Lost Abbey The Angels Share

Bottle. 2008 vintage. Rating #1400. Is this the vintage people have been complaining about? God damn, if you don’t like it send it my way, I loved it. Pours dark brown with almost no head. Loads of bourbon and dark fruits in the aroma. Plum, molasses, and vanilla. Smooth body. Yes the relative lack of carbonation is a bit unusual, but really it’s not that bad, and it does have some carbonation. The flavor starts with sweet notes of bourbon, whiskey and oak. Loads of dark fruits carry on the sweetness throughout. Raisins, plums, toffee and caramel feature. A long finish recalls more notes of sweet bourbon and whiskey. I thought this would be a bit rough to get through the whole bottle, but it was surprisingly balanced and drinkable. Very good.

08 375ml bottle, the "flat" vintage. Pours flat and syrupy dark brown. Nice aroma of brandy barrel, brown sugar, maple syrup and hints of vanilla. Taste has big flavors of chocolate, vanilla, brandy and toffee. Little hints of alcohol burn and some chocolate. Obvious world class brew that had some problems, otherwise the interplay of flavors is outstanding and very complimentary.

The bottle looks incredibly good. The beer in the glass deep black, almost oily, no head. Wonderful malty-old aroma. Starts fiery-malty, very complex, very woody notes, very strong, modest alcoholic. Very nice finish, warming, well balanced, prickly, very long. Wonderful beer! Big thanks to scrizz for sending that beer to my house!

25.4 oz bottle, 2007. Dark brown with a tan haze. Nose is caramel, raisin and brandy with unfortunate notes of moldy wood and butter. Kind of milky with high acidity and a sharp tang. Taste is sour plums, crabapples, bitter greens and earth. Dry, cardboardy finish. Needless to say a major disappointment.

2007 bottle. With all of the talk of infected bottles and under carbonated 2008 bottles, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The pour was deep reddish copper almost brown with a small beige head. The nose was big caramel malt, dark fruit, vanilla, brandy and oak. The flavor, which got better as it warmed, was moderately sweet caramel malt, vanilla, brandy infused oak, earthy, alcohol, and some Belgian chocolate. Mouthfeel was medium-full. Although there was a lot going on that was good, it didn’t always work well for me. I had a sample from an 07 bottle at DLD 09 and it was definitely infected. The rating does not come from this sample.

2008 bottle courtesy of DuffmanSW. Pours dark brown and still. Smells of dark fruit, brandy, oak, cognac, some molasses. Tastes dry and earthy with some nice fruity undertones and a dry finish. Restrained and enjoyable.

Original Rating of the 2006 Batch:

Last year’s batch. I received this as an extra in a trade sometime last year. Pours dark brown with a thin light tan head. Smells oaky with lots of dark fruit and cherry hints. Tastes cloyingly sweet with some dark chocolate hints and bitterness. Not really sure what to make of this. Warming alcohol present on the finish along with some peppery splashes. Mouthfeel reminded me of the inside of a resiny whisky barrel. A nice experiment by Tomme who is a great brewer, but not one of his masterpieces.

Ar: 8 App7 Fl:7 Pa: 2 Ov: 14

Had on tap at Lost Abbey for the special release with DuffmanSW and mspindler for my birthday. 2009 release, Very dark black with a small tan head. Aroma of raisin, chocolate, brown sugar, brandy, vanilla. Kind of boozy at the end of the pallet but very very good flavor.

2008 bottle. Wow, no head whatsoever, completely flat; color is a dark mocha. Nose is pleasant and potent with toffee, burnt caramel, lots of vanilla, notable brandy oak, dates, and dark candi sugar. Flavor is much of the same notes with more brandy than I expected; lightly charred oak, lots of brandy burn on the back of the throat, Belgian chocolate, toffee, vanilla, dark candi sugar, and hints at raisins. Palate is more than medium, lightly syrupy, round, almost flat, and hot. Finishes only average in length, still with brandy burn, and notes of toffee, vanilla, and lots of charred oak. What a peculiar beer; amazing ratings, no head and minimal carbonation, and lots of brandy to go around. Maybe I had a bad bottle, but either way, it could have used more time to age. The nose and the flavors were good but not great, but maybe with a better bottle and some time in the cellar, it could have been exceptional. If the price were more reasonable, I would put some bottles in the cellar now. But as is, I will have to wait until the beer is cheaper or I make more money.