Lost Abbey The Angels Share

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

750, corked and baled. Thanks, after4ever and IBrew2or3! Pours a hazy very dark brown with an off-white head. Boozy oak and sweet toffee aroma. Toffee, caramel and vanilla taste. Semi-sweet oak finish. Maybe it was because I was expecting to be blown away by this beer that I wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, this is nice stuff. But earth-shattering? No.

2007 750ml bottle, thanks to after4ever! Dark amber maroon pour. Intense, yet amazing nose full of oak, vanilla, sweet malt, alcohol, and more. Flavors are more of the same with a beautiful hoppy barleywine lying somewhere underneath. Amazing brew. Would love to try the Bourbon Aged version at some point!

High expectations always precede the Port brewers, and Angel’s Share was perhaps at the highest level. The pour is a great surprise, almost stoutish in hue, its black depth is set ablaze by maroon contours and a creamy dark foam that recedes rapidly. The nose shows an obvious maturity, a complex amalgam minutely arranged. Darkness imbues the essence of this brew, from the dried figs, prunes, raisins and cranberries to the deep caramel and molasses. Oak and its vanillin are notable influences of the barrel aging, as are the hints of whiskey. Dusty cocoa powder is apparent, added to cherry, hazelnut and grape bubblegum. Unfortunately whiskey becomes almost obtrusive on the palate, particularly as it melds with an alcoholic heat present throughout the experience. The sweet, somewhat sticky mouthfeel reminds of toffee, cubeb pepper, anise and mint. It is a powerful brew yet the complexity is delicate and the texture surprisingly creamy and soft. A rich Carambar-like caramel flavor lends a strong malt backbone supplemented by Nutella and highlighted by tonalities of plum, vanilla, licorice and even banana. The Angel’s Share is a vigorous effort that nonetheless retains thoughtfulness and balance. The long complex aftertaste is a testament to the impressive technique of the brewers, but when all is said and done, I wish the barrel aging had not been so overpowering as I always like to see a beer speak for itself. (31/03/2007)

750, corked and baled. Thanks, IBrew2or3! Dark brown, grainy, almost black. Very thin tan head. Big fruity, caramelly, blackberry nose. Rich, creamy, high-side-of-medium body. Rich raisins, blackberries, caramel, and a dark roast on the mid-palate. Big tart lovely orangey finish.

Dark brown, golden at the edge,lots of caramel, a touch of chocolate, some fig, vanilla, some alcoholic warmth, very smooth, rich texture, lingering, fruity finish. By far the most enjoyment I have ever gotten from a barley wine, a style that is not usually among my favorites.

’06 Vintage. Pours a dark brown with a very fine micro bubble dark tan head. Huge nose of brandy, sugar, plums and alcohol. First sip threw me for a loop. WOW! Huge alcohol presence and heat. Was not ready for that. Huge brandy explosion and almost a brown sugar taste. Lots of woody oak tones and a hint of molasses. Dark plum and fig also. Light vanilla and caremal to balance it out. As it warms this one comes alive. Would have to say this is in my top 10 beers.

2007 bottle. Franksnbeans hooked me up with this bottle, and the chat room offered the excuse to open it. This is a dark beer in the snifter, with reddish brown hues only coming through at the bottom of the glass. The beige bubbles could only manage a galaxy shaped whisp and a ring. This is one of those beers that you could smell for hours. Dark fruit, raisen, oak, vanilla, alcohol, and caramel. The alcohol sneaks up on you like a velvet hammer. The flavor is a wonderful combination of the toffee, caramel, and chocolate marshmellow sweetness. This is a classic combination of the wood and alcohol with a first rate barley wine. Vanilla, oak, dark fruits, toffee and burnt caramel sweetness. This beer kicked my ass, I’ll admit. One bottle is not necessarily a single serving.

2006 bottle - Very dark brown body with a not to big a bit to fast disappearing light brown head; Not to big but very balanced nose, a little to sharp from the barrels, but great deep fruity notes behind; Super smooth body balanced sugary, even though the barrels sharpness is very balanced it gives it a little to sharp thin bite; Long finish that again becomes thin from the barrels sharpness that somehow overpowers the sugary sweetness, near no bitterness in this beer. Somehow the sharpness from the barrels, even though it is very balanced in this beer, hides to many of the "normal" BW qualities.