Lost Abbey The Angels Share (Bourbon Barrel)

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

375 ml bottle corked and caged from Lost Abbey Patron Sinners club. Cork opens with a loud pop, and some "smoke". Pour is deep brown, some ruby highlight. There is an expansive four inch tan head, which is quite lasting. Nice lacing left behind as it slowly retreats. Pretty pour. Aroma is bourbon oak wood barrel, vanilla and some pepper spiciness. Behind that is some smoked maltiness. It was hard to get past the Bourbon on the nose, that was most of what I smelled. Taste is a nice malty Barley wine, toasted vanilla, a bit of pine hops, then a pretty big dose of the Bourbon. I also get some cola taste in this as well. Makers and Coke? There is some graininess mid-palate. The finish is boozy, and quite sharp. Palate is right for the beer, not overly big, but sufficiently full to support the big flavors. The oak in the beer made this beer very drying. Later that evening, my mouth was so dry I felt like I had been sucking on wood chips. This beer was good, but seemed dominated by the Bourbon, and as such, became a bit one dimensional for me. As this approached room temperature things integrated a bit better, or my palate had been overwhelmed, either way it improved. I had high expectations for this beer, and was hoping for a bit more complexity.

(2006 batch on tap @ the bistro)brown body with a huge brown head.small bourbon notes along with some citrus hops,cotton candy,and brown sugar.very well balanced and no alcohol is detected.(2008 bottle from the sinners release)uber-dark brown.in fact,you cant see through the beer even when its held up to light.nice big light brown head that leaves some lacing on the glass.the aroma is simply awesome.bourbon,vanilla,oak,cotton candy ,pine hops,and bubble gum.the thing that i like best about the aroma is nothing is overpowering.the flavor is pretty much the same.again,everything is very well balanced.i think the 2008 has more flavor,although its a tad bit overcarbonated.

High velocity uncorking with a spectacular eruption of foam, does,nt look good i thought to myself, hmm. Obviously the head was large and rocky, light brown in color, with good staying power. Surprisingly well carbonated for a BA brew. Lacing was nice, stringy and spotty at the same time, lasting. Appears as an opaque dark brown color, murky, not real inviting. The ashes were the first thing i noticed in the aroma, farly strong but enjoyable, different. Notes of dark fruits, hidden cedar with light earthy and dusty notes not to mention the mellow whisky notes. Full bodied, oily and slick on the palate with a low carbonation level. Gentle whisky flavors greet you backed by dark fruits, plum raisin, nice lumber, dry chewy malts, sorta bready, milk chocolate notes, vanilla, light smoke, cola, cedar notes too. Fruity and alcohol fueled, though gently, finish. Many thanks go out to oldstylecubfan for the bottle that was literaly LOST for a week or so, though no fault of his. Thanks so much Todd!

Bottle pours out a dark brown with some red highs topepd with a cream head. Aroma of sweetness and plenty of the bourbon with wood. Tast of more wood plenty of sweetness. Tasty. thanks jake for the love.

I figured the first rating after my son was born should be a good one and cracking a "sinners" might not be the best choice, so this bad boy gets the call (due to his birth, I get the bonus of having my mom bring out my beer from Chicago!). This one has a deep brown color with a surprisingly large head (nearly a major gusher!) Aroma is a high quality "down in the barrel" mixture of oak, vanilla, caramel candy, bourbon and sugar. Flavor is woody and bourbon dominant with hefty doses of vanilla, brown sugar, and vinous fruits. Feel is nice with a slight sting and woody thickness. Overall a very good beer, but not quite the standard version. It seems obvious that the base beer is absolutely made for brandy barrels, though bourbon barrels take to it quite nicely. Another awesome PP/LA beer!

Bottle shared by footbalm, thanks Eric. Opened with a bang, be careful you’ll shoot your eye out. Seriously, be careful or you could lose beer. Anyway, pours a dark brown with a great thick brown head. The aroma was mostly bourbon, also some vanilla and wood. The taste was also full of so much bourbon, with some vanilla and caramel. After a few minutes the complexity began to show with some hints of fruit and hops push through. Overall, the body is so smooth and creamy that it demands drinking. Great brew.

(Bottle thanks to WeeHeavy) Pours dark mahogany, reddish brown with a sand colour/light-brown head. Sweet vanilla-ish, sugary bourbon and caramel/ buttery fudge-like malt up front in the aroma. The undertones are full of dark, dried fruits like raisins, plums and figs, earthy hops, maple syrup, English fruitcake, toasted nuts, blackberries and tropical pineapple and banana hints. The nose is extremely soft and the bourbon is well integrated. The flavour is of bourbon, vanilla, caramel, buttery fudge, plums, figs, sweet blackberries, toasted nuts, English fruitcake and maple syrup. The mouthfeel is soft, velvety carbonated, light sticky, chewy and light grassy bitter in the finish. Lingering aftertaste of overripe dark fruits, light bitter hops and sweet malt. Medium to full bodied.

Hmm and Wow! I was wanting so hard to find a perfect rating. Well, 4.8 is close. I tried the spectacular bourbon barrel aged Angel’s Share beer today at Lost Abbey’s anniversary tasting. Wow! Probably the best beer I’ve ever had. Sweet creamy head. Deep rich color. Nice bourbon aftertaste. Nice malty smell at the bottom of the glass. People tell you to rate the smell first, before your smell sensors are saturated, but i think you should wait until the end, where the temperature has raised and the glass is filled with aroma. First taste, and i would say a touch more sweetness. Second tasting, and a touch less. Hmmm. just an incredible beer. I think they open a bottle once a week at the tasting room. They are releasing another in August. 10,5,9,5,19:4.8 Rerate: On tap at 2008 release: Perfect! 5.0 Rerate: Bottle with iowaherkeye at PP bottle shop. 4.8 Rerate: 5/8/08: Bottle at home. Strong carbonation. Tart acidic burn. Not good. Bad bottle or aging poorly? I’m afraid to ask. Drain poured half of it:3.9