Lost Abbey The Angels Share

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Barley Wine
San Marcos, California USA

2008 on tap at Brouwer’s Hard Liver ’09. Pours almost black with a thin tan head. Notes of toffee, chocolate, leather in the aroma; tobacco and floral hops show up in the taste. The mouthfeel is thick and the finish is long with tobacco, hops, and whiskey, fading to a slight toffee sweetness.

draft @ brouwer’s bigwood fest - 2007 vintage; dark brown and clear along the edges with thin tan head lingering; wowzers, this was good and not nearly as sweet as bourbon version; smooth and thick; very malty, candy, toffee, caramel, wood, vanilla; everything together in harmony

Bottle shared at the Smoke from the Oak release. 2008 bottle. Pours a hazy amber brown with a light tan head. Nose is full of molasses, candy, caramel, and a little bit of oak. Nice sharp carbonation, and more oak on the body. Ends with a light lingering sweet caramel note.

2007 750ml bottle. Pours a dark cloudy brown with a one finger off white head. Aromas of caramel, plum jam, and raisins - quite mouth watering. Flavor is similar, but with a more pronounced vanilla/bourbon character. The finish is a bit sour and not particularly refreshing or lasting. It also feels light on the palate, especially for the style. I was expecting much more from this since I had already sampled the brandy barrel version and loved it - I may re-rate when I acquire a 2008 bottle.

750 mL bottle of the 2007. Great vanilla infused toffee aroma. Moderately sour flavor. Hazelnuts and a astringent, tart finish.

375 ml bottle from brewery. rating number 700. Pours a nearly opaque black color with no head and no lacing. The aroma was rich and complex with dark fruits--raisins, dates, prunes and plums. Also on the nose there is a bit wood and some brandy. The flavor is similarly ripe with those same dark fruits as in the aroma, plus brandy(almost a Remy-Martin Cognac type of presence), oak, vanilla and some molasses. The mouthfeel is silky smooth with very soft carbonation. The finish was long and dry with lingering molasses and brandy. Overall: A superb BA Barley-wine, but it really could have used a bit more time to develop a better carbonation profile.

Had a couple of samples at the Extreme Beer Fest. Poured from a pitcher with little apparent head. Appearance is a dark, dark brown, almost black, not quite. Aroma was oak ,vanilla, some caramel notes also. Taste was very complex. The oak was not as prominent as in the smell. It blended well with the malt and hop flavors to bring out a wonderful array of tastes. Raisin, carmel, vanilla, woody oak fantastic. The alcohol was well hidden and not noticeable at all until it warmed the gullet. Mouthfeel was silky smooth. A little more carbonation would’ve made it a 5. Drinkability - excellent. I hit the booth a couple times for this. Definitely one of my favorites. This makes me weak in the knees every time I taste this. Serving type: on-tap

Rather boozy, I had really high expectations for this one and while it was pretty tasty, I was a little bit let down.