Lost Abbey Carnevale (2008)

Formerly brewed at Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Saison
San Marcos, California USA

From a 750 ml bottle. Pour is a hazy yellow with some decent foam at the top. The aroma has some sweet cakebread mixed in with a bit of the sourness expected from the belgian yeasts. Flavor is a mixture of sweetness akin to pear, cakebread and some belgina sourness. Of course, the sour and sweet flavors balance each other out very nicely. Also, on the aftertaste there is a bit of a spiciness that is typical in a winter ale. Overall, a very pleasant and well balanced brew.

Pours a clear golden honey color. Three fingers of fluffy white foam sit on top. Fades to a nice rocky foam that sticks around for quite awhile. Lacing is spotty, but decent. Super funky belgian yeast type nose. White citrus fruits. Bananas and apricots. Honey and clover. Nice light spicey notes. Belgian candi sugar sweetness. Smells like a spot-on Saison. Light and floral tasting. Slight mild pepperiness. Hints of clove. Slight bitterness from hops, which actually serves this one quite well. Bananas and peaches. Quite yeasty and bready. Big wheat and earthiness notes, all around. Very good balance in this one. Nice and clean taste. A little bit lacking in the creaminess that I love so much about Saison/Farmhouse Ales. This is a highly drinkable bottle of beer. Clean and slightly creamy. Good balance of flavors. The 6.5%ABV won’t knock you on your butt, either. Great representation of the style.

Thanks to sebletitje for spicing up the Tuesday group with this one. Pours hazy yellow with a white head. Nose is malt, yeast, pepper, slight hoppiness, and slight sweetness, and a slight funk. Nice beer. Flavor is a great combination of malt, pepper, funk, sweet, and some brett. Enjoyable as long as Carnevale lasts. Medium-bodied saison.

Bottle courtesy of sebletitje. Pours a generally clear golden color with thin white head. Aroma is sweet and floral with notes of honey, caramel, grass, wheat, floral esters. Flavor is sweet and floral with notes of honey, caramel, light brett, light floral esters. Medium body with a dry finish.

19th April 2008 Clean tasting ale with a creamy frothy head. Wheat beer style fruitiness but slightly marmaladey. Semi bitter finish that is dry. Coriander tones throughout. Refreshing.

Bottle (don’t recall for sure where I got it, but likely via HogTownHarry). Doing an inventory of my stash today, I discovered this was missing, and then recalled that I brought it to dinner at a friend’s place a couple of months ago and didn’t take tasting notes. D’oh! I remember it pretty well, though, as we all really enjoyed it. Had a rich golden colour with a moderate haze, and a luscious aroma of tropical fruit, spice and yeast. I remember pineapple especially, and a bit of funk as well. Flavour was equally enjoyable, with similar notes to the aroma, and a solidly hopped finish. A slightly unorthodox Saison, but still a very good one.

Bottle. Moderate malt aroma of grain, perfume and lemon/lime for the hops, light soap and musty for the yeast, with background notes of apple, wine, cedar and allspice. Head is small, frothy/fizzy, white with fair lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is hazy amber/orange. Flavor starts lightly to moderately sweet and acidic, then finishes lightly acidic and slightly bitter. Palate is medium, oily with a lively cabonation. Spicy and fruity, this is one nice Saison.

Bottle from Monument Liquor in Concord, CA. This was a great beer. Poured a hazy golden color and smelled of spices. Wonderful mouthfeel and very easy to drink. Predominately tasted of citrus and floral flavors. A real winner from Lost Abbey.