Lost Abbey The Angels Share (Bourbon Barrel)

Poured a dark brown with actually a pretty big tan head. Aroma was really complex, probably containing dark fruits, caramel, some vanilla and bourbon/alcohol. Flavor was just as complex as the aroma, the bourbon really sticks out, but doesn’t dominate the rest of the complexities. There’s so much going on here, its hard to even tell this is beer. Very well done.

My Bottom Line:
This ever-so-succulent malt paradise of a Barley Wine graces the tongue with eloquent caramel, anisey bourbon, vanilla and port-like grapey wealth, hypnotizing and beguiling each tastebud at every single sip.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A bubbly head of foam laces around the burgundy-smeared dark brown.
-Alcohol felt more present in this one than the regular Angel’s Share imho; this Bourbon version is stronger too, so that might be a logical explanation.
-Carbonation in these bottles was slightly stronger than in the 2006 Angel’s Share regular release.
-Some roastiness is tasted in the back, alongside alcohol trails and wooden dryness.
-The barrel character in this was as flawlessly integrated as the brandy barrel is in the regular version.
-Some smokiness is hallucinated in the aroma.

Bottle. Thx Dany!!

Bottle. Near black pour, nice persistent 1 cm thick dark khaki head. Nice looking beer. Aroma is a sweet mix of oak, caramel, vanilla, light oak, treacle, some alcohol. Lightly sweet taste with caramel, vanilla, nice tannic finish. Alcohol is extremely well masked. Aroma gets even better as it warms up.

Sampled at Brewery during RBSG. Pours a deep mahogany with a solid brown head. Nice big bourbon and sweet vanilla nose. Full bodied but with a slick, velvety texture. Intial flavor of molasses and raisens, but transitions on to a nice, but not overtone bourbon flavors. Oaky wood finish, with some vinous notes as well. Alcohol is there, but blends well.

CELLAR CHECK 4-4-09: To celebrate 9 days of sobriety due to antibiotics, I decided to see how this one was doing. A little more carbonated than the sample I had at the brewery. The hops have faded some, bringing more malt and bourbon notes to the forefront. Bourbon notes are very strong. Finishes dry and woody.

My 1909th rating. The number & name of my all time favorite soccer club/team. 12,7 ounce bottle. Thanks Chris! Opened with a loud pop. Pours dark brown with a small creamy brown head & lacings. Nose is amazing. So much complexity its nearly overwhelming. Dark fruits, coffee, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, wood and so on. Warm, sweet, vinous, smooth,sticky, velvetly soft. Every drop is priceless! This is why I spend so much time on beer.

Cask@GBBF2008. Very dark brown colour, close to black, small beigeish brown head, which disappeared quite fast. Wow, so where do I begin? Aroma is raisins and sweet wood along with some vanilla at the first breath-in. The following ones bring a lot of stuff, mild notes of alcohol and chocolate, some slight madeiraish sweetness along with fruityness. Some sweetish sour notes of old coffee. Flavour is about as comples, or maybe even more so. The evident notes are wood, sweet fruits and some spices. All this mixed in with a warming touch of alcohol and some slight notes of smoked wood. Long sweetish caramelly and wooden aftertaste in this beauty. This was beer was a real mindblower, and if the various parts of the mouth picking up flavours could get orgasms, this beer would probably be the one doing it...

Cask, GBBF 08. Dark with no head. Aromas are rich roast malts with warming brandy and lots of lqiqourice. Woody and vinous. Flavours are chocolate and coffee with spices and lots of warming alcohol. Smooth and rich with a very long aftertaste. Great.

(Cask at GBBF, London, 5 Aug 2008) Very dark brown colour with foamy, pale brown head. Malty, woody nose with notes of dried fruit, prunes and raisins. Rather vinous, dominated by the wood aromas. Malty, woody taste with dark fruit, raisin, prunes, bourbon and coffee (or rather what we in Sweden call kaffekask - coffee with a generous splash of liquor in it). Long, vinous and woody finish. Very warming. Excellent stuff!