Lost Abbey Serpents Stout

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

Big thanks to GMCC2181 for sending this one my way! Very nice beer, like most of the LAs I’ve had so far. The biggest compliment to this one is that it is very nicely balanced, maybe the most balanced Impy I’ve had. Very thick and oily (which I dig), but not overly so. The 11% is not very noticeable at all, either in the aroma or the flavor. Pours a big, bold black and gives off an aroma of chocolate with some nice roasts and a bit of coffee. Some nice dark and red fruits swimming around. Flavor is excellent, very strong malt profile, chocolate, coffee, fruits, caramel, toffee. Some notes of hops add to the complexity. While I do love the over-the-top style of Impies, this one won me over by being balanced. Simply delicious. Thanks Gabe!

750 mL bottle, corked & caged, 2008 version - several months new: incredibly dark brown, mostly opaque, with rusty-garnet edges...thick, extremely persistent, dark tan cream. Bitter, cherry-hop aroma with a sticky, caramel, pineyness that reminds me of Expedition Stout. Blueberries and Baker’s Chocolate are noticeable if you close your eyes while taking a deep breath through your nose. Palate is wonderful – reminds me of having pint glasses full of Goose Island Imperial Stout on the Beer Engine – smooth, creamy with a touch of tingle on the tongue. Long, bitter hop-chocolate-berry flavour. Though 11%, the alcohol is soft and stays in the background while warming the tongue and soothing everything else. A remarkable beer now and one that may not necessarily get better with age, but I anticipate it being just as good next year when that first fall chill hits the air and I am ready for my first imperial stout of the season…cheers again to the kind folks at The Lost Abbey, they sure do take care of us…

Pours a pitch black color with a thin light brown head. Very pleasant aroma of rich roasted malt, chocolate and mint. Great flavor of chocolate, mint, rich, luscious, roasted malt, there is some sweetness and it ends with bitterness. The body is light to medium with a liquorous texture and moderate carbonation. Good stuff.

Getting my notebook online. Bottle. Not being a big Belgium fan I was a little reluctant going into this one. As always with Lost Abbey once again eased my worries through my tongue. Pours a little thin in color. Good malt, and molasses flavors. Well balanced.

Finally I get to try this. I have sparky27 and iowaherkeye to thank! Well this was the most unique imp stout I have had in awhile. Black pour with a brown head. Aroma was chocolate and coffe with a bit of funk as well. Flavor was great, but again very unique. I tasted some chocolate, coffee, molasses and something a tad funky. LA hit a round tripper with this beer. Cheers.

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a medium brown foamy head with great retention and great lacing. Aroma of tar with some light alcohol, some coffee and a huge Belgian style malt base. Taste is also quite different then most IS out there right now and is comprised of a mix between some tar, some light coffee, load of Belgian style malt but no black chocolate note as I had expected. Full body with great carbonation and some light alcohol was discernable. I thought this was an interesting beer closer to Allagash Black then most American style IS out there.

Pours like motor oil with somewhat frothy black head. Aroma of chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, coffee, some plum. Flavor is right on- tons of cocoa, burnt malts and coffee. Some plum, molasses, and vinous notes in at the end. I’ve been aging this one for six months, and I think that time has added some nice complexity.

Thanks Stine for sharing this gem. Dark chocolate and roasted malts on the aroma of this dark brown pour. Little head on it by the time I got around to my sample. Dry roasted malts and chocolate in the body with some pitted fruits hanging around.