Lost Abbey Devotion

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

On-tap today at Stone. Pours light orange with a fluffy white head, decent retention, good lace. Smells big and malty with a bit of spiciness and citrus. Tastes crisp and malty, bready with a touch of citrus spice in the flavor as well. Medium body, vibrant carbonation.

Draught Small white rim; orange-golden beer. Raisins & coriander, spicy complex nose with fruit and different spices. Dry, fruity & spicy. Very complex, despite the long dry flavour. Grapey flavour, somehow Chardonnay. Very dry, some alcohol despite the modest ABV. Nice! To get devoted to.

750 ml bottle

I had high hopes for this as it was a Lost Abbey release. In hindsight I kind of wish I would have chosen a different release from Bottleworks ahead of this one to go in my limited baggage. While it is not a terrible beer it just lacked that extra care that you seem to get from Lost Abbey/Pizza Port. This is one that I won’t be picking up again in the future.

Aroma / Appearance - A thin oily head was the first sign that something might be a little askew. The molasses colored body leaked apple butter, red wine and fresh spring rain into a mixture that was less than the sum of its parts. Despite that I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Flavor / Palate - The fluid semisweet mouthfeel immediately reaffirmed that this was not the best release. Dark chocolate, apple and a bitterness form a slightly displeasing set of tastes before the dry finish. It’s not quite a drainpour though after a glass I was tempted to set the rest aside. I’ll give them a pass if this is the worst they can do and continue seeking out the rest of the line.

Tap at the Lost Abbey tasting bar. Pours a yellowish with a thin head, Aroma is spicey. Full mouthfeel with a thin bite on the tongue. Very good would buy again.

Bottle. Pours an amber with a thin white head with good retention. Aroma was wheaty, yeasty in the "saison" sense. The taste was yeasty and wheaty with a very strong bready flavor. Palate was thin and refreshing. Light with a bite.

Shared bottle with Chris from the beergeek.com, at City Beer, SF. Golden orange, lightly effervescent. Mildly tarty, tangy, just short of a fruit salad. Very easy to drink at >6%. (#3408, 4/11/2008)

Bottle. When I pay premium for one of these beers, I truly expect it to be something that is damn good, and something that I would love to get a hold of again. This beer did not really live up to my expectations despite it being a good style percent rating. Perhaps it was too cold at the start, because as it warmed it improved, but even then it was really nothing mind boggling. Pours out an orange color with not much of a head at all. The smell is fruity, with some alcohol noted as well as some fruity and floral hops. Taste was kind of bitter, with an aftertaste that reminded me of a typical pale lager. Not really pleasing aftertaste. After my palate was used to this beer, it was drinkable. But at first, I was disappointed. I dont think I would buy this one again...

Bottle: Bright gold pour with a nice sized white head. Aroma is clean and hoppy with florals. More hops in the flavor than anticipated - that is nice. Little bits of florals and earthy spice. Thanks Jordan.