(10/29/08) Bottle at Valley Brew brewery in Stockton (thanks a lot Mike!). Dark brown color. Aroma of barnyard, malt, some dark fruits notes and caramel hints. Sour flavor with some brett, malt, cookie notes, some berries and other fruit notes. Nice body with quite a bit of carbonation. Some astringency in the aftertaste.

375ml corked bottle. Pours a deep and dark opaque red with short lived cola colored head. Aroma is sour, musty, and cherry and fruit. Flavor is very complex, I couldn’t keep it in my mouth long enough to soak it all in. Initially it hits with a nice sourness and tartness, very like a Rodenbach grand cru, with some hints of fresh cherry and vinegar (possibly malt vinegar as well as balsamic) then blends in with a malty sweetness, possibly lightly cocoa and faintly spicy. It has some funk underneath all the sourness, as well as some woody boozy notes. There was little evidence of alcohol. The finish is delightfully complex, lingering with lots of sour/sweetness, with notes of wood, vanilla, malt, spice, and balsamic. I savored each sip to the fullest, yet my glass was soon empty, and even then I found myself inhaling the remnant aromas coming out of my empty glass and cherishing them. I couldn’t bring myself to rinse it out, the aromas from the empty glass reminding me of the delightfully sour and complex flavors in this one. I can’t wait to have another, I haven’t been motivated to input a rating in some time until this one came along.

[Bottle] shared by BDR. Pours a clear burnt caramel with a medium beige head that is fairly sticky. Aroma is funk, grapefruit, tart, and some molasses. Flavor is burnt marshmallow, some subtle tartness that builds gradually, and a little bit of darker fruits. This beer is all on the finish. Really not all that impressive, but quite unique and intriguing if nothing else, so it earns some style points there.

Thin tan head that settles quickly to a ring. Little lace. Lightly hazy deep brown color with a faint ruby glow. Nose of faint vinegar, light must, oxydation, cherries and chocolate. Body is lightly medium, tart and sour with a nice carbonation level. Chocolate and cherry flavors with notes of wood, cinnamon and spice. Dry, lightly tart finish. Need a re-do on this one. Bottle procured in a trade with DirtyMartini, thanks Larry!

Pours a transparent dark copper mahogany with a small, creamy, wispy-lacing white head. Aroma of lightly sweet caramel with lots of tart vinous oaky notes and some cherry fruitiness. Starts with good fullness and maltiness well-balanced with assertive, oaky tartness and some light fruity complexity. Finishes crisp and slightly warming, but very true to style. Another great brew from Lost Abbey.