Lost Abbey Amazing Grace

Bottle via Miketd. Cloudy reddish orange color. A ton of head( they way I like it. gig gidy goo!) Smell of malt, hops, citrus, sour grapes, nuts, prunes and alcohol. Taste of malt, hops, wine, apples, citrus, sour grapes, nuts, prunes and alcohol. Wonderful beer.

Bottle (750ml). Shared by blankboy with GregClow, jerc and tupalev. A big "pop!" on opening, and quite a gush, but undeterred ... Murky, thick-looking brick-red pour with a lasting huge fluffy head. Lovely aroma of sweet caramel malt and funky sourness - spicy, lemony, vinous and oaky - mmmmmm. The taste was also lemony and sweetly malty, but with the addition of oaky vanilla and more funk - oh yeah, the funk! Thick, smooth, acidic, beautiful sweet/sour balance from the get-go, nice sour tingle in the linger - splendid!! Beer of the night for me.

Bottle shared with tupalev, blankboy, HogTownHarry & jerc - blankboy’s bottle. Hazy ruby-orange, small tan head. Aroma is sour, woody & boozy, dark fruit and red wine - really nice. Moderately full body. Wonderful flavour - relatively sour and funky, with notes of wood, yeast and rad wine. A very successful experiment!

Bottle gushed, and no matter how you poured it,you got over 50% head,aroma was sour apple,tart peach, and lemon juice, taste was solid wine barrel, you could taste the wood and the wine tannins, apple and lemon saturated alcohol,givng you a slight pucker, the wine barrel flavors totally dominate here, never had a Dubbel like this. Thanks Kingpin

Bottle chilled for several days to preempt the gushing. Poured clean. A mass of foam crept upwards and began to spill over the rim and the yeast got all uneasy, though it had to be poured or wasted. All this with no forced stress. Now sitting with two poured snifters in front of me, each a murky, dusky, and gorgeous shade of sunset red glowing beneath a dirty, sediment glazed cap of beige. Tart, sweet, meaty red wine aroma; though I’m unfamiliar with the particularities of Sangiovese, the supple tannins and intense black jam character of Cabernet is unmistakable. Bright nuances of tangerine, lemon curd, and mango, all caramelized and dusted in cinnamon. An impossibly refined dessert in the tropics. Strokes of alcohol. Cherry skin and fresh lemon suggest the wild yeasts, softly. For the most part the yeasts seem gravelly and mineral-heavy, which is a pleasant counterweight to the zip and tang of the fruit presence here. Caramel, toffee and vanilla-rich oak present decadently with warmth, into a hugely visceral and dirty sweetness.

Flavor tends to hollow out somewhat. Tannins rule. Almost rubbery fruit skin flavors, and lots of oak; vanilla, grape sweetness, cinnamon, pear, and aluminum canvassing underneath. The somewhat dull, sandy mustiness of the house yeast doesn’t serve as well as it did in the nose. Dry wildflower honey. Toffee. Potpourri ridden fruitiness steadfast, and that’s somewhat salvaging for the overall impression of the beer. The strength of the wine is generally deeper and more substantive to taste than the characters of the malts, but the marriage is altogether fairly happy, even if it works more in balance than in partnership. What would seem to be oxidation, I think, is simply wine and wood.

Medium body is quite creamy and soft, while showing the healthy, brisk autumnal character of the great trappists. Some acidity of citrus precludes a lingering warm red wine and airy mineral finish, which is a stark reminder of the difference a more settled yeast presence might have made. Satisfyingly complex and certainly benefitting from the influence of the wood, this is an intriguing and rewarding experience; maybe its finest quality is its capacity to be so frontal and bold in character while also remaining so quieted and hidden. Thanks, Steve!