Lost Abbey Avant Garde Ale

(Bottle -- shared with sayravai -- at Pikkulintu, Helsinki, on 2009-01-27) Dark orange and cloudy. Small white quickly disappearing head. Sour and sweet nose. Full bodied palate with medium carbonation. Fruitiness, hint of banana, sweetness, bitterness in taste. Bitter and banana flavoured aftertaste.

(Bottled, 0.75l) Clear golden with a small head. Aroma of caramely-yeasty malt with fruity pear notes. Bready-grainy-malty, caramely flavor with yeasty and vinous notes, and hints of honey. Medium-bodied, slicky and soft-carbonated palate. Quite interesting for the (not my favorite) style.

Amber in color with a small head. Aroma is of apple, pineapple, brown sugar, light hops and spices. Flavor is grainy with a light hop bitterness and a little fruit.

Very well balanced with roasted malt, slight sweetness, fruity esters, and medium hop bitterness. Good yeastiness. I like the way the roastiness plays with the light green apple.

Poured from a 750ml caged and corked bottle and served in a tulip. This poured a golden orange hue with a light haze and a thin head of off-white foam that quickly settled. The aroma included light skined fruits, grass, bread, and some spicy yeast esthers. The flavor had dry apple, pear, faint orange, fresh grass, a hint of caramel, and some mildly funky, spicy yeast. The mouthfeel was medium-bodied and had moderate, aggressive carbonation. Finishes dry and very crisp. Quite refreshing. Not the most avant garde beer, but very well made and quite tasty.

Lightly hazed golden color with a taller creamy, cream colored head. Mostly a grainy aroma. Some light herbs, and a touch of fruit play about in the background. In a blind sniff, I’d be tempted to say this was a weak malt liquor. LIght and nearly spritzy in feel. Flavors are not weak. Pale malt start. Some mild funk in the middle, with some yeast and mold, zest and dried weeds. Alcohol and light fruit in the finish. Linger is rather dry and I catch some metal and more dried grains. A rough brew for me, I get no finesse. I don’t envision a meadow on a late summer day with a spread of fresh bread and local cheeses; rather a street corner and paper bag.

Reviewed 1/2/2009 (bottle): Pours a somewhat hazy orange colored body with a big foamy white head, lasting. Sweet floral aroma. Some musty dark fruit too., also some nuttiness. Nice light floral taste, some spiciness. Soft carbonated palate. Some nuttiness balancing the hoppiness. A little bitter hoppiness, along with some dustiness. Tasty.

Bottle at home - New Years Tasting. Clear amber - white head. Ryebread, berries, sharpness, peppery, fruity, dryness, alcoholic, perfumed, (Headache !!), perfumed, roasted, bubber.