Lost Abbey The Angels Share

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

Had on tap at Lost Abbey for the special release with DuffmanSW and mspindler for my birthday. 2009 release, Very dark black with a small tan head. Aroma of raisin, chocolate, brown sugar, brandy, vanilla. Kind of boozy at the end of the pallet but very very good flavor.

2008 bottle. Wow, no head whatsoever, completely flat; color is a dark mocha. Nose is pleasant and potent with toffee, burnt caramel, lots of vanilla, notable brandy oak, dates, and dark candi sugar. Flavor is much of the same notes with more brandy than I expected; lightly charred oak, lots of brandy burn on the back of the throat, Belgian chocolate, toffee, vanilla, dark candi sugar, and hints at raisins. Palate is more than medium, lightly syrupy, round, almost flat, and hot. Finishes only average in length, still with brandy burn, and notes of toffee, vanilla, and lots of charred oak. What a peculiar beer; amazing ratings, no head and minimal carbonation, and lots of brandy to go around. Maybe I had a bad bottle, but either way, it could have used more time to age. The nose and the flavors were good but not great, but maybe with a better bottle and some time in the cellar, it could have been exceptional. If the price were more reasonable, I would put some bottles in the cellar now. But as is, I will have to wait until the beer is cheaper or I make more money.

On tap @ the Lost Abbey... Pours dark dark brown with a thin head.. Smell is vanilla, caramel, toffee, brown sugar and raisins..Taste is sweet with dark chocolate, dark fruits, brandy with a alcohol burn..Mmmm!!!

Poured brown with little carbonation activity. Nose was a complex medley of dark fruits, warming booze, brown sugar, caramel, wood, vanilla, some sherry notes and mild red wine. Flavor was alcohol sweetness, pleasing malt tones on top of everything from the nose. Flat or not, this beer is a treat. All the belly-aching is rediculous. How carbed do you need a barley wine anyway? This beer is more like a fine wine.

2008 bottle courtesy of Gillard. Pours a dark cola brown with thin tan head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of vanilla, bourbon, wood, brown sugar, molasses, caramel and hints of dark chocolate and toffee. Flavor is sweet and malty with notes of vanilla, wood, chocolate, toffee, booze, hints of bourbon and rum-soaked raisins. Generally medium to full body with a pleasing malty bourbon finish. This was lightly carbonated but still an amazing beer and not deserving of the rampant complaints. Anyone bitching about this beer can send your bottles to me!

07 bottle. Pours a murky red/brown color with a medium sized tan colored head, yes this one’s carbonated. Aroma is brandy, huge alcohol, brown sugar, musty. Flavor is brandy, huge alcohol, brown sugar, caramel, cardboard, and more cardboard. Palate is medium to full bodied, mild carbonation, finished hot and sweet. Did not like this beer for one second, huge disappointment. Lost Abbey fails to impress me time and again. All their barrel aged beers seem to be hot, sloppy messes. This will be the last LA beer that I seek out, they’re batting about 1 for 8 now. I hope this was a bad bottle, but I’m starting to think LA is just not for me.

Bottle: Poured a deep murky brown color ale with no head whatsoever. Aroma of of alcohol vapor with some gross residual sugar. Taste is overly dominated by brandy notes with some sweet sugary malt with an almost gross feel. Body is full with no carbonation and strong alcohol showing. I know the issue this beer had with carbonation but the fundamental issue are bigger then only carbonation – way too much alcohol is showing even though I understand beer as been barrel-aged with a lack of complexity. I must admit that this example is definitely over-hyped and fall well below my expectations.

Bottle, thanks to Gillard for sharing. Poured a dark reddish brown with almost no head. Nose is full of caramel, vanilla, oak, rasin and brandy. This was part of the "bad" batch, carbonation was extremely soft but it was carbonated. Really, I don’t like my barley wines with much more carbonation. The flavor was complex, lots of sweet caramel malt, vanilla, oak, and booze. Finishes sweet with a good amount of warming alcohol. Very smooth. Excellent!