Lost Abbey Avant Garde Ale

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Bière de Garde
San Marcos, California USA

Bottle at Lost Abbey dinner. Full disclosure: biere de garde is not my favourite style so I can’t hold that against the beer. Sweet and a little sticky plus the finish seemed to stay with me for a LONG time.

Bottle at FRTH, Denver. Nice amber appearance, quite active and well topped. Drinks with a big syrupy caramel character, quite the robust BDG. (#3518, 2/20/2009)

Bottle. Body-clear dark honey with a thick ring of bubbles and a medium film of bubbles. Nose-cereal, old wet malt, oxidation. Taste-bitter, cereal, slightly lactic, stale hops, medium artificial sweetener, some yeast esters, perfume, bran flakes, a little fruity. I don’t like this. I cannot find a single redeeming quality about it. Too sweet, too stale, too one sided, too…eh. Mr. Avant Garde, meet Mr. Drain.

Bottle: Pours a bright golden color with a large, frothy sand colored head. Sticky lacing. Later in the bottle it gets less clear... Mostly spice in the aroma, a little malty and sweet. Cloves and florals. Tastes sweet of maltiness with light spices up front into a heavier, roasty/malty/floral finish. Has a tidbit of breadiness, almost rye. A little bit of that farmhouse dirty, funky, estery stuff. Overall enjoyable.

A- Pours a slightly murky gold/orange hue with a huge, white, craggy head with thick lacing that sticks to the glass S- Nose is of yeasty and caramel malts, some nice light fruits (peach mostly), and spices, alcohol is quite noticeable too T- Initial taste is of caramel malts and peach, followed by some bitter hops and spices, finish is dry and bit acidic in nature M- Medium-bodied ale with adequate carbonation, texture is creamy and almost oily that coats the entire mouth D- This is definitely a unique style, but the acidic finish puts me off quite a bit (almost an aspirin-like quality), it is also has the look and smell of a lighter Belgian, but the taste and mouthfeel feels like a heavier beer, overall it lacks any unique qualities that would make me want to get another one in the future.

750 ml. bottle. Shared with Gabe. Pours an initially exhuberant head which gradually deflates into a thin lasting head over a clear body (if one carefully pours).....nose is spicy with cardomom and very fruity with fig, cherry, honey coming forward.....taste is primarily fruits, figs, cherry , with finishing bitterness, and some clove, and grapefruit....mouthfeel is heavy and can be easily chewed....really nice stuff.

Shared a 750 with DrJay. Pour is golden with a big bubbled creamy head and fine carbonation. Head settles with some lacing. Smells of apricot with pepper and a hits of hops (grapefruit mostly). Honey comes though as it warms. A subtle clean nose. Pleasant palette, deceptively thin at first but follows with a nice chew. Generally light but not overly so. Tastes strongly of peach, apricot with Belgium yeasty quality. A most delightful beer.

Draft at the Brewery. Pours a cloudy orange gold. Very bready and grainy in flavor with a lot of sour yeast bite. I didn’t get this beer, maybe another day.