Lost Abbey The Angels Share (Bourbon Barrel)

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

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.

2008 bottle shared by Rogueone at my refrigerator reduction tasting on 8/15/09. Opaque brown pour with a thin tan head. Boozy aroma that is almost peaty with some sugary malt. Sweet and full bourbon flavor with a slight bitter hop presence and a caramel finish. Good, but I prefer the original brandy version.

2008 bottling: Creamed caramel. Creamy voluminous froth. Refined and seriously decadent aromatics of Bananas Foster, muscovado sugar, marzipan, sherry, milk chocolate, and cakey malt. Hint of iron complements the richness. Spirited carbonation condenses as it hits the palate. Immediately rich and sharply sugary with caramelized-oak which mirrors that of the sugary grit. Not overly soft in the malt department early on, and the somewhat stark cola-like sweetness briefly hampers further development. Oak is fairly fuzzy rather than clearly defined. Alcohol is masterfully concealed. Sturdy cassis and liquefied licorice is pillared by sherry-drizzled cake and thickset, welll-developed malt which soothes the throat as it glides down the gullet. Coconut and aged leather slyly emerge to complement the port-steeped plum succulence. Exhibits good restraint given the immense weight. Vanilla remains merely suggestive, and the malt vivid while the high level of attenuation makes for a semi-airy exit. I must say this is one of the few beers that seems to have benefited, or at least did not suffer, from (minor) oxidation. I find that the sherry character beautifies the polished malt complexities and also echoes the candyish qualities. Enjoyable.

375ml caged and corked bottle (2008 vintage) served in a snifter. Cork came out with a nice pop. Dark, ruddy brown pour with some ruby and mahogany highlights. A rocky, two-finger thick head of tan foam slowly settled into a lasting cap. A small amount of slippery lacing was left around the glass. The aroma had smooth bourbon, vanilla, sugary caramel, a hint of chocolate, and also some dark fruits. The flavor included chocolate, a ton of dark fruit, warming bourbon, caramelized sugar, tobacco, and also some light vanilla/oak. Definitely a sipper...very warming. Medium to full-bodied mouthfeel with a good dose of prickly carbonation. Fairly aggressive on the tongue. I enjoyed this more than the brandy version, but for my money, there are plenty of other barley wines I would rather drink (bourbon or otherwise).