CloakedDagger (37227) reviewed Angel's Share from The Lost Abbey 19 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
(Bottle 75 cl) Pours a dark, opaque brown with a beige head. Sweet and very complex bourbon aroma. Quite full-bodied with sweet caramel notes - distinctly sweet notes - lots of vanilla and sweet caramel. Lovely. 291206
Ungstrup (52110) reviewed Angel's Share from The Lost Abbey 19 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Bottled. A deep red beer with a slight haze under a collapsing brown head. The aroma is sweet with notes of whiskey, chocolate, and vanilla - nice. The flavor is sweet malty with notes of vanilla, chocolate, and wood, as well as light notes of the alcohol. Nice one.
Silphium (4308) reviewed Angel's Share from The Lost Abbey 19 years ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle from cquiroga, sampled with badnewsbeers. Dark brown body with reddish highlights, thin tan head. Leaves good lacing on the glass. Boozy oak and vanilla aroma with toast lurking but buried in barrel. Strong oaky body with brown sugar, toast, and alcohol. Burnt caramely sugars and candied fruits impart sweetness to this high octane oak-alcohol elixir. The rich, sweet body does beg, however, for a bit more complexity and heft. Very nice.
Silphium (4308) reviewed Lost and Found from The Lost Abbey 19 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle from cquiroga, sampled with badnewsbeers. Fiery orange-brown body, thin tan head, strong carbonation. Aroma of toffee and toast with big esters, including clove and cinnamon. Floral, with notes of sweet fruit juice. The strongest characteristic of the body is its intense, sharp carbonation, which makes each sip feel like the beer is foaming up. But, what a beer. Rich complexity imparted by plum, toast, chalky esters (clove, etc.), cinnamon, and chocolate. Warming alcohol is present and adds to the intrigue. This is a top-notch Dubbel.
Silphium (4308) reviewed Red Barn Ale from The Lost Abbey 19 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle from cquiroga, sampled with badnewsbeers. Murky, hazy light orange body, medium off-white head. Resembles apricot puree. Aroma of pineapple and spices, with strong flower petals and herbal notes. Peppery, floral body with hints of pineapple, leaving a lingering bitterness on the palate. My only complaint is that, after a few ounces, the pineapple becomes a bit cloying. Nevertheless, well done.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Red Barn Ale from The Lost Abbey 19 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
2006 bottle (we finally got PP in MA!) consumed on 10/27/06
Big, rocky, beige-butter-colored head slowly recedes to a manageable level, never falling below cover but only leaving scant lacing on the glass in clumps. The body is a warm-toned peachy-gold with some stronger copper-auburn tints. Medium-high clarity, leaving the yeast behind (bottle conditioned, of course).
Sweet buttercream biscuits topped with honey are cut by ginger and dry, spicy pepper. Some streaks of hay and light herbs (mostly dry; oregano, dill, etc) run through quickly, but it centers back on the malt/spice contrast. Some light vanilla and honey-almond notes emerge as well, still battling the spice. Light citrus zest, green raisins (reminding me a lot of what raison d’etre used to smell like) and just a pinch of the pineapple notes I associate with SPF 45. It all comes together somewhat heavy (relative to the style) on the nose, though the spice dosent seem as prominent as in SPF 45. But the slack left by the spice is picked up by the malt. Some clean baked hay, light breadiness and gentle pils malt softness do peek through on the finish, giving a lighter, more airy note, but I still think it’s going to be too sweet in flavor for me.
And sweet it most certainly is. Granted, as FlacoAlto mentions, the spicing does help keep the malt in check somewhat, but to me, spicing shouldnt be used to balance malt. It’s like using one heavy flavor to balance another; you get balance, but it’s still comes off as heavy and certainly not bright or crisp. Hops are unremarkable, just some light herbs and hay as seen in the nose. Plump, juicy green raisins and other fruits, as well as light pineapple supplement the sweet, honey-caramel malts and ginger and pepper go to work attempting to dry it out. Too sweet for my tastes, but then, so is SPF 45. If you like spiced saisons, this is certainly a well-done one, though I still think the FG could be taken down even lower. But I’m sure it’s intended to be a more hearty/robust beer. No alcohol noted, no flaws. Engaging carbonation is mostly tight. Should be a very good one for the cellar and I will certainly revisit.
notalush (7339) reviewed Angel's Share from The Lost Abbey 19 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9
HUGE thanks to hophead75 for bringing this to the RB Captain Lawrence gathering - there were a lot of great beers at that event, but this will probably be the only one I wind up rating - that’s how much this beer stands out - really dark, blood red, nearly black pour - loads of oak and chocolate wafting up from the glass at first, then, once you really get your nose into the glass, you can smell complex vinous/port-like notes, brown sugar, black cherry, dough/bread/pastry aromas - thick, slick, oily mouthfeel, with a very dense, full body - dark, overripe fruit and a red wine/oak barrel character are most noticable at first, but begin intermingling with the sweeter characteristics that the aroma suggested to begin with - the sweetness is tempered by a kind of vinous, tannic twang, that never really comes to the fore, but still stays quite present in the background - the beer has the thick, chewy quality of some of the best imperial stouts (rare for a barleywine), yet retains the refined elegance that many beers of such thickness fail to achieve - this is an amazing beer - I must have more - MORE!
Irishboy (4674) reviewed Avant Garde Ale from The Lost Abbey 19 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Bottle from Ledgers, Berkeley; Nose is grainy with a little spice, flowers, and fruit; lightly hazed litle copper color with a medium, quick disappating white head; Flavor has light fruitiness with caramel light spices, and some nutiness; This has all the complexity of a really big quad, but all the factors are very light and not overwhelming! A very light but complex ale!
Irishboy (4674) reviewed Lost and Found from The Lost Abbey 19 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5
Bottle; Nose lightly spicy with dark fruit of plums and raisins, caramel, with a tiny bit of smokiness; Hazy dark brown witha big tan head that laces the glass; flavor is spicy with cloves, caramel, and raisins.
Irishboy (4674) reviewed Red Barn Ale from The Lost Abbey 19 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle; Nose is yeasty barnyard with a little spice and citrus; Hazy dark urine colored witha small, glass-lacing white head; flavor is spicy with light sourness and a faint caramel malt.