Red Poppy Ale
The Lost Abbey

3.85/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by snaotheus from Washington

2022-05-08
Skinny can served in a little glass.

Pours dark purple-red. Small head, lots of carbonation. Smell is moderate wood, a little cherry skin.

Taste is tart, cherry, tannic. Some fruit skin bitterness.

Mouthfeel is light. Overall, pretty good.

May 08, 2022

4.43/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
by elNopalero from California

Pours a ruddy amber auburn. Light aroma, with a faint cherry tinge. Lightly tart, sharply effervescent, completely delicious.
Tried this with at least a year and change on it, possibly a lot longer. Held up well.

Dec 15, 2021

4.6/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
by Whyteboar from Michigan

Not able to try Lost Abbey often, but this was gifted me in a recent Can-Cans BIF so I got to try it.
Mixed reaction, glad to be drinking it, bummed I can't go to the store and buy any around here.
But that's not a review-
Poured from 12 oz "stovepipe" can into a stemless teku glass. Color brown, like a strongly brewed iced tea, but the tan head that quickly builds and faded to mere lacing assures me this isn't tea.
The aroma is definitely cherry forward, but backed by malts of unknown origin. Unexpected but very pleasant.
Taste leaves everything I experienced with this beer in the rear view. Tart cherries strongly edge a malty base and combine in a way I've never experienced in a sour before. Really something. And really good!
Feel is tingly, but not from carbonation. crisp and smooth, how that's simultaneously done I may never know.
Good beer. Bummed its only 12 oz now.

Sep 12, 2021

4.19/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by MikeWard from Pennsylvania

375ml bottle into a tulip. No freshness dating could be found.

Looks very good in the glass. Dull mauve body with a generous pink tinged head. This shrinks to a collar and covering leaving scattered lacing.

Aroma of sour cherries.

This first mouthful is a bit vinegary. Then the palate adjusts and the beer has a delightful sour, tart, cherry flavor with some sweetness pushing through, and even a little vanilla. Even the vinegar blends well. Very smooth as well.

Mouth medium, finish sour tart cherry.

Overall, really enjoyed this one. A lot going on, and very well balanced.

Jun 25, 2021

4.75/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
by dsa7783 from New Jersey

12.7 fluid ounce bottle copped from Bottle King in Livingston. Tremendous pour commanding respect with a full five-finger head. Intense aroma laden with strong nuances of brettanomyces and yeast. Assertive flavor present with powerful notes of sour apple and cider. Excellent rendition of a very pleasing style.

May 30, 2021

4.59/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
by HappyGuy12345 from New Jersey

Poured into an arome glass from bottle.
Look: Dark reddish/brown with evidence of a highly carbonated beverage from the second it was poured out of the bottle. Scant tan head.
Smell: This is a great smelling beer with tons of cherry aroma with a hint of oak.
Taste: Almost tastes like a cherry soda. This beer is reminiscent of several lambic beers that I have sampled in the past. Mild aftertaste not uncommon in barrel-aged beers that takes some getting used to.
Mouthfeel: Tons of carbonation. As effervescent as a glass of champagne.
Overall: Lost Abbey rarely disappoints, and this is yet another very interesting and impressive beer from them.

Feb 08, 2021

4.12/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by beerthulhu from New Jersey

-Barrel aged with cherries and poppy seeds.

A: A cola colored pour has equal amounts of soda carbonation presence that is audible and active on the surface with a feverish disturbance. A walnut toned head is cushy and proud standing at two plus fingers before succumbing to a relatively quick collapse. Tons of sticky carbonation bubbles adhered to the bottom of the chalice.

S: Smooth musky cherries dominate the aroma with hints of rose petals, damp orange floral, and red apple peel influence. The strength is moderate, even toned and smooth. The cola stands out the most here.

T: Sticky syrupy cherries are musky on the opening flavor along with some barn like flair and hay. Sour caramel, whiskey oak wood, old apples and a faint bitter, vanilla bean touch. Bagel like malting, doughy, softy, that is spiced with poppy seeds is right at home in the pairing. A slight vinegar like presence. Rose water and acetic finish.

M: Lots of active carbonation on the tongue, very sticky feel, syrupy, with a medium weight.

O: While the barrel aging attributes I found to be a bit under nourished, the sour cherries and poppy seed spicing were bright, A very sticky base feel on the mouthful with a very good level of souring comes highly recommended.

Sep 12, 2020

4.67/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
by StoutElk_92 from Massachusetts

12.7oz bottle

Pours ruby red with a dense creamy khaki colored foam head. Smells like fresh dark cherries, dusty leathery barnyard funk, horse blanket, poppy seeds, hay, sweet spice, toasty bready caramel malts, toffee, molasses, hints of vanilla, chocolate, oak barrel, slight acetic vinegary red wine, tart red fruit, berry, with floral earthy grassy hops. Tastes like fresh sour dark cherries, dark fruit, dusty leathery barnyard funk, horse blanket, sweet spice, hay, poppy seeds, toasty bready caramel malts, some toffee, molasses, hint of vanilla, mild chocolate, oak barrel, slightly acetic red wine, tart red fruits, berry, cranberry skin, with floral earthy grassy hops. Feels medium bodied, creamy with moderate smooth carbonation. Overall a really nice barrel-aged sour ale with cherries and poppy seeds.

