Lost Abbey Judgment Day

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
San Marcos, California USA

Bottle from Sam’s in Downers Grove, IL. This pours a deep brown body with orange/red highlights and a diminutive head of bubbles that vanishes rapidly. The aroma is dark dried fruit, burnt brown sugar, alcohol, and brown spices. The flavor is mainly dark plums, raisins, and alcohol. It finishes on a sweet & fruity note with a low alcohol burn. Okay, but I was expecting a whole lot more.

750 ml bottle. Dark brown pour with a thick, light tan head. Good amount of lacing. Aroma of raisins, plums, cinnamon. Sticky, sweet mouthfeel. Candi sugar, dark fruits, chocolate, and some toffee in the flavor. Dry, bready finish. Not my favorite style, but a really good beer.

Dark ruby with a small off-white head. Aroma of dark sugar, molasses and licorice, figs and raisins, and alcohol. Sweet and heavy with sugar and hot alcohol.

Pours dark brown with little tan head. Sugary nose, raisins are present. Thick across the palate. Lots of candied sugar, dark fruit, some chocolate. Sips well, alcohol isn’t overpowering, but definitely present. Very good.

75cl bottle from Phil L which he gave me during GBBF 2008 and had recently brought back from his travels on the West Coast. So massive thanks Phil for letting me have a go at a beer which otherwise I would probably never have a go at. A long way from cask De Koninck at The Railway Hotel, Appledore at our first meeting, eh?? First impressions? Pours really well, behaves itself and clear until nearly the end. Doesn’t explode. And then the aroma hits you of intense chocolate toffeee. Clear really deep ruby colour, thin lassting beige head. Yes choc toffee on aroma but also loads of dark sour fruit too. Black cherry coulis over a choc toffee dessert. Even before I’ve even tasted this beer, I know that I am going to love it. It really is bizarrely a bit Belgian. I know it’s supposed to be, but so many beers that try, miss by many thousands of miles, but having this after a 7 month old Orval, doesn’t seem incongruous. Yes the fruit and sweet choc toffee don’t meld too well, but they are both wonderful in their own part. It is almosst the opposite of ersatz. It is great almost because of its individual parts. A fruity quad? Enormously drinkable. I had this whilst listening to R.E.M. playing live in Athens, Greece instead of Athens, Georgia and this beer is from California instead of Belgium. So to the scores on the doors Miss Ford. The black cherry dark choc aroma gets a 9. Appearance is good, but if I am being picky, I would want slightly more foam, so a 4 (the foam on the Orval I had before this would get a 5). Flavour? Well as I have said above the mix of sweet and tart doesn’t quite work for me. Interesting though, so I guess an 8. Palate has some acidity, some fullness, its no better than a 3. Overall, yes a good beer, but ultimately it’s just a bit muddled. New world intensity with Old world subtlety

75cl bottle. Pours dark brown with a small creamy brown head. Nose is sweet and vinous. Caramel, dark fruits and sugar. Plum, sugar and chewing gum. Smooth and warm. Nice American quadrupel.

Bomber at Jerry’s. Dark brown with faint, beige head / Big, sweet, malt and raisin nose / Medium to full body, sweet and malty, with low carbonation, no discernable hops, and good but hot finish / Flavors of raisins, figs, milk chocolate, and caramel / Seems like a mistake was made on this one - while there are some solid building blocks, no carbonation and no hops make this very flat and cloying.

750ml bottle. Pours murky reddish brown with light brown head. Aroma is of chocolate, malt, dark fruits, brow sugar and booze. Flavor is chocolate, malt, brown sugar, dark fruits, yeast and a little booze. Mouthfeel is a tan thin. Finishes sweet and a bit dry. My first Lost Abbey beer and my first quad. Will have try the St. Bernardus and Rochefort 10 to see how this one stacks up to the style. Pretty decent brew though.