Lost Abbey 10 Commandments

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
San Marcos, California USA

dark brown, small yellow head aroma is sour, raisins, spices. flavor is spicy, caramel, slight honey, dark fruits/rasins. actually tastes really good.

750 mL bottle. Dark brown pour with a medium tan head. Aroma of raisins, bread and pepper. Complex taste of dark fruits, yeast, rosemary, toffee with a finish dominated by alcohol.

Another bottle that Garrett gave me. Thanks! I have wanted to try this one for a long time. Once again the cork took some effort to get out, but when it finally did pull out, I thought I might have a flat beer. Poured it, and low and behold there was some carbonation in it. Dark brown colored pour, tan head. Smell is full of dark fruits with a touch of rosemary it seems. There is brett in this? I didnt notice it. No sour funk at all on this one. But I really should bump my rating 18 points up because of the brett. Taste is sweet and has a very lively body, very similar to a Belgian. Hell, this could be from Belgium and I wouldnt have known. Pretty good beer really, one of the better offerings from LA.

750mL bottle, courtesy of dave12285, poured into a tulip. Pours a deep, clear reddish brown, looking like a dark cola, with a big thick cream-colored head that shows great retention and leaves some attractive lacing. The aroma is very sweet with lots of dark fruits, especially the raisins, and a big herbal presence as well, presumably from the rosemary. If there is brett in this one, then I don’t get it in the nose. The taste follows the aroma fairly closely and is mostly the sweetness of the yeast and dark fruits forming the backbone. Maybe even some chocolate malt sweetness floating around as well. The taste transitions into a very herbal finish with rosemary and possibly some other spices. Again, not much of a brett presence, for what it’s worth. The mouthfeel is active, with plenty of carbonation and a dry herbal character that lingers on the palate. This is another interesting installment in the LA beer library with an interesting mix of dark fruits. It’s definitely drinkable for the ABV, though the rosemary starts to build up over time and may be a little much for me.

750ml bottle. If this beer has brett in it, I cannot taste it. What I get instead is a fair amount of toffee and dark fruits, slight vanilla, somewhat obvious alcohol and a bit of spice. A nice beer, but...

750 2008 bottle poured a dark chestnut brown color with a nice thick one finger heavy head that retained a thin layer. aroma has dark earthy malt, nutmeg, rich dark fruit, slight sweetness, and i do get the rosemary (almost sage). nice full mouth feel with just the right carbonation. flavor has rich dark malts, raisins, plumb, Belgian yeast, and the rosemary sage thing. there is light sweetness, a bit of earthy farmhouse, and the herbal spice picks up as the glass goes on. this one worked for me.

750ML 2008 Bottle-Trade w/hellbilly-Mahogany/amber color w/a moderate head & some good carbonation. Some raisins, plum, dark fruit, spice (colander?) & a little peat. Kind of gamey & sticky, but in a good way. A little different, grabbed your attention. Had that funky, Farmhouse flavor to it...these brews can be kind of hit & miss, this one is a hit! Full mouthfeel w/a spicy finish. Thanks Joshua!!

75cl bottle from the 2008 release. A surprisingly loud pop accompanies the removal of the cork. The last couple LA bottles that I’ve had have been a bit too low on carbonation, but this one seems to have conditioned quite nicely, exhibiting a medium-high level of small bubbles. Nice. the color is dark brown with a creamy beige head that sticks around and never completely retires. The aroma has rich dried fruits with raisin being noticeable. There is also a funky, lightly tart edge, plenty of spices, (is that the rosemary?) slightly under-ripe pears and a hint of cocoa powder. A complex and intriguing concoction. The flavor is not quite as impressive but is nice nonetheless. Lightly sweet chocolate mixes with lots of spice, a light fruity tartness, and ends with a dry alcoholic bite. The body is medium with plenty of carbonation. I’d say this is a pretty complex and interesting dark farmhouse ale. There is a lot going on, but it comes together in a sort of organized chaos that leaves a unique signature on the tongue.