Lost Abbey Red Barn Ale

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

(bottle from Sparky27, thanks Eric!) Tried a small sample of this at a tasting and was impressed. Now that I have a bottle, time to give it an honest rate. Pours dark gold with a large, fluffy, white head that leaves great lacing on the glass. A potent aroma hits me right away, with a prominent smell of must, orange peel, vanilla, and what smells like sausage spices that are coupled with the must to form an earthy base scent. The orange and vanilla rise above this earthy base, but upon warming, the earthiness takes over. Ginger and garlic also appear in the aroma. The flavor is very complex and is composed of several stages. The first flavors are very fruity sweet, (possibly peach or pear, light green banana) but this swtiches to a bready yeast flavor mixed with earthiness and ginger. At the very end of the finish, there’s a light bitterness and a quick kick of that black pepper. The mouthfeel is great, very smooth, yet it possesses a substantial palate that’s a little heavier than other saisons I’ve sampled. Yes, this is just as good as I remember it being, and if it were available around here, I’d drink this regularly.

0.75l from BevMo - Looked awesome with internal glow of gold, smelled perfect. That’s where it ended. Tasted like melted orange juice concentrate. No balance.

Hazy gold pour with a decent white foamy head. Nose is subtle sweet spices and funk. The flavor is remarkably smooth with the same influences as the nose, with some citrus notes. Mellow dry finish.

Aroma is a sour malt scent. Color is a hazy yellow orange with good carbonation and a thin tight head. Taste is herbal and spicy. Starting with a medium body it goes down smooth with a spicy feel coming on. Finish jumps out with a spicy and floral coriander flavor then a hint of vanilla and maybe honey. After taste is more spice with hints of ginger. This is a very impressive Saison and one of the best I have had from Lost Abbey

750 ml bottle (Patrons & Saints Club)-A cloudy hazy orangish amber with anice off white head. Aroma of yeast, pepper, orange, and spices. Taste of the same with a bit of coriander, citrus, and clove. This medium bodied brew is very tasty and well balanced. A very nice Saison.

One and a half years cellared, picked up at a Pizza Plant fresh. Very zesty, enjoyable fresh tasting saison. Sweetish malt made it dangerously drinkable. Whitish colour. Way above average mouthfeel.Mildly spicey, malty and yeast aroma.

A careful pour from the bottle gives you a honey golden colored body with a slight opaqueness underneath a white foam head that has an authentic Belgian look. Honey malt sweetness in the nose, a bit of creamed wheat with a light floral and fruit presence makes for a pleasant, soft and quiet aroma. Sweet honey, banana and very faint clove up front with some mildly spicy melon, mint and juniper over the back. Viscous and full on the palate, lacking that typical filminess and oily texture that so many Lost Abbey products seem to have. Overall a delicious attempt at a farmhouse ale, a little too much on the sweet side, but with an authentic fullness and presence on the palate even if the flavors don’t exactly develop into anything remarkable.

Bottle. Aroma of spice, bread and yeast. Flavor of spices, orange peel, brett, bread and pepper. Very nice saison.