Lost Abbey Avant Garde Ale

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Bière de Garde
San Marcos, California USA

Unlike most Biere de Gardes I know, this is sweet and malty. More like La Choulette, but with smoother tastes. Bit of bitterness. Spiced a bit. Some caramel. Still, nice all around.

lear yellow-orange pour with a thin white head. Fruity pear aroma with floral and earthy notes. A touch of butter and cream. Bitter malt and roast flavor. Fruity with hints of bourbon. Hoppy finish. I was disappointed by this one.

Tasting @ Binnys. Bottle. A smooth medium to dark golden color with an off-white head. A light spice and white fruit aroma. Flavor is of wheat, and modest spicing, ginger and coriander. Palate is thin and dry. Not my cup o tea.

Bottle. Cloudy caramel/light orange pour with white head. Big notes of sweet apple bread and caramel... reminds me of a caramel apple at times. Toffee notes. Some phenol character... a little buttery at times. Good biere de garde.

Shared by emacgee. Thanks Ethan! Pours a caramel tinted orange with a steady white head. Nose is bready, caramel, and yeasty. Flavor is sweet initially, with more bready and yeasty notes and finishes with a mild bitterness. Well done, I could not find any flaws. A bit heavier in the mouthfeel than I would like but that just may be the style.

Thanks Southbay. Pours a hazy copper gold with a 1 to 2 finger frothy offwhite head. The nose is pungent, sweet, caramel, malty, candy, phenolic, mild warmth. The flavor is sweet, very malty, caramel, mild noble hop character, dry. The palate was sweet and a tad grassy. Some phenol.

I don’t have a lot to compare this to, as this is the first Biere de Garde I’ve ever had. I just brewed one, and figured that I should try a commercial example first. I must say, I drank half the bottle out of a Belgian style tulip glass and it tasted a lot better than the second half, which I drank out of one of those Sam Adams "perfect beer" glasses. Appearance- Dark copper to orange color with very little head. It was hazy, which did not clear as it warmed. Aroma- very appealing, fruity with some citrus hops. Taste- The aroma does not translate to taste. The munich malt is very muted, with a bready taste that is very subtle. As it warmed it took on a taste of dried fruit. I definatley think that it is worth trying once, just drink it out of the appropriate glass. Usually I think that glass stuff is bunk, not in this case though.

Bottle. Rich gold with average head. Very fruity nose with some grassy, breadyness. Bright mouth with a rapid drying bitterness. Lots of yeast, probably would go great with a baguette.