Lost Abbey The Angels Share (Bourbon Barrel)

375ml 2009 bottle. Aroma is incredibly pungent, with very strong vanilla notes layered atop dark, dried fruit such as fig and raisins. The bourbon is also quite evident, smooth, sweet, smoky and creamy. Color is dark brown with some violet, no head besides some bubbly wisps after the pour. Flavor is WOW. Really strong woody vanilla on the entry, coupled with bourbon notes and raisins. Oh my, the finish. There is more sweet in the finish -- vanilla, some licorice and bourbon – but in a wave of ridiculously delicious complexity, I also got robust earthy, almost peaty notes in the finishing essence. Angel’s Share just evokes all of the human senses in ways I have never experienced in a beer. And to add my two-sense to the LA carbonation debate: the 2009 bottle is basically flat, BUT I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT. The richness and sweetness of this brew actually successfully complements a low-carbonation rate, in my opinion. It also helped bring out the earthy notes in the finish in ways I definitely appreciated. Enough ramble, I’ll sleep well tonight.

Call me crazy, but I was wholy unimpressed with this beer. 375ml popped 6 months or so after release. Poured exactly like a coke with a thin bubbly head that fell in second and left a body reminiscent of a coke. Nose was bourbon... ....just bourbon. Taste was big on bourbon, slightly watery, just tasted like a poor barleywine that was oddly roasty and douched with bourbon.

Bottle. Pours hazy red amber with a small beige headNice lacework. Nose of roasted malt, vanilla, dried fruit, caramel and a notes of bourbon. Flaourwith roasted malt and dark fruits, vanilla and again notes of bourbon. Full bodied. More dry and alcoholic finish.

Bottle, purchased at Port Brewing during RBSG ’08. Pours a murky cola brown with a tall, quickly fading light brown head. The nose consists of prominent bourbony oak, vanilla, brown sugar and a whiff of alcohol. Flavor has strong notes of bourbon (oak, vanilla), then dark caramel, plum, raisin, tropical fruit, molasses and an earthy hop character. Pleasant malty sweetness. Delicious. The body on this bottle is medium with a very carbonated, prickly texture - took a good amount of swirling to get this to a pleasant carbonation level. Really good stuff.

Sample on a one year aged bottle at JaBier’s refrigerator reduction tasting on 08/15/09, courtesy of Rogueone. The beer is a rich dark brown color with a medium thin and bubbly light beige head that disappears quickly. Stringy lacing on the glass. Aroma of burnt malt, caramel and subtle bourbon. Full, smooth body with flavors of oak, vanilla, malt and dark fruit. There is a boozy quality but it is not overpowering. The finish is oaky with a warming alcohol presence and a dark malty finish. Very good overall.

375 ml 2008 bottle from Southbay. Poured similar to the brandy version....dark brown with no head....couldn’t coax it even a little bit. Great nose.....boooourbon, a little chocolate, dark fruits like raisins, toffee. The flavor is equally strong in alcohol, roasted malt, some wood, and a great sweetness. I just wish it had a little fizz. Definitely one of the few beers I enjoyed despite the flatness. I look forward to the next batch!

Superb aroma of wood, vanilla, caramel and molasses. The flavor is near perfect, there’s some fruits, wood, vanilla, molassses, chocolate and caramel. The body is medium with a liquorous texture and gentle carbonation. It’s like the regular Angel’s Share, simply amazing.

Thanks for the opportunity to try this one Dennis! The controversial Lost Abbey, which for the record has been pretty good to me so far. Pours a very dark red/brown, looks black without light. Head produces a belgian loking foamy goodness, mocha in color. Scent is strong bourbon up front. Smell some chocolate, rasins, and caramel in there. I’d like to try a non barrel aged version of this, the sheer strength of the bourbon overshadows what smells pretty damn interesting, but I digress, it still smells very good. Taste is not nearly as boozy as the smell, and actually makes for a nice concoction. I believe this is from the 2008 batch, and the little bit of age has taken the booze to the back, some very nice roasted and chocolate malts in front. Damn great tasting drink. I didn’t expect to like this one as much as I do. Mouth is a slight issue, while the body is adequately thick at around a medium on the scale, it is a tad too bubbly. I may actually prefer the "flat" brandy version from this year. I rank just above average because while it is distracting, it doesn’t ruin the drink by any means. I curve this one high and will seek out some more.