Lost Abbey Veritas 002

Formerly brewed at Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
San Marcos, California USA

Bottle. Pours a brune body with an off white head. Slight astringent sulfur, apple honey, citrus, floral heavily spiced with cinnamon, soap and chewy malt. A bit of a mess.

On tap at the 2008 Strong Ale Festival. Poured a medium to deeper brown color -reddish tinted- with a small sized off white head. Aromas of wood, chocolate, earthy, vinous, and some dark fruitiness. Tastes of raspberries, dark fruits, raisins, plums, and lighter wood. This one was definitely on the sweet side with a very light tart finish.

Sampled at the 2008 Lost Abbey Barrel Tasting. Clear dark brown color that pours with a small tan head. Vinous grape and raspberry aroma with plenty of sweetness from the mead added, with a nice contrast of tartness and bourbon flavors from wild yeasts and Old Viscosity. Flavor is very sweet, backed up with Avant Garde caramel, toffee and chocolate, in addition to tart raspberry and cherry. Oak is subdued. Overall it gets the points for intrigue. Almost too cloyingly sweet for my tastes.

Sampled at Lost Abbey barrel tasting. Dark brownish color. Very smooth on your palate . Malty sugar flavors with some tart fruitiness. Honey raspberry flavors are prominent. Pretty good.

Draft @ Bistro BA Fest. Pours a dense, slightly hazy, tarnished orange-amber color; light-tan head with fine-bubbled lacing. Lots of sour red fruits appearing in the aroma, citrus and plenty of mead-like honey; gorgeous, dense nose with a nice citrus tartness coming through eventually; touch of warmth and tons of honey. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: chewy, dense mead-y honey, brown sugar, and chewy dark fruitiness; reasonably dense, but a heavy reliance on the honey and slightly flabby overall; still, good. Medium finish: honey, chewy malt sweetness, and toasty malts; balanced end.

On tap @ Bistro BA Fest poured a clear copper brown with a small lingering tan head. Aromas of barnyard, honey, light raspberry and light leather. Palate was light to medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of toffe, honey and light raspberry with a smooth bittersweet finish.

Bottle at Redstone Meadery - Thanks. Clear dark brown - white head. Raspberries, burned, light sourness, black berries, roasted, dark bread, high dryness, light hoppy, light spicy, light honey, spicy nose, no residual sugar. Fun/good combination.

Draft at Bistro BA fest. Light brown with reddish hint. Aroma is tart fruit, some richer malt, and wood. Flavor is the same, soft palate; the tartness is light.