 Davecooks (1150), Concord, California, USA
Aug 9, 2008 Updated: Aug 25, 2008
Bottle. I’ve had this beer a few times now but I wanted to wait to rate it until I could sit down with a bottle and really go over it. I received my three bottles in the mail, put them in my fridge and let them sit for a couple weeks to settle out. From my original tastings of this beer, I have to admit I was blown away. I never expected it to be that good, really. I don’t know why. I can’t name a bad beer I’ve ever had from any of the brewers, but for some reason I just expected an American version of a gueuze to just fall short. I expected to say "That’s a good start" or "This has the makings of something nice"... Didn’t happen.
The beer pours a very light apricot color with a white lacing. It’s a bit more floral and fruity in the aroma than my usual gueuzes but the overall aroma is just as complex; stone fruits, horseblanket and cobwebs. A musty, earthy smell that reminds me of carrying a plastic bucket filled with freshly picked chanterelle mushrooms through an oak forest in Napa County back when I lived there. Strawberries. Cheese. Lemons. I love beers that make me think I could simply sit and sniff them for hours on end without ever drinking them.
There’s a lactic quality that gives it that cheesy note and while I’m not a big fan of lactic beers, it fits nicely into this complex aroma. The flavors seem to swirl at first when you finally sip it. Light vinegar. Grapes. Soil. Straw. Raspberries. Peaches. Maybe even some slight tropical fruits like pineapple. Sour malt. Lemons. They do finally meld though mid-palate. Very sour and pretty acidic but really only in flavor. It’s not a punishing acid like La Folie or a Cantillon. It finishes dry with a slight vegetal note. A big musty flavor seems to creep up after the fact. I regularly drink a gueuze in my back yard each Friday after work. It’s my gift to me. It’s most always a Cantillon or a Girardin, if this was on the shelf regularly it would easily make it into the rotation, even at $30. An awesome beer. If all this praise wasn’t enough, my wife just walked into my office, where I rate on the computer, and said the artwork on the label is the most beautiful she’s ever seen on a beer bottle. Damn.
beerguy101 (3608), Newark, California, USA
Jan 1, 2009 Sampled on 12/31/08. This sour ale pours a slightly hazy yellow gold color from a cork finished 750ml bottle. Small sized white foamy head, with good retention and nice lacing. The aroma is tart, fruity and funky. Lots of stuff going on in the aroma; a nice mixture of must, horse blanket, oak, and fruitiness. A medium bodied sour ale. The malts are fruity and sweet, but the tartness and funkiness rule in this beer. Nicely balanced. Lively carbonation. It a big tart/sour/funky beer yet there are other subtle tastes here as well. There are earthy notes, citrusy notes, funky notes, oakey notes and then there is that sour/tart geuze blast, all these flavor mix and match and change every sip. Yet it has a very nice soft round mouthfeel. A great beer to usher out 2008 and celebrate 2009. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is crisp and dry. Aftertaste is tart and funky.
holdenn (1214), Chicago, Illinois, USA
Dec 30, 2008 Rating 1200! 750 ml bottle. Pours a hazy yellow orange with a white soapy head. Sour and inviting nose. A slight horseblanket/earthy funk that’s blended with sour lemons and oranges. Tart and earthy flavors. Heavy on the grapefruit, with oranges, lemons, and a surrounding oakiness and acidity. The grapefruit resin is puckering and delicious. There’s a lot of yeast floating around at the bottom of this bottle, but I don’t mind drinking the dregs when its a beer this good. 9/4/9/4/17 = 4.3
theisti (1231), Leawood, Kansas, USA
Dec 28, 2008 750 ml bottle mail ordered from the brewery (Lost Abbey). Pour is hazed golden yellow with a billowy 3 inch white head. Aroma of citrus sour, sweet floral notes and oak woodiness. All the flavors are tart and sour, yet melded beautifully and nicely - soft. Beautiful nose. Taste is the tart, acidic, sour citrus - lemons. Following the sour is the earthy, mineral woodiness as with the nose, nice integration of flavors. Palate is yeasty, medium, lasting, yet refreshing and light at the same time. Fantastic beer.
luttonm (163), Seattle, Washington, USA
Dec 27, 2008 Thanks to Trevor (trevor211) for sharing this christmas present! Richest golden pour with leggy off-white head. Nose is huge, can smell it across the bar. Tart fruit, straw, grapefruit, summer. Flavor explodes, perfect balance. Robust, not too sweet with killer bitter-tart finish that grows so wonderfully. after taste is as good as it gets as sour fades and warmth and flavor remains.
sloth (1558), Ceciltucky, Co., Maryland, USA
Dec 27, 2008 Small white head, good retention and a little spotty lace. Hazy gold body. Nose starts out tart with notes of yeast, citrus, apples, aspirin and wood, lightly fruity and nasal clearing. Body is light, well carbonated , tongue waggingly tart and acidic on the palate. Fou Foune has nothing on this stuff! Flavors of light wood, fruit, citrus, wet leather, dust, light mold and a bunch of lumber to dry it out. Dry, tart, acidic and lightly fruity finish. Over the top sourness makes for a not so enjoyable brew by distracting you from the other goodness going on in this beer. Guess i,m not man enough for the Imperial Sours, oh well. Props to eaglefan for the chance at this over rated brew. Thanks Brian!
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