbonation for the beer (another point for this one over some other versions of AS, though that’s only a bottle issue, as far as I know). Definitely one of TLA’s best.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Sep 2010
at 12:16
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
375 mL bottle shared at RBSG by stefanje. Thanks! Pours a dark reddish brown color with a thin head. Decent head retention and lacing. Aroma of toffee, raisin and soy. The taste is toffee, raisins, grapes, caramel and maple. Full bodied, and rather thick. Nice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Jul 2010
at 18:12
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle thanks to footbalm. This Lost Abbey beer did not let down. Pours out a dark brown with some red highlights topped with a sand head. Aroma was awesome I couldn’t pull my nose away from my glass. Aroma was of caramel, pit fruit, vanilla, oak, and sweet malts. Taste was not a let down, all of the aroma and more. The sweetness from the caramel and pit fruit was right on. Just a little heat/booze ok maybe a more than just a little heat. But still a very nice beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Jul 2010
at 20:12
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 9
Big thanks to markwise for sharing this. It pours mahogany with thin tan head. The aroma is crusty roasted malts, vanilla, coconut, sweet sherry, slick sweet malts, a touch of caramel, faint oak and booze. The taste is smooth sweet creamy goodness bringing up notes of caramel candy, dark sweet rich fruitiness, vanilla, a smooth touch of oak and then some mild booze into the finish. Cripes, this is gooooooood.
Tried
from Can
on 14 Jul 2010
at 17:55
8.6/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Tasted blind. Bottled. A pitch black beer with a thin brown head. The aroma has notes of roasted and sweet malt, alcohol, and bourbon. The flavor is very sweet with notes of roasted malt, soy sauce, alcohol, bourbon, and wood, as well as lighter notes of chocolate and over ripe fruits. The alcohol burn on the palate. Huge thanks yespr for getting and sharing this beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Jun 2010
at 15:26
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 10
Bottle. Very nice vanilla aroma. Very dark brown colour. Small frothy light brown head. Very flavourful, lots of vanilla, a good deal of alcohol. Good sweetness, some spicy notes, probably from the sugars. Very good. 848420
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 May 2010
at 01:59
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottled@Blindtasting at yespr. Black colour, beigeish brown head. Aroma is toffee, alcohol, some caramel and mild fruits. Flavour is liquorice, alcohol, some fruits and mild honeyish and wooden notes as well.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 May 2010
at 08:55