Lost Abbey The Angels Share

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

Serve in Snifter

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UPDATED: OCT 23, 2007 750ml bottle, Batch 1, sampled October 2007
The beer pours quite a bit darker than I was expecting. It is an opaque burnt amber color, that shows a brilliantly clear, light chocolate hue as I pour it. The head starts out a fat two-fingers in height and is frothy, rich amber tinged, dark tan color. Quite barrel influenced; some fruity, brandy-like notes are noticeable at first (including some slightly hot notes, that seem alcohol induced, but are really from the oak character). The nose soon picks up notes of oak-derived vanillin, touches of butterscotch and some spicy oak notes. The underlying beer is still noticeable though throughout all of this, though it does play a secondary, supporting role; aromatic notes of deeply caramelized malt sugars, some chalky cocoa notes, touches of toasty malt / dark bread, hints of dark grain notes (chocolate and something like Special B malt) and some fruit notes which meld with some probable brandy-induced aromas. The combination of the brandy & malt produce aromatic notes of raisins, a touch of cherry and some dried fig character. At times the aroma has me convinced that a mix of vanilla & hazel nut extracts has been added to the brew, or at least it seems that way. This is a very nice aroma, while it is certainly highly barrel influenced, it is not so much that it is detracting for me. I could wish that a bit more richness of the base beer came through though.

Soft, creamy, malt textures up front yield to a light spritz provided by the carbonation, but the beer really doesn’t lose that creamy texture. In fact the malts cling to the palate, even coating the mouth in their velvety touch even after the beer has left my mouth. As I was sort of expecting, the oak plays the secondary role in the flavor to the combination of beer & brandy flavors (opposite to the aromas balance). The malt & brandy contribute a nice level of fruit character here, including notes of concentrated raisins, figs, and a very slight cherry note. The fruit notes seem to be slightly roasted in character; the dark malts used here contribute a slightly chalky roast grain character, touches of chocolate & really something that seems like burnt raisins. The oak really provides an incredible balance & contrast to the flavors of this brew. As the beer warms, flavors of sweet nut extracts start to become quite prominent; touches of hazelnut, almond and something much like amaretto become quite pronounced and enjoyable.

The oak flavors are very well integrated here; soft notes of vanillin are noticeable at times, and towards the middle through to the end is noticeable a subtle butterscotch note. Spicy oak flavors are noticeable throughout, but especially show up in the finish; in combination with the hop bitterness, these notes provide a balance to the sweet malt & fruit notes. I get the feeling that this beer has a nice hop influence to it, but for some reason (other than the fair amount of bitterness) I can’t separate these contributions out from the rest of the competing flavors. As the beer warms up, the vanilla flavors really become much more prominent.

While I was expecting this to be at least good, I really am impressed how good this really is. This beer really works quite well with the brandy barrel. This is truly and enjoyable sipping brew, as the label states, 750ml is definitely a good size for slowly sipping & savoring amongst friends. I really like the flavors found in this brew as well as the silky textures of the body / mouthfeel; the two really compliment each other quite well. I can’t actually imagine the texture of this beer being any better for this particular set of flavors. I really think more brewers need to explore this particular barrel type, as I just transferred a bunch of a Belgian-style Quad from a Heaven Hill Brandy barrel (same type of barrel used here I believe), that is shaping up to be quite phenomenal as well. Speaking of which, the brandy character really seems to move this beer into the realm of a strong, dark, Belgian beer like a Quad; ultimately, I think this is why I like this beer so much, barrel & barley wine did not really excite me that much, but little did I realize that the combination would evoke the complexity & fruit character that I like so much in a really good Quad. Quite surprisingly (at least to this lover of funky beers), this is easily, objectively (removing the situational aspect) the best beer I have ever had from Tomme. I really wish I had at least a couple more bottles of this batch as I have a feeling it is going to age quite well. Without the barrel character (brandy & oak derived), this beer would merely be at most good and more like just decent; really it is the marriage of all of the components of this brew that make it so incredible.

Bottle to snifter (thanks Bob). Looks good; dark with thin lacing. Smells PUNGENT! Bourbon and vanilla. Tastes pretty good too; much like it smells. Mouthfeel is decent, but will likely improve with age (along with the taste). Solid, but I’d like to let it sit for a year or two and revisit it.

2011 bottle (neck says 2010 brandy) Pours brown with no head...bubbles around the edge of the glass. Aroma has candied fruits and red wine, fig...tart...boozy. flavor is very winey and tart atop oaky fig. Mouthfeel is medium and the finish is winey and dry...warming. woulc try again...not sure this held up well at all.

With tremendous thanks to Blankboy. Appearance: Red wine, teeny tiny small brown head. Aroma: Stewed fruits, plums, raisins, brandy, I can anticipate a sticky mouthfeel by the aroma, red wine, oak, a little nutty chocolate. Flavour: Tart!!! Brandy and oak, big red wine flavour, malty, sloes, peppery, a little nutty, very sour, just a whirlwind of flavours, crab apples and cranberry. Fantastic. Thanks Paul.

My 3000th rating. 375ml bottle from Crossroads Beer & Wine, Burlington, MA. Marked "Vintage 2011" on the neck, and stated ABV 12.5%.

A flat black pour, like a strong coffee, with no head and an oily texture; the aroma hits as soon as the cork is popped - rich fruit cake and vintage port wine; the taste is equally impressive - soused raisins, burnt toffee, oaky red wine, and sweet vanilla; the finish is dry and moreish and masks the alcohol very well. More a super-strong English Strong Ale than a Barley Wine in my opinion - but very nice indeed, regardless of the category.

2010 on bottle: Pours a dark cola brown with a thin tan head that diminishes quickly. Sweet aroma is brandy with hints of oak, vanilla, and fruity apple. Flavor is oaky with a mild brandy presence and vanilla in the finish. Has a creamy texture and well balanced hiding the alcohol very well. Easy drinking and delicious!

straight apple brandy aroma. Pours a very dark plum color with no head. Tons of apple flavor up front with some finishing malt. Also a sweetness of sorts and a little alcohol burn. But other than that no hint of the almost 12%

Bottle 375ml @ Patricks Pub og Restaurant, Kristiansand
Pours deep brown with a small off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, vanilla, coconut, bourbon, oak and caramel. Taste is medium to heavy sweet and light bitter. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is flat to soft.

Sampled at an esbls tasting. After much discussion it was determined that this was the version. Such an interesting beer. This combines a sour, woody effects, fruot, wine, vanilla, and big malts. Tasty and beyond.

Great barley wine from tap. Beautiful brown color with light brown around the edges. Aroma of brandy, raisins/plums, and malt. The taste had a pleasant sourness to complement to dark fruit sweetness and alcohol. Maybe just a slight burnt oak taste too. No carbonation to me, very crisp tasting.

Bottle. Prunes, plums, and wine in the nose. Dark, wine or thick cola color. Sourish, off-putting flavors. This is not in the proper condition. Thin body, right for an aged sour beer, but not a barley wine. Something is disappointingly off with this one.