Lost Abbey The Angels Share (Bourbon Barrel)

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

Thanks for sharing this with me bro. I was a bit perplexed when I was smelling and tasting this. I had no idea what style it was. I thought it was an impy stout and was thinking it was ’’meh’’. Then my brother told me it was a barley wine and at that point, I was very impressed. It pours out one of the deepest brown colors with light tannish head. Aroma is intensely bourbon, caramel malt and mild chocolate and smoke. Taste is vanilla, intense bourbon, caramel malt and light toffee. Very smooth for the ABV and everything is well balanced. Awesome stuff!!!

Thanks to TheCheeseMan! 2007 Bottle, Gold Lettering. The bottle was a gusher but I poured quickly and let it set for a while. The head was huge - large foamy off-white color that settles to a thin creamy off-white head with streams of lacing. Aroma is sweet, oak, brandy, brown sugar, vanilla, and dark fruit. Taste is amazingly smooth for being such high alcohol - caramel, vanilla, dark fruit. WOW!

Pours a dark black with a slight reddish brown at the edges. Head is a medium tan color and the beer is overcarbonated enough to warrant an extremely slow pour.Smells like heaven. Hints of oak, maybe a slight boozy aroma. A bit of vanilla I think.Tastes like it smells. Well, sort of. It’s better. There’s a slight bourbon flavor, which unlike a lot of beers, is very subdued and balanced with the other flavors of vanilla, oak, maybe some dark fruits, and a bit of caramel. Minimal amounts of alcohol are present in the taste. Very impressed.Mouthfeel is where I feel this beer suffers. There’s simply too much carbonation in here. Instead of feeling a syrupy thickness I feel a fizzy bubbling sensation. With as relatively thin as the beer is, I feel it would serve better with a heavier mouthfeel.However, I think that after you move past the beers somewhat fizzy nature, it’s very very drinkable. None of the flavors are overwhelming and always in balance. The only thing that would stop me from drinking more of this would be the lack of availability (I had to get this VIA trading) and the fact that the ABV would knock me onto my ass in a hurry. Especially because it’s so well hidden. I am very impressed with this beer as a whole. Most of the regular Lost Abbey brews I’ve been unimpressed with, and with all the hyped up beers I’ve tasted recently, this is one of a few that I feel lives up to it’s hype.

Bottle shared with CaryTheDude and JakeBra. Much was made of the the cork when it was opened, The pour is very dark with a dark head. Looks excellent. Aroma is very smooth bourbon, fruit malt. Flavor is incredibly smooth. Smoother than any bourbon barrel aged beer I’ve ever had. Great mixe of bourbon and fruit, caramel, toffee and oak. Not boozy in the least. Mouthfeel is so smooth. CaryTheDudes’s right, it isn’t fair. This beer is too good. Re-rate: Draft at the Local Option. Dark, dark brown pour with a tan ring around the head. Nice to try this again and not have to suffer through a flat bottle. Aroma of bourbon and toffee, rum soaked fruit. Dark Chocolate. Smooth bourbon on top of a fruity, deep body. This is a lovely beer, it’s a shame they had so many problems with it in the bottles. It’s having whiskey on your breath when while kissing the girl of your dreams.

375 ml bottle. After a very loud pop o’ the cork I got a dark mahogany body with a large fizzy dark brown head that faded to a thin covering. Lots of heavy lacing, light visible carbonation. Very big nose that’s really well balanced between the malt and the bourbon barrel. Rich fruits and heavy toffee with some light roast competes with the bourbon, vanilla, and oak. A little oxidation maybe, Very well integrated flavor. I love the flavor, the heavy maltiness combines with the oak and vanilla flavors so well. Such a big beer, but not boozy in the slightest. Toffee, tobacco, great dry oakiness, and no real alcohol flavor or heat. Some chocolate and coffee, figs, maybe some dates, on the finish. The initial mouthfeel is rather annoying though. If this weren’t so damn fizzy and prickly it would be great. Once you get past that initial burst of carbonation the body is sufficiently thick and hearty. This was just incredibly delicious. Took me over an hour of letting it breathe enough to calm down the carbonation with constant swirling, but after that it was excellent.

Bottle. Pours cloudy dark brown with a small, fizzy, off-white head, somewhat lasting with spare lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, toffee), average hops (flowers, perfume), heavy yeast (dough, leather) with notes of average alcohol, plum, date, wood, maple syrup, and vanilla. Full bodied, thick texture, average carbonation, and a bitter finish. Long duration, heavy sweetness, moderate acidity and bitterness.

Bottle 37,5 cl. Pours with a high carbonation - be carefull. Pours a dark brown with a high tanned light brown head.. The nose is very special - there is coconuts, oaks from the bourbon barrels, dry fish food, cellery and bloody meat. The taste is very dominated of the bourbon barrels, there is rye, frozen steel with a smooth sweet finish and creamy palate... for me there is too much bourbon..but its good.

Huge thanks to Solan who gave me this beer as a bonus in a trade. Rediculous I know. Poured a dark brown color with a large head. Nose was vanilla and strong bourbon. Taste was much the same. This felt quite one dimensional to me. Big caramel sweetness througout and only alcohol and bourbon to tone it down. Not hard to drink by any means, but not living up to the hype. Thanks again solan for the chance to try this.