Lost & Found
The Lost Abbey

 

 

 

 

 

Bottled 1/21 pours a clear deep mahogany color with short khaki head leaving a ring of bubbles and minimal scattered lacing. Nose is mild sweet malt with hints of stone fruit . Taste follows with a sweet dryish finish. Not much yeast influence for the style. A bargain for $9 at Grocery Outlet.

 

An old bottle around 10 years old. $19 wherever I bought it.
Great color. Clear. Crisp. Won’t get it again because of availability but it was nice to try their stuff. Remember when Angel’s Share was all the rave?

 

750ml bottle into a tulip. Bottled 3/26/18, so 3 months shy of 3 years old.

Looks decent. Reddish brown body. Small light tan head shrinks to a fat ring and sparse covering. Spidery lacing initially.

Malty dark fruit aroma.

On tasting, well, it follows the nose. A light bitterness pops up now and again.

Mouth between full and medium, finish sweet malt with the odd bitter hit.

Overall, so-so dubbel. Nothing jumps out. Could do without the faint bitter notes.

Garnet color with copper reflections, medium-fine-grained ivory foam, generous and with
good seal. Aromatic bouquet, molasses, raisins, fig, plum and cherry, hint of chocolate. On the palate it is sweet and reflects the olfactory notes with the addition of dates and dried nuts. The finish with very light hoppy tinges with herbs and suggestions of vanilla, woody and spicy notes. Sweet and abv aftertaste present in a balanced way with a pleasant and elegant trail of raisins underneath. Medium and soft body with high sparkle.

75 cl. bottle bought some years ago at the extinguish XXXII Great Power of Beer and Wine.erved at home in a trappist glass. Hazy dark brown colour with some red cues, medium head and retention, good lacing.
Aroma of raisins, muscatel, caramel, figs, chocolate.
Medium to full body, creamy texture, good carbonation. Sweet finish.
Taste of raisins, vanilla, figs, caramel, chocolate.
Great.

Looks a deep dark brown with a reddish hue. Super foamy and great head retention. It's like soap bubbles along the side of the glass.

Smell is pretty weak. Some caramel.. prune... Raisin... tobacco... Only hints

Taste is pretty complex. At first you get a dark richness like you are drinking a dark strong. Rich caramel and dark brown sugar... Some charred oak...tobacco....slight nuttiness... Loads of Belgian yeast and bread. Gets reAlly sweet with almost chocolate syrup and then starts to fade out and dry out. Super rich.

Feels a bit thin to me for a funnel but in the medium category still. Stays effervescent.

Overall this is an amazing beer. It's a funnel in steroids....as it reminds me more of a quadrupel/dark strong. Very rich and flavorful and packs a punch at 10+%. It doesn't smell or taste boozy...but you can feel it for sure. Great!!!!! Beer!!!!!!!

Pours a dark amber with a large quantity of fluffy head threatening the top of a teku. Plenty of fruity notes compared to many dubbels, thanks to the added raisins. More diacetyl than I would like on the nose, but it is joined by cherry and yeast rolls with some Belgian esters, and the diacetyl largely vanishes on the palate. A classic from my time living in southern California, I'm glad it's still available for me on occasion now.

From notes 11/18/12: Pours a murky dark amber/pale brown producing a single finger of dense, short-lived, beige head that settles to a filmy surface cap and collar leaving thin streaks of lace behind. Aroma is warm raisin bread, cola-like brown sugar/caramel, yeast and spice. Taste is similar but sweet with more intense maltiness adding dark fruits and slight banana with pepper spice and clove in the dry finish. The aftertaste is a thin malty but lingering version of the pepper spice and clove finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with soft medium plus carbonation, smooth but crisp and lively in the mouth. Drinks pretty easy for an 8% ABV.

 

 

Tasted in a snifter from draft at Consume on April 12, 2019. Look is dark garnet with a thick off-white head. Smell Smell and taste is malty with dark dried fruit notes. Feel is medium to full in body.

Interesting. Thoughtful. Complex.
Poured into an Unibroue tulip, my caged bottle was a year old.
Even with a gentle pour, I got a voluminous head that settled with a respectable thinness and left some lace. An OK garnet.
Smells are dark raisins and the yeast working the malts to make more dark fruit.
Tastes also unfold twice, creating a nice complexity and giving me more than one chance to guess what is going on. The skilled use of brewers sugar is evident. But, there is too much reliance on the raisins and not enough on the malt... per the Belgian masters that have been making dubbels for generations in little cloistered communities. Dubbels are a difficult ale for Americans to make without having the heritage. In future recipes, less raisins and more malt.
Modest bubbles is the right choice for this dubbel to show itself off. And it even finishes dry.

I had Lost & Found with a vegetable soup. An OK pairing; given that Lost Abbey focusses on their ales, but not on how well their ales go with food.

I've Had 11 from Lost Abbey, but never reviewed their website. Interestingly, Port Brewing split off the Belgian brewing. And that seems to make sense for staff and marketing in a more difficult tradition. Lost Abbey is among the more committed American crafters in interpreting the Belgian tradition. Only one of the ales did I rate below the average.

I intended to go to Lost Abbey's Confessional when I was last in San Diego (but I was there for Thanksgiving.) But I will make it confess. I promise. In the meantime, start a food menu. Do some suggested pairing. It's very Belgian.