Lost Abbey Barrel Aged Serpents Stout with Cacao Nibs and Coffee

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Imperial Stout
San Marcos, California USA

Serve in Snifter

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375mL thanks to dfroms! Inky black pour. Reddish foam. Green coffee nose, moving to hazelnut, rich spicy dark chocolate, ancho chilies...as it warms the green coffee sort of dissipates and brings amaretto and some porcini mushroom/soy/umami character. Taste is delicious: muted spice, melted dark chocolate bar, some lactic acid and hop bitterness balance. Ultra rich cacao chocolate. I still like normal Serpents Stout, no green coffee nose and similar superlative palate. Also accessible, larger quantity. Fiance rating: 4.2

Bottle shared at the Santa Cruz boxset tasting. Aroma of coffee grounds and dark chocolate. Flavor is sweet iced coffee. That’s basically it. Good though.

From the box set tasting. Blackish pour. Loads of coffee, cocoa, fudge, brownies. Flavor is rich and full. Delicious. Loads of coffee and chocolate. Yes!

Pour from a bottle gave a pitch black beer with a small tan head. Huge cocoa and coffee aromas. Medium mouthfeel . Flavored of dry dark chocolate, oak vanilla, and black coffee. Finish is long lean and on the drier side.Good beer.

had this at Fobab, my favorite of the tracks, super drinkable, improvement of serpent, nice coffee

Draft at Fobab 10. As Track 10. Pours a deep black with a dark brown head that sticks around for a long ass time. Nose is great, loads of chocolate, soft earthy coffee. Rich overall. Some dark fruit comes through as well, but mostly a ton of roast. Some vanilla. On tasting, it is a big and rich beer. Chocolate and coffee come together, accentuated by vanilla. A great BA RIS.

Sample FOBAB ’12 - Went for this one pretty early in the game - pours brown/black with a thin head. Aroma is rich and fits the description - coffee is enticing and rich, chocolate is evident, even if in the backseat - high level of pleasant roastiness. Flavor is also nicely done - coffee still definitely driving this car, but it is balanced well by some cocoa, vanilla, light bourbon, sweet/roasted malt and a bit of oak - melded nicely. Palate good for the style - this was a fine offering from LA

Had this one as Lost Abbey’s Track #10, Bat Out of Hell at a Lost Abbey Track tasting. Poured a dark brown color without much of a head. Aroma is coffee notes, with a touch of cocoa. Flavor is fantastic coffee notes.

Lost Abbey track beer tasting. The beer appears black with a thin beige cap. The aroma...wow! Coffee and roast - so fresh and wonderful. An instant 5 in the aroma category. Bourbon and oak come in after the delectable coffee, giving balance and complexity. The flavor does not disappoint. A remarkable beer. Bourbon is perhaps a bit overshadowed by coffee, but as a daily coffee drinker, I can’t complain. Medium bodied with masterfully disguised alcohol content. Shockingly good. Just outstanding. My highest recommendation.

Sampled at FoBAB 10 - 2012 (Chicago, IL). Pours a rich deep opaque blackish pour, with cocoa and coffee, rich brownish head atop. Frothy and opaque. Aromas are coffee, roast, and toast. Vanilla, creamy toast and roast. Initial is big and acrid, a bit of a richer overdone roast. Toasty, toffee, rich flavors. Mocha and espresso. Middle is dark and rich, flavorful big cocoa, gentle oak, spirit and coffee. Backend is a bit more acrid, roasty, and dry, the sweet elements return into the finish a bit. Rich big coffee flavors overwhelm the palate at some point, the cocoa giving it a fun dark Bakers Chocolate slant. Overall, a very nice beer. Rich and flavorful, a bit acrid in flashes. But this works very well with some gentle spirit and rich big coffee flavors. Nice. I’d give the edge to Rye Abraxas as far as my favorite big brooding barrel aged stout of the day though with this in a close 2nd.