Lost Abbey Avant Garde Ale

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

(tasting at Brickskeller) hazy pale gold with white head and minimal lace. Faint aroma of spice. Flavor is clove, spice, maybe a whiff of banana, yeast, roast malt.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry - his bottle. Hazy reddish-orange with a few little floaties and no head. Aroma of malt, floral honey, orange blossoms - nice! Medium mouthfeel. Fresh flavour - sugary start, rustic malt and yeast, bitter orange finish. Pretty nice stuff.

Bottle (750ml). Shared with GregClow, my bottle via trade with DarkElf. Hazy orange with a smallish creamy off-white head. Sweet, soft aroma of orange zest, yeast, sweet mild spice, fresh cereal grain and damp forest. Taste follows right on - citrus, floral hops, essence of after-the-rain forest, soft cereal grain, mild but incrementing alcohol - I was thirsty and this HIT the spot. Very light bodied, a wisp of carbonation and astringency, quick finish, it lingers mostly as a pleasant memory. Very restrained and well-crafted beer, I could drink pints of this one.

Standard yellowish orange appearance. Lovely flowery aroma that makes you think of Summertime in a pasture. Great bourbonesque flavor with a delightful finish which tickles the palate.

750mL bottle, Pizza Port / Port Brewing event at Brickskeller. Pours a clear, yellowish orange color; off-white head with great retention and lacing. Some light sugar and bready notes in the aroma. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: pleasant chewy candy sugar and estery presence, with some lively citrus sharpness at the center; fluffy, creamy belgian ale. Medium, biscuity and bready notes in the finish.

(Bottle 75 cl) Courtesy of IrishBoy. Slightly hazy golden with a small, off-white head. Fruity and spicy nose. Medium body with very fruity notes, lightly sweet malt and perhaps a touch of honey. The finish though is dominated by a brutal and very astringent bitterness which is far from pleasant. 180607

Take three drops of aristocratic blood and dilute it in a family bath tub and you’ll have some idea of how lost the abbey was when they brewed this beer. Its unremarkable flavor leaves the reviewer unethused when it comes to reviewing. While not bad, the avant garde should probably try harder to live up to its name. Drank it with a fine eggplant panini which far outshone it. Like the all-American cigarette, it was pall mall.

750ml bottle. I took the bottle’s advice and enjoyed this on the porch with some freshly baked cheese, soft bread, and an apple. I didn’t get the apple from my granny’s orchard. I bought it in a store. Pours a cloudy golden color with a lot of uprising bubbles and a medium sized foamy white head. Aroma is fruity, slightly spicy, and a lot of apples and honey. Taste is slightly acidic and fruity, sharp and tingly but light and drinkable. The food combination was splendid. The beer itself is not mindblowing but it was an enjoyable time. Not as good as their Red Barn ale but still nice. I think I’m a fan of Lost Abbey.