Lost Abbey Amazing Grace

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Abbey Dubbel
San Marcos, California USA

Bomber bottle at London tasting, May 2008. Very murky brown colour but I won’t mark it down for that as I got the last pour from the bottle. Aroma is sweet and sour with strong vinous notes, presumably from the wine barrels. The sweet and sour impression is amplified in the flavour with sharp fruit joining the party. Mouthfeel is - er - sweet and sour with a pleasing, quite weighty, quality. I thought this presented more as a Flemish sour than an Abbey Dubbel, reminded me a little of Duchesse de Bourgogne. However, I prefer sour beers to be less sweet and more uncompromising. Guess I’m just not a big fan of the sweet and sour vibe and, as that characteristic is very pronounced in this beer, I wasn’t as blown away as the others. Good but not amazing, for me at least.

A Mes rate: Bottle at the Oi Oi Saveloy tasting at Chris O’s.
Dark murky amber with a thin tan rim. Better looking than my description sounds. Lovely Lost Abbey barrelly sourness in the aroma. Complex, vinous and wooden with notes of pepper, tart fruit and light citrus. The wine barrel comes through much more in the flavour and works much better than I initially thought. Superb delicate sourness, lovely tart fruit and a faint but enjoyable lick of alcohol. Glorious notes of earth and wood. Somehow the combination of sweet and sour never quite balances but it’s still a very good beer indeed. Dry at the edges, sweet and juicy in the middle. It’s given me a lovely glow. I could get messy really quickly on this. Far from their best but a bloody excellent beer all the same.

At May Ratebeer London Gathering at Chris O’s. Hazy mid brown. Thick, malty alcoholic aroma, rough and uncompromising. Taste is sour, earthy, leathery and musty. Bitterness to follow. Tough, crude, and reallly rather wonderful.

Dark coppery brown that is opaque and looks to be a bit cloudy. Minimal head of tan. Aromas are very fruity with wood. The flavours are awesome, expansive, and filled with fruit, malt, and yeasty notes. Very complex and filled with flavour. I’ve got one to age and I have big plans for it.

Sampled @ Stone. Perhaps I got a bad bottle??? This one was highly disappointing. Murky Mississippi river in color with no head and minimal carbonation. Aroma of brett, red wine, cherry skin, and raisin. Flavor is slightly sour with the cherry coming through along with a hint of oak. Flavor was flat, beer was flat & watery. Not very good. One blemish on an otherwise amazing brewer.

Muddy red-brown colour. Dar fruit and light alcohol. Fairly vinous woody character. Deep and complex. Fruity with rich raisiny depth and a dry alcohol finish. Complex and delicious.

interesting....on tap at the port anniversary part....very nice double flavors that the wine actually really matches well with...I heard tomme say this is his least favorite of his barrel aged beers...but I think it is damn good

750ml bottle @Vero Beach Throwdown-pours a dissipating off white head and brown color. Aroma is dark fruit, vinuous. Taste is sour dark fruit, vinuous, yeast. Thanks decaturstevo for sharing.