Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi

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

2008 Bottle cellared for almost a year. Pours a clear glowing red orange with a smaller frothy near white head. Aroma is tons of brett, way more than the same bottling I had last year, stinky gym locker, sweet fruit, and lots more brett. First taste brett and sweet tangy fruit composite, just slightly sour, tastes similar to a fig-newton, quick dry finish with a rather long bitter aftertaste though. I think I might actually have liked this beer better fresh, the brett wasn’t as heavy and was more playful rather than overpowering. The body has definitely improved though, carbonation is not terribly abundant but a combination of large softer and small tingly fizzy bubbles, medium bodied and slightly syrupy.

$14 750ml bottle from Southbay Drugs. Nice orange color with an initially huge white head and then nothing. The first glass was clear but they got murkier as the bottle was consumed. Smells sour at first and then sweet. The flavors are myriad and I couldn’t pick them out individually at first. My friend commented on how complex the flavor was. At first it was so peppery and it washed over the tongue with a tanginess, then slight fruity flavors, I briefly tasted the funky barnyard hay-type flavor and alcohol comes and goes. While I am not sure it is worth the price tag, this was a very interesting and unique offering. I’ll be looking forward to the next Lost Abbey beer from the cellar. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 01-11-2008 04:50:52

750 ml bottle shared by footbalm, thanks man. Pours a bright golden color with a fizzy medium white head. The aroma is interesting; citrus, funky notes, malts and sweet caramel. The taste was nice; a funky almost sour at times, but lots of sweetness, caramel and dry peppery flavors. Quite nice and easygoing with quite a flavor bite.

Bottle. Light copper coloured with a medium sized egg white head. Aromas of lemons, oranges, funk and caramel. Dry flavour with notes of grain, warming alcohol, earth, chewy toffee and dried fruit.

(750 ml bottle (2008) via trade with BMan1113VR, thanks Andrew!) Sweet, big and peppery...Pours lightly cloudy, slightly rusty amber with about a finger of biege head. Aroma initially has some Band Aid, as that simmers down there is caramel/candy-malt and kind of sweet and sour citrus. Mouthfeel fairly smooth, a bit thick and sticky. Light droopy, broken rings of lacing. Flavor of sweet caramel malt with a fair amount of bitterness overlaying. Finishes with a nice peppery note. Can feel the big ABV in this one - overall this probably has more of a big beer feel than others I’ve had of this style. Slightly boozy and sticky.

Bottle thanks to mar. Pour is murky dark amber with absolutely no head. Reminds me of a barley wine in the nose, with some funk, sour and spices. The taste is also sour but bitter; I wasn’t expecting that component here. The spicy lingering on the palette is not good. Overall a disappointment for me with Lost Abbey being one of my favorites.

08 Bottle. Very interesting and quite good. Doesn’t pour much of a head, thus affecting the appearance and dragging the rating down, perhaps undeservedly. Strong caramel malt backbone and plenty alcoholic. Some apricot and citrus flavors and grassy hops as well as an interesting earthy spiciness that I can’t quite place. Reminds me a little of a heather beer I once had, though I doubt they put heather in this one. Very good, and very glad I can find this regularly.

Large bottle dated 2008 on the label. This is a unique beer that i must say is pretty tasty. It pours a hazy orange. It has kind of a chewy mouthfeel with tastes of caramel and citrus and something else ... maybe cherry as suggested by some of the other posts, maybe something else - not quite sure. It does remind me somewhat of a belgian dubbel but this s different than most of the stuff I have been tasting.