Lost Abbey Devotion

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Belgian Ale
San Marcos, California USA

From this Saints club. Fruity. Light. Bit of tart - or what some people will call apple. Some sweet as well. Balanced and enjoyable.

A cloudy orange colored beer. Big white head that gets away quickly. Aroma is faint but of lemon and orange. Flavor is a smooth maltiness. Some sweetness. Big citrus flavors again. Very nice, smooth, well rounded beer.

From a 750mL Bottle. Pours a transparent golden color with light honey streaks and a rocky layer of soapy white head. Looks to be a bit undercarbonated at this point, so I’m hoping it will continue to condition a bit further. Clean, fresh, floral aromas of budding dandelion flowers and a warrior-esque grassy hops wave, although not so bitter. Underneath lies a gentle layer of soft malts with a clover honey character and a yeasty whiff of fresh bread dough kneaded with green raisins and italian parsley. Light bodied, softly carbonated mouthfeel. Could use more carbonation to crisp up the body a bit, although its perfectly refreshing on draft. Starts out with a dose of herbal hops blending nicely with a bit of light caramelized malt. Nice, dry, and refreshing, with a lingering bitter hop finish. A light yeasty character kicks in about half way through the palate as well, but presents itself as some light breadiness rather than any noticeable spice character. Very nice Belgian IPA. The perfect sessionable beer with more carbonation.

Update. Carbonation fixed with another month of time. Very refreshing, enjoyable, sessionable beer. Clean, with no undesirable flavors.

Very herbal and earthy nose with a bit of grass and corn silk. Soft, lite and dry palate with a very grassy mid-palate. Dry and somewhat astringent finish.

Moderately hazy straw colour with frothy, off-white head. Aroma of sweet cooked grains, fresh herbal and floral hops and very light caramel. Clean yeast but some pineapple and apricot show through. Starts a little spicy, grows sweet as it leaves the front of the tongue, finishes with pineapple and pepper. Bright, clean acidity. Lively carbonation, watery (almost oily) texture and a medium-light body. Very refreshing and light.

Sample Hotshots Feb Indy tasting - Aroma is very yeasty with straw and Euro hops. Pours cloudy gold with a small head and decent lacing. Flavor is fresh hay, dusty cotton, subtle citrus hops, pale malts and yeasty bread dough. Palate is creamy, smooth and a little tart. Simplistic and refreshing, but not outstanding.

750 ml bottle

I had high hopes for this as it was a Lost Abbey release. In hindsight I kind of wish I would have chosen a different release from Bottleworks ahead of this one to go in my limited baggage. While it is not a terrible beer it just lacked that extra care that you seem to get from Lost Abbey/Pizza Port. This is one that I won’t be picking up again in the future.

Aroma / Appearance - A thin oily head was the first sign that something might be a little askew. The molasses colored body leaked apple butter, red wine and fresh spring rain into a mixture that was less than the sum of its parts. Despite that I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Flavor / Palate - The fluid semisweet mouthfeel immediately reaffirmed that this was not the best release. Dark chocolate, apple and a bitterness form a slightly displeasing set of tastes before the dry finish. It’s not quite a drainpour though after a glass I was tempted to set the rest aside. I’ll give them a pass if this is the worst they can do and continue seeking out the rest of the line.

Great beer. Cloudy orange body with floating specks of yeast, firm white head, very Belgian appearance. Nose of grass and malts and hops. Good palate. This has citrus notes, possibly from the hops, possibly from a touch of the nearly ubiquitous Lost Abbey Brett. Great hoppiness, far more than I would expect from a blond. A bonus point for so much flavor in a low alcohol beer, loss of a point for the price. Great bitter finish.