Lost Abbey The Angels Share (Bourbon Barrel)

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

Black beer, very persistent beige head. Bourbon jumping out of the glass; alcohol, dark malts, brandy and grapes. Very Bourbonflavoured as well, some roasted malts, dark fruit, dark wild mushrooms, fusel alcohols. Not really sweet, but sweet enough. Extremely sticky and viscous, oily, totally full-bodied, notwithstanding that it remains very pleasing. Superb difference, same difference.

Deep brown color with a tan head. molasses, vanilla sweet aroma with notes of fruit, alcohol and bourbon. Molassses and light chocolate sweet flavor with fruity notes.

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!!

Bottled at Papsoes Blind tasting 19th. June 2008 no 15:Very dark reddish brown coloured. Light brown head. Prunes, spice, vanilla in the aroma Quite dusty and notes of barrel. Very balanced aroma. Flavour of brown sugar, alcohol, fruits, prunes, raisins, light liqourice. Medium to full bodied. LIght bitter end with a nice sweet touch. Alcohol burns slightly on lips and palate. complex and balanced brew.

Pours dark brown with some stray bubbles. Smells of oak, sour, molasses, dark fruit. Tastes Sweet and fruity and boozy with a sour finish. Not seeing the allure.

Very deep dark burgundy coloured brew with a thin tan head. Aroma is loaded with rich oaky character, soft vanilla/bourbon sweetness and a touch of deep cocoa as well. Very soft sweet oaky flavour. A nice soft fruitiness and a bit of cocoa over the top of it. Intense flavours of cocoa, bourbon, vanilla and oak. Lots of dark malts, some dates and prunes pop out of here as well. There are also some lighter spicy aromatics as well. The cocoa and caramel really match well with a light herbal backnote. There is a touch of light rye character and a sticky sweetness that is cut quite well by the high carbonation. Woody, oaky rich and luxuriant. This is quite a subtle and very tasty brew.

375ml bottle. I had this in the truck for about 5 hours but let it settle for a couple when I got home because I know how much the Lost Abbey yeast can negatively affect the beer. Let’s just say it’s one of the many reasons I’m not such a huge fan of this brewery. They do have some winners, though, namely the Brandy Barrel Angels Share, which I absolutely love. So on to the rating... out of the bottle it’s foaming and overcarbonated and lands in the glass under about twelve feet of thick brown foam. Okay, I can wait. The nose is primarily semi-sweet bourbon, complete with the maple and vanilla that seems to be the norm in bourbon aged strong ales or barley wines, something that doesn’t come through so dominating as with a stout or porter due to the roast and chocolate. But this one smells nice enough, with some spicy charred malt, some boozy alcohol, some barrel tannins and some tobacco/plum/date/nut notes, which is pretty nice but doesn’t impress me as much as the brandy barrel version. Texture is overcarbonated but sticky, with a resinous nut and dried, spiced plum flavor that’s most prominent. The finish has a hint of alcohol, not completely transparent but not overpowering at all, and as a whole it comes off heavy with the nut character. There’s some sweet maple-flavored bourbon for sure, and also some peppery wood and graham cracker flavors hidden a little deeper. Overall it’s a fine beer, has a lot going for it, especially the dried nuts and wood, but it doesn’t measure up to the brandy barrel version, but then I’m a whore for brandy and wine barrel barley wines (bourbon belongs with stout, brand and wine with barley wine). Quite good, but dare I say overrated a bit?

FoBAB 2008, Chicago: The program lists this as the 2006 batch. This poured a deep brown body with a nice head. The aroma was heavy on the whiskey foolowed by a strong caramel sweetness, a touch of vanilla, and plenty of alcohol. Very malt-centric to the taste with lots of booze and alcohol. It finished on a low alcohol burn. Not bad, but the way folk were raving, I was expecting a lot more.