Lost Abbey Brouwers Imagination Ale 2009

Formerly brewed at Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Sour Red/Brown
San Marcos, California USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Bottled. Reddish coloured. Dense light brown head. Aroma of sourness, wood, fruits, light spice. Flavour of immense sourness, grape, brett, wood, fruits, spice, wood. Wow. Full bodied. Grapy and bretty sourness in the end. Magic.

UPDATED: MAY 2, 2010 Re-Rate on 4/29/10 Bottle as part of epic sour tasting with callmemimckey. 750 mL Pours dark burgundy with gigantic head. Aroma was so incredibly complex and varied all over the place as it warmed. Dominant aroma of port but also got hints of orange, rosemary, chocolate, coffee, apple, plum/raisin and the slightest hints of bourbon. Incredibly complex nose. Flavor has some mild sweetness, and some great earthy funk. Very thick, full bodied, much more approachable carb than the first time. I could put away a 750 of this no problem. As part of an epic tasting, this just barely edged out Cable Car for best of the night (10/4/9/4/19 4.6) 750 mL bottle at Brouwer’s on 3/13/10 (personal 500th rating). Bottle popped and is an insane gusher (think 1/2 inch beer to 5 inches of head). Pours very dark ruby with huge cream colored head. Aroma of chocolate, cherries, prunes and pine. Flavor is nice rich chocolate sweetness, with a wonderful tart cherry and citrus. Finish is a fruity coffee bitterness, almost like a sour raspberry mocha. Medium mouthfeel with good carb, maybe a bit on the heavy side (as evidenced by gusing)Incredibly well-blended an d unique beer. Fantastic sour that isn’t overpowering and incredibly drinkable. (8/3/9/4/18 4.2)

Bottle. Dark brown pour with a tan head. Sour stone fruit aromas. The taste pretty much follows suit with pleasant tart and sour stone fruit highlights and woody vinous lowlights. A little over carbonated. Great mouthfeel, good body, and good balance. Outstanding. Thanks Ryan....

I’ve drank two bottles of this stuff, and it’s an awesome under-the-radar sour. 750ml bottle poured into tulip. Gusher warning! A - Pours a combo of ruby red tinge and brown body. Def a darker sour. Has some light head, maybe half a fingers worth, that quickly disipiates into a few bubbles here and there. S - Tart/sour notes right off the bat, some sour grapes, slight sweetness, and some medicinal/spice notes. A lot going on here, which really makes you break this one down and enjoy everything. T - I call this "Cuvee de Tomme on steroids". It has the dark sour notes mixed with the honey sweetness, oak, and medicinal finish that I attribute to the rosemary. As with the nose, lots going on here. Sour, sweet, spice, funk, etc. All this combines into one awesome-tasing sour. M - Light (closing in on medium) bodied, good light carbonation, dry finish. D - One of my favorite sours as of late. Better then CdT but alas, a lot more rare. I don’t know when I’ll crack my next bottle open, but I’m already looking forward to it.

Pours a clear dark mahogany brown with a medium-fine, light tan head. No problems with the carbonation here. The aroma is tart and malt-driven with dark fruits--including a hint of Concord grape--and soft spice and earth. Flavor is sour with dark, spicy malt and slightly sweet prune, raisin, and black grape notes. The body is light but has some weight to it. The good carbonation delivers the complex flavor profile evenly and deliberately.

75 cL bottle. Pours dark brown with a small off-white head. Aroma is fruity and slight wineous, red grapes and brandy fruity. Acidic, winous and distinct fruity. Mild brandy touch to a heavy acidic brett/barnyard flavour swept in red grapes. Utterly lovely. Underlying dark malt flavour. Lingering acidic, fruity, dry brett and roasted malt finish.

**@ Brouwers, Thank you Matt!** Deep mahogany pour that settles into an opaque bear brown. Aroma is huge cabernet sauv. The most vineous aroma I can imagine on a beer. Red wine is intense here, barrel, and the herbs are felt more than they are actually smelled. Palate is highly carbonated, it was a very excited bottle. Long flavors! The flavors take me on a journey. The culmination is the greatest surprise, a lingering dose of yummy chocolate. That is closely preceded by undulating grapes. Barrel sourness has the Lost Abbey house character. Prune. I barely detect the bourbon barrel. The wine barrel is so in my face. I find lots of fruit like raisin and cherry lingering beneath the surface here. Layered. Complex. Delightful. Extraordinary. Memorable!

750 thanks to Andre. Over carbonation even thought it has been sitting awhile. Really nice ruby dark color. Taste of wine, vinegar, cherry, plum. Very lovely sour aroma. Fantastic beer.

Bottle shared with gorditoabd. Pours a dark brown with a massive amount of tan head and aromas of pie cherries, brown sugar, oak and wood. Flavor is a wonderful mix of cherries, malt vinegar tartness, a little wood, not quite ripe plums and a hint of dark sugar from time to time. This is smooth on the palate and leaves a lovely sour aftertaste.

Tasted from 750mL bottle at Lush CBC event courtesy of Dr. Bill. Pours cloudy gold with a thin white head. Nose of malt, lemon peel, soda sweetness, and biscuit. Flavor is more sour and bitter than expected with coconut, toasted malt, and lemon bitterness. Carbonation is lively with a medium plus body. This is an extremely unique and different beer that is very interesting. Thank you Dr. Bill!