Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale

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

375ml bottle - first installment from the 09 sinners club. Pours a reddish brown with no head - at least at first. A center pour from 12 inches resulted in zero, but after (literally) about 10 seconds, a wave of very tiny bubbles started to rise to the top. Formed a dense, but still thin layer of foam on top. Weird, weird pour. Cranberries, cherries, unripe blackberries and some light brown sugar in the aroma. Definitely give this one time to warm up a bit - the flavors really come out of hibernation. Almost completely flat - extremely little carbonation - which is very weird, given how effervescent I’m used to sours being. Only if you hold it in your mouth does the tartness really show - otherwise it’s pretty faint. Cherry certainly comes out in the flavor, as well as the oak from the barrels, making it a little musty / funky. It’s certainly good, and the bottle is beautiful... but I’m a little disappointed with this one. We’ll see what a bit of age does with the other bottle.

Bottle thanks to rallison. Thanks, buddy! Pours reddish brown with small ring of off-white head. Tart but mild cherry nose with some musty wood. Well balanced and not overly acetic. More tannic than expected, but that’s mostly a good thing. Some raisin notes. Interesting take on an Oude Brune. Tasty, easy to drink, and gone too soon.

375ml 09 bottle from sinners club. The corked popped on this one with not much ’oomph’ behind it. Pour a clear brown with a touch of reddish tint to it and zero head. Nose is oak, tart cherries and some balsamic hints. I also pick up some oh so slight vanilla in there. This isn’t totally flat, but very close. I don’t mind, but I seem to recall the bottle I had last year had more carbonation to it. This one nice and tart, yet ’woody’.

Fruity, sour and funky aroma. Pours brown with almost no head, no carbonation. Notes of oak, basalmic, raisins and finishes on a nice dry note. Not mouth-puckering sour, but a nice, moderate sour with nice woody notes. Warms to almost a light nutmeg flavor - but this is really subdued. Other flavors include the cherries and what tastes like apricots.

Bottle thanks to fordest. Hazy amber in color with a small beige head. Aroma is tart with citrus, cherries, wood and funk. Taste is of cherry, funk, earth.

bottle, cloudy tea color with no head, aroma of woody fermented fruit, flavor of aged fruit, balsamic vinegar, dry oak, raisin, sour cherries, excellent

375ml 2009 batch. Pours dark brown with red hues, small virtually no head. Aromas of sour cherries, apple skins, earth and some light yeast and malt. Flavors of tart cherries, apples and other fruits. Sour vinegar back end, not dry, but sour with a touch of sweetness. Palate is barely carbonated, but still somewhat enjoyable.

Bottle thanks to fordest. Pours a hazy reddish brown color with no head. Nose is nectarine, funk, wood, fruit, honey dew. Taste is similar. Tangy acidic mouthfeel that is extremely well balanced, medium thick, and highly quaffable. Pretty solid.