Lost Abbey Veritas 001

Formerly brewed at Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
San Marcos, California USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Date: 02/09/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Extreme Beer

opaque dark burgendy, huge creamy beige head, lots of lace, huge tart cherry aroma with a woody cherry pit character, lots of tart cherry flavor, lots of wood character, touch of vanilla hiding in the background,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4
-------- /> I would like to rerate this beer.

UPDATED: MAR 6, 2007 EBF draught on 2/9/07
Near-opaque, strawerry-auburn colored beer with caramel highlights. Old-ivory colored head is large and resilient, producing moderate lacing.
Some dull barrel tannins (nuttiness) mix with a dry, somewhat tart, cherry skin note to set the fruity tone for the aroma. But it’s hardly awash in cherry aromatics, being much more reserved and lean than it is juicy and boisterous. Definite bacterial influences give a tart lime and grapefruit rind kick that really opens up the sinuses. Light vanilla and highly attenuated pale malts allow only the barest hint of chocolate malt which deepens the aroma and adds more dryness. Definite lacto yogurt-like notes and maybe some other oily bacterias. Very complex and difficult to nail-down aroma. Being that there are 3 different Belgian-style beers in here, it’s bound to have a lot going on. I like the dryness and tartness, but it might take it a little bit too far. The lactobacillus, as much as I love that yeast, seems a little overexposed and highly acidic. High strength of aroma, no alcohol noted. Cherryskin adds to the overall dryness.
Low carbonation immediately allows the liquid to well over the palate, with oily aceto/pedio or something like that providing strong barnyard/horseblanket dryness and funkiness. Musty and very tart, as if biting in to a raw cranberry. The cherries come through in the middle, but there is a definite flabbiness to the malt at points, and a wateriness, akin to watered-down cherry lemonade, is notable, though high amounts of brett and lacto quickly assert themselves on the finish, being quite sour/acidic. Dull tannins and/or yeast give some chewiness, but also quite a bit of blandness. Absolutely crazy stuff, a lot going on for sure, but it seems like there are some definite problems with the maltiness of some of the base beers. Some phenolic leather/plastic-like notes are rather unenjoyable as well, though they only come out with warming.

EBF 2007. One of my favorites at the fest. Pours a deep hazy amber/ with woody brown highlights and a sticky lasting head. Aroma is sour cherry, brett, funk, a wierd sugary sweetness, some lacto sourness and barnyard funky- slightly cheesy. Nice tart flavor, wine-like, grapeskin, tannic, sharp sourness with more cherry pit, and almond astringency especially at the end. Good body with a nice sour tart finish and some woody notes. Great blend.

EBF 2007: Hazy mahogany colored pour with a big fluffy tan head. Aroma, some fruity notes, caramel, a funky tartness to it, and a yeasty character. Flavor, sour to start, some dry grapes, light fruits, yeast, some alcohol is preasent, and a bit of oak. Really good brew, one of my favorites at the fest.

Draft. Sampled at Monk’s Cafe Lost Abbey Dinner 2/6/07. I read about this beer in Tomme’s blog last month, and I couldn’t wait to sample it. This is a mix of three beers, including Cuvee de Tomme brewed in 2003. The beer poured cloudy dark brown with a moderate sized off-white head. The aroma was beautiful - red wine tannins, as well as the tart qualities of a flemish sour. Tartness comes through on the initial sip. Very vinous. Fruit (cherries) and wood on the following sips. A bit of citrus character hidden in the background. Seemed like a flemish sour mixed with red wine. Fantastic!