Lost Abbey The Angels Share (Bourbon Barrel)

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

#1700. Tasted 10/29/09. Thick and pitch. Tan head. Aromas of alcohol, leather and raisins. Dark berries and fudge. Vanilla oaky aromas. Man, there is a lot going on in my olfactory. Full bodied with a ton of malts and a ton of burn. The wood really has a strangle hold on this beer. Very big with a vast complexity. This is indeed a champ. Dried fruit and dark esters. Little light on the hoppy end, but still generates a ton of flavors. Good base, good wood, good flavors. Good burn but still well blended.

Black pour sweet aroma and no head to be found at all .... taste of dark fruit , chocolate, raisins, and the bourbon barrel taste .... sweet and very syrupy going down .. little too rich for me, but a lot of taste going on here

Enjoyed from a 750ml bottle in an elongated tulip glass. The beer pours a murky deep brown with no head. Carbonation is low, relatable to that of an English mild or cask ale. The nose shows a complex interplay of malt depth, as well as some notes of vanilla and whiskey from the barrel aging. The palate shows the same level of complexity, giving malt sweetness up front, followed by a just-short-of-balancing hop presence, the aforementioned vanilla, and finishing with a moderate alcoholic presence that adds yet more depth, but also detracts from some of the flavors at the beginning of the palate. Another item that detracts slightly from the beer’s overall flavor is a high level of residual sweetness that gives a port-like character. I would have liked to see a bit drier a finish. Overall, enjoyable, if rare and expensive.

On tap at the Draft Room EXTON, PA... flavor of caramel malts, vanilla, oak- aged in bourbon ... well balanced, smoothest I’ve ever tasted

19th April 2008 Beautiful oaky smoothness with smooth bourbon that does nothing but compliment the beer. Semi-dry finish. Yum!

Bottle 2008 Pours an iced tea brown with no head at all. No lacing also, as figures. Has a sweet aroma of bourbon,wood, vanilla and caramel. Has a very light carbonation. The flavor is thick and alcoholic. Has sweet malts and a good burn to it. Has an oily texture. The body is full. Has a strong finish with a sour aftertaste. Shared this with friends and it has good points but seems to miss alittle.

Bottle thanx to Menno. A dark brown colored beer, with no head. The aroma of tonsil with sweets and also hints of sour. The taste is sweet with sour. There are fruits with vanilla. A little port flavors in the back. The aftertaste has also a sourness with wood and sweet. I’ll think the sourness belongs not in the beer.

Bottle shared at Logan’s 2009 pre-GABF Party. Muddy brown pour. Oaky and boozy aroma. Woody, vanilla and bourbon flavors. Another very good beer from Lost Abbey.