Lost Abbey Serpents Stout

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

Black pour, moderate head with good lacing and retention. Aroma is licorice and chocolate, fairly sweet. Like a really big foreign stout. Full bodied, fairly sweet with light alcohol. Well made but not to my preference.

Pours a thick black, with a small light brown head. Nice and oily looking consistency. Smells of roasty dark chocolate, toasted malts, with a hint of dark fruit. The chocolate really stood out which I enjoyed. The mouthfeel was thick and sweet. Sweet creamy chocolate with a noticeable alcohol burn slid down the throat. The dark frut showed up in the finish. Mostly black currants or figs. Very good, maybe a little too sweet, but quite enjoyable.

Bottle at Noogfest 08. Pours black with a tan head. Full bodied but not too thick, with feathery, fine carbonation. Lots of dark roast and bakers chocolate, but with a good amount of coffee making remind me somewhat of a coffee stout. Finishes semi dry. This is very balanced and not too big, making this an easy one to drink.

<i>My Bottom Line:</i>
This rich and roasty Imperial stout proposes molasses and raisins which seamlessly segue into resinous bitterness to sculpt a balanced and momentous example of the style.

<i>Further Personal Perceptions:</i>
-A sheet of foam tops the opaque blackness.
-The well-developed maltiness also offers caramel allusions in the flavor profile.
-The large bubbles alleviate what would be a heavy sipping experience.
-This is amazingly drinkable for its size, even though its weight is easily perceptible.
-Alcohol heats up the back end, but is otherwise well concealed in the stream of unified flavors.

<b>Bottles.</b>

Notable viscosity upon pouring. Velvety mocha tan head and deep near-black body. Coffee, pleasing roast, and rich dark chocolate in the aroma. Earthy hop notes. Flavor is lush and rich with some nice complexity. Very creamy, thick bodied texture. Great big imperial stout.

Aroma of alcohol and moss. Heavy body and pours dark black with a dark brown molasses head. Flavor begins with alcohol and then becomes intensely sweet plums. Ends with a nice hint of coffee and malts. Very very good!

Bottle, 750ml. Pours nearly black with big brown head. Aroma is roasty and has quite a bit of chocolate. Flavor is lightly sweet with chocolate and some caramel and molasses. Some faint dark fruits and raisin come in later with a dryer cocoa flavor leading to roasty and lightly hopped finish. Heavy and creamy with a fair bit of carbonation. Well hidden alcohol. I wish I took better notes because I plan to age some for a bit and compare. A well crafted impy to say the least.

Mahogany brown pour producing a somewhat thin body of charcoal black; heavy foam of tan. Rich, toasty caramel, cinnamon dough, a hint of anise, and subdued fruitiness in the aroma; a bit of ashy and metallic coffee ground and minerals linger. Deep, rich roast flavor of goose meat and tanzanian coffee; maybe not those exact flavors, but they’re the best template for the savory, smoky girth of this taste. There’s a lot of dusty baker’s chocolate and generic earthy bitterness that lends some roughness around the edges of this belgian example, that seems too reckless and misplaced; where it should seem polished and deep, intimating a nuanced, heavy Cabernet or the like, it tends to offer this thin bitter earthiness that timidly brightens up with bits of pear and orange peels. Favorably changes quite a bit as it warms and as it coats the mouth; those sunny touches of fruit character shining more openly and warmly. Alcohol masked. Graham crackers, honey, dark chocolate mid palate; sticky sweetness. Mouthfeel is frothy and full, with a soft sparkle; finishes warm and juicy with a long fruity sweetness chased green, spicy bitterness. Seems a highly ageable example; full of character that hasn’t gotten it all together yet. Thanks to Andy and Larry!