Lost Abbey The Angels Share (Bourbon Barrel)

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

Bottle from a friend. Pours a dark brown color with a big tan head that had good retention and plenty of lacing. The aroma is rich and complex with bourbon dominating the nose, other aromas of butterscotch, raisins and pecans fill in nicely. The flavor is similarly complex; the taste of good bourbon dominates with a host of supporting sensations--there is cloves, roasted barley, cola and pecans--all superbly balanced. The mouthfeel is full, smooth and creamy. The finish is long with a bit of lingering clove numbing my tongue. Overall: A great concoction. The balance of whiskey flavors to beer is superb, the bourbon is up-front but not overwhelming. Very nice.

12.7% bottling from Joey at SouthBay! My rating has gone down .3 since Ive had more time to think about this. Pours a very heavy and intimidating dark brown - liquid woodchips. Heady aroma of wood, chocolate and a very slight coconut balance. The palatte and flavor are very heavy, but I think my tasting partner bullseyed it when he said that it smells slightly better than it tastes: the heaviness of the flavor gives the beer such concentrated direction as to almost be... lacking in depth. Scotch, wood granules, massive roast and charcoal are what you feel and taste, but as much as this liquid oak is impressive, theres simply no room left for the beer, and this is why it couldnt hit higher scores for me. I told nbutler11 that I dont think I will ever be in the mood to drink this beer as I dont see myself spiralling into depression in the near future though the thought of having to finish even a 375 of this myself brings me close.

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).

Thanks for sharing this with me bro. I was a bit perplexed when I was smelling and tasting this. I had no idea what style it was. I thought it was an impy stout and was thinking it was ’’meh’’. Then my brother told me it was a barley wine and at that point, I was very impressed. It pours out one of the deepest brown colors with light tannish head. Aroma is intensely bourbon, caramel malt and mild chocolate and smoke. Taste is vanilla, intense bourbon, caramel malt and light toffee. Very smooth for the ABV and everything is well balanced. Awesome stuff!!!

Just sampled today on the release date. Aroma of plums and faint alcohol tones. Appearance of thick black ink. The liquid hangs on the glass when swirled. Thick tan head that dissipates. Flavor is incredibly complex - toffee, alcohol, chocolate, licorice, spice, dark cherry, like a multi-layered port. Palate is coated with a syrupy liquid. Entirely mouth coating and lingering on the tongue. Bravo! I only wish that the brewery would sell this delicacy for less than $30 for a 750.

Very dark brown with light brown head. Intense vinous-woody nose with big notes of vanilla, caramel, chocolate. Not subtle but definitely complex and enticing. In the flavor I found a nice balance between the sweetness (again accenting the vanilla, caramel, chocolate), and the bitterness with a big toasty, woody backdrop. long, lingering aftertaste like sweet whiskey. Very warming of course. A bedtime beer that’s like a two-by-four whacking you across the face with flavor.

Tap at the brewery. Had this after the brandy. Similar beers. Pours a deep brown red. Flavors of strong bourbon, roasted oak, raisin. Smooth, full mouth, mild carbonation. Way hot, a little distracting. Still tasty, perhaps a little age and this would mellow and match the superbness of the brandy.

Bottle sampled at Lost Abbey for RBSG 08. Poured into a wine glass. Deep brown color with lots of cocoa foam and visible sediment. Aromas of bourbon and chewy sweet malts. Flavor is maple syrup/brown sugar with the obvious rich bourbon note. Alcohol is extremely well-hidden. Sticky mouthfeel makes the finish very long. Drinkability is ridiculous for 12.5%.