Lost Abbey Lost and Found

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

750 ml. bottle. shared with Gabe. Pours a thin long lasting tan head, with some lacing, over a cloudy, medium amber (SRM 15) cloudy, with some floaties, body......nose of fig, raisin, sweetened breads....taste of sweet dried fruits, cherry, fig raisin, with a mild bitterness toward the end, alcohol tones are present.....mouth feel is light, carbonation low. This is really more typical of an Abt/Quad or a Belgian Strong style than the usual Dubbel. The malt back bone is not as pronounced as most and the phenolic/ester from the yeast really comes forward. It illustrates how wide styles really are.

Tasting at a beerfest [Disclaimer: This was tasted along with many, many other beers during a tasting at Julios. Some of the details are a little hazy]. Pretty good but a bit too sweet for my tastes

many dubbels develop flavors of dried grapes but this one really hits it close to home. sizzling mouthfeel i expect from any half-assed dubbel (this is, and then some) and plenty of fig and caremlized pit fruits. quite strong note of mollasses however. high carb tells me the yeast has been feasting but it seems as though it has a way to go in settling down the sweetness. when lost abbey shoots for specific styles like this they seem to do better then with general belgian ales. far from my favorite dubbel but still a very solid contender.

I sleep with a Lost Abbey bottle under my pillow.. these things are deadly. Bottle from early 09. Pours a clear but very dark and rich reddish orange with a medium sudsy beige froth. Sweet tart aroma, surely the fruit sugars from the raisins, some rich caramelized candi sugar, fruity, very nice. Really rich sweet first taste, crystalized sugars, raisins, a bit floral, super rich. Lots of super sweet raisins emerge when one moves it around the tongue. I’ve started to doubt aging beers, however, this is one I wish I trusted as these sweet sugars would age amazingly and hopefully develop some depth... I think. Medium bodied with a medium mouthful, fluffy carbonation, thin for a dubbel, lightly sticky, juice-like. I will age the next one... damn it. [the flavor really develops as it warms... aroma becomes richer with more depth, goes great with some Brie and bread]

On tap. Body is a semi transparent brown with reddish notes at the corners. Tall loose tan head with aromas of prunes, raisins and dust. Very dry on the pallate and an explosive bready yeast feeling. Flavors are sweet but dry with notes of raisins, caramel, peat, clove and bitter bitter banana peel (?). Not my favorite, but I could see some age really helping this beer calm down.

Poured a cloudy nut brown with a soapy cream head that hangs around awhile. Aroma is yeasty clove with sweet dark fruit, banana, prunes, raisins, and roasted malt. Sweet at first, then quickly bubbles away into a crisp finish. Mostly dark fruit, with some yeasty notes. Alcohol is well hidden. Not as complex as I was hoping, but not a bad offering by any means.

Bottle poured into a snifter. Color is deep brown with small head. Great aroma of candi sugar, dark fruits, sweet malt. Tastes very sweet, with a lot of fruit-raisins, dates, figs. Smooth medium carbonation, very easy going down. A very nice example of an abbey dubbel, I would drink again!

This rating pains me. Only the third beer that I’ve had from this brewery and the first two (Judgement Day and Hop 15) were world class. This one smells of biscuits and is dominated by sour apple. The taste is more of the same with a tiny bit of toffee. Viscosity is beautifully full and silky, not at all clumsy. Sorry Lost Abbey/ Port Brewing, I’m still a big fan, thanks for the effort.