Lost Abbey Avant Garde Ale

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

Cloudy orange. Great aroma. Tons of fruit and bread. Apples are the dominant aroma. The flavor is more bitter than the nose alludes, and is very dry. The alcohol is well hidden. Light to medium body.

Bottle shared with Timfoolery. This one lost me a little bit. Looked to be full-flavored, but seemed lacking in flavor. Maybe a hint of carmel and some breadiness. Not a bad beer maybe my expectations were a little high.

Bottle from Wades Wines in Westlake Village, CA. I figured this one to have more taste, but instead stumbled upon a new genre. The breadiness was a new taste for me, as this one disappointed. I’ll have to expand my tasting.

750ml bottle. A slow pours yields a mostly clear honey yellow colored body with a tall forming white head. Nose is clover honey, heavy with cantaloupe and floral notes. Syrupy, oily, typical for Lost Abbey, one of the things I don’t like so much about them, that silky, slimy texture on the tongue... leaves a pasty oil coating on the tongue. Mellow melon, honey and tea, that’s the good part... the texture, I just can’t get over the sliminess.

Interesting take on this style of beer. I’ve had some beers from thsi style from France, and they all seemed to be quite pilsener in flavour with some shrap hops, this was the opposite. This was a cloudy murky caramel color. lots of caramel and some ripe apples, and pears in the aroma, along with some bready malts. Flavour is smooth, and creamy with some more BIG caramel notes. Finishes quite sweet, interesting take on the style. but really on the other side of the coin its bang on for the style. i enjoyed it.

This one had a nice look to it, a deep amber-copper with a ton of floating yeast, and a solid head and lacing. Nose is a quite nice, with caramel malt, citrus, wheat, and spices. Taste is similar, add in lots of breadiness and strong citrusy malt. Light hop bitterness in the end. We had it with pasta ravioli and pesto sauce. Overall, definitely a tasty beer, good combo, one that I’d have again.

Bottle (bomber? 1pt, 9oz) from liquor store in Tierrasanta. Fresh fruity scent, like apricots and Thompson seedless grapes. Fresh like summer fruit, not fruity/sweet smelling. Zero head, zero lace. Great hazy burnt orange color. Taste is again fresh fruity, not fruity sweet. Little hints of burnt something hidden behind flavor splash. Goes through a few flavor changes. Hard to follow the flavors in the mouth. Pineapple. Love the mouthfull, love the secondary flavor as it moves back, don’t love what hides at the back of my throat. Bit if dried grass. However, it seems the back of the throat thing is diminishing, either as I get used to it, or as the brew warms. Nothing was overpowering in any sense. Better than many/most. *Last second addition- Frigging GREAT tasting burps. It’s like a fruit salad with peaches, nectarines, grapes, and mango! I won’t rerate based on the burps, but damn!

hazy rich orange-gold/ pale brown-copper with a wispy white head and foamy drippy lacing. it smells quite sweet and malty... spicy, a bit of mustiness, perfumey, lemon, golden raisins and some savory yeast. lots of fruit in the flavor... apples, orange, white grape and pears with astringent yeast and near sweet maltiness. dry spicy finish with a bunch of herbal floral hops. body is medium with a rich texture, mild bitterness and creamy soft carbonation...