Lost Abbey Isabelle Proximus

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

rating 1900 and sourhead rating 100. I’ve had this beer several times and it keeps getting better and better. A murky gold color with faint white head. Lemon citrus, funky horse blanket brett, and immense sourness on the aroma. Oak manages to cut through the body of this intensly sour beer. A little saison like funk in there as well. I could drink this every day. Thankfully, it’s on tap at GABF ’08 so I should get my fill for three days straight!

Hazy yellow. Dense white foam deposits wispy lace with each sip. Bright, soft, and musty nose of sherbet, honeyed cantaloupe, phenolic brett (horseblanket, Band-Aid), lemon cake, and a hint of iron. Carbonation is tight and fluffy on the palate. Brisk brett immediately melds with coarse horseblanket and an oaky grip. Succulent lemon and unripe peach fruitiness augment the body’s core while balancing the dryness. Attenuation is squeaky clean as is the misty dryness. Awesome medley of juicy fruity esters and feisty phenols. Peach fuzz bitterness hangs on well past the explosively fruity esters to complement the poignant yet artfully composed oaky bite. Proportionate, delightfully musty finish showcases a lively phenolic (Band-Aid) crackle entwined bright sherbet. Nicely balanced and amazingly soft. Very gueuze-like. Thanks to Crosling for sharing!

750 ml bottle thanks to a trade with ajm. Pours a hazy light yellow color with a small white head. Aroma of fresh lemon, spices, leather and musty wood. Flavor of lemon, pine apple, green apples, oak and hay. Has a dry crisp semi sweet finish. An all around outstanding brew!

750ml bottle shared with Ben at Hangar 24, thank you so much Ben. Poured a hazy straw color, light white head. Dry aroma and and a very dry taste. Very drinkable, slight sourness. Very enjoyable.

Pours crystal clear and golden with a constant stream of bubbles rising to the top. The head is fluffy and white and lingers as a cap through with a little bit of lacing. The smell has a big sour fruitiness with green apples, grapes, apricots, and tart lemons. The yeast also makes its present felt in the nose with a bit of citrus hops as well. The wood and funk are present but understated throughout. The taste starts with the big sour kick up front with a big sweet fruitiness after that with yeast as the backbone. Very complex and tasty. Mouthfeel is dry and crisp, like a wine, with lots of carbonation. There is a serious acidic burn in the finish that lingers for quite a while. As with other big sours, I wouldn’t call this one exceptionally drinkable, but for the style it’s on the drinkable side of things.

Bottle at Monks. Deep hazy golden in color with a nice white head. Citrusy spicy aroma. Lemony and peach notes. Tart, apricot, grape and funky flavor. Spicy. Dry. Sour tasting. Sour spicy finish. Very nice beer. Very drinkable.

Deep golden-orange beer with a thin white head. Aroma is just awesome... sweet spearmint over a bright lemony citrus character. Lots of fresh spicy character over a light peachiness. Also some rich stone-fruit pit sort of cinnamony flavour. Flavour is tart and fruity initially, but there is a very nice sweetness both in the flavour and the palate. Creamy body with a gentle carbonation that just coats the tongue. The beer still seems quite young but it’s still incredible. Soft fruity funkiness with a mix of spice and light oaky tannins. Slightly vineous with more mintiness coming towards the back. So damn good... I’m glad I kept another bottle of this.

Huge thanks to JoeMcPhee for sharing - Very cloudy golden beer, with a small ring of lace - the anchor of the aroma is a mixture of white grapes, mild peach skin, and apricot - oak lurks around the edges - the flavor is quite tart and dry, despite the semi-sweet character in the aroma - champaign-like white grape tartness - a lot of peach - lambic-ish funkiness - very "wild" - like in the aroma, oak sits in the wings, smoothing things out and keeping the other flavors from getting out of hand - this beer is effing brilliant.