May 25, 2020

4.35/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

In review is a 2015 vintage.

A - Vibrant, clear amber cherry red color with frothy and creamy pink/tan head and lacing. Carbonation is nice and steady.

S - Tart, funky, tangy cherry dominates the nose with delicate oak.

T - Cherries from start to finish - tart, funk, cherry tang, a slight hit of twangy acidity, borderline puckering, and finishes with a lingering puckering tart cherry.

M - Thick and bone dry on the back of the tongue while the rest of the mouth salivates profusely.

O - The style is hit or miss with me but this is impressive, especially being (5) years old. The bottle is only 325 mls and no way I could finish this on my own (which is why I'm splitting it with my wife). Make sure you have some Pepcid on hand. ;o)

Apr 22, 2020

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by BEERMILER12 from Maine

On tap at the Archives

Feb 19, 2020

2.99/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
by jrc1093 from Connecticut

No bottling date visible

Pours a yeast-clouded rusty mahogany brown with a vague amber tint and is topped with an almost creamy 2.5 fingers of fluffy, lightly tan foam; solid retention leaves a paper-thin cap, frothy collar, and dense rings of temporary lacing wall the glass.

Aromas open with soft raspberry and light oaky funk until ripe cherry skins peak in the middle; clean lactic acidity on the back end; oak and softer notes vanillin and a dusting of cinnamon develop as the beer warms.

Taste shows a heavily muddled raspberry and cherry tones upfront accompanied by a weak spritzy oak funk; a lactic touch lasts into a watery finish with only hints of earthy spice lingering through the swallow; mild poppy seed exhale.

Mouthfeel brings a moderate-light body with a filling, airy carbonation; evens a little flatly along the mid-palate to a dry acidity on the finish accompanied by a thin swallow.

Without an age statement, it's impossible to know the condition of this one, but regardless, what was presented in this bottle did not live up to this brew's lofty esteem; flavors were muddled, the mouthfeel was tentative, and an overall lack of steady character persisted. I'm not sure exactly what went wrong here, and would be willing to revisit it in the future (with a defined age statement), but this beer just presents as a shell of what it could have been.

Dec 10, 2019

4.46/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
by cbutova from Massachusetts

A- 375ml cork pops off with a bang and the bottle pours a deep amber to brown brew into a snifter with a very foamy tan cap. The cap dies quickly and lacing is rare.

S- Massive sour cherry and Flanders flora funkiness with that mix of lactic and acetic with dark vinous fruits that Flanders are known for. Strong vinous dark sour grapes as it warms as well as notes of black cherry, currants and plums. Fruity sour interplay drives the aroma. Hints of toasted grains and malts in the backdrop rounding it out.

T- The cherries pith, tartness and flesh lead things off and it quickly transitions into the strong Flanders sour bug base. Vinous wet, aged oak and dark grapes, big blackberry, plums, bittersweet orange, red currants and dry, spicy seed hints. Again mostly lactic sours but still a bit of vinegar that gives it the Flanders vinaigrette feel when combined with the big fruity flavors. Slight phenolics and dry spicy bitterness. Touch of oaky vanilla.

MF- Slick medium bodied sour with a moderately low level of carbonation. The texture is a bit oily and frothy. Ends with a medium-high acetic and lactic sourness.

Have had this a few times over the last decade and it never disappointing. Bold sourness but plenty of big flavors between the barrel, fruits, seeds and malts all balancing into a unique, consistent brew.

Oct 08, 2019

4.22/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
by Rug from Massachusetts

No bottled date, quite strange for a bottle that cost $15

Pours a wonderful deep brown with a finger and a half of white/tan head into a snifter. The cork/cage bottle also looks fantastic

Up front, this smells more malty than sour, with brown malts and woodiness leading with notes of spices to follow. There's almost a medicinal cherry aroma which is rather off putting

The taste here is not what the aroma suggests, rather it is wonderfully sweet and tart cherry with a strong malt backbone that keeps everything in check. I can also pick up on other fruity flavors, such as blackberry and maybe even white grape. I feel like I am picking up the slightly spicy poppy seed flavor, but that might just be power of suggestion. Nevertheless, it tastes incredible, a very balanced sour

The darker malts here make the mouthfeel a bit heavier than I expected, but it still goes down fairly easily, leaving a slick feeling on the tongue

This is my first Flanders Red, and after this brew I want to explore the style even more! It all comes down to balance on this beer, and each sip leads me craving more. Well done Lost Abbey, and a huge shoutout to Craft Beer Kings for this bottle. I made sure to save this for last of the 5 beers I recently ordered, I just wished I had saved it for a special occasion, but I guess Mondays can be special lol

Sep 24, 2019

4/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by GuyFawkes from Illinois

Unknown vintage; drank 7/31/14 @ Yuss Haus.

Murky orange/red rust color.

Cream head; thick lace.

Raspberry tartness in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Funk & raspberry tartness in the flavor; good but a few sips is enough for me!

Aug 19, 2019

4.1/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
by drtth from Pennsylvania

The clear dark reddish brown or mahogany colored beer pours out into a Duvel glass with a 2 inch medium sized light tan head with lots of medium sized bubbles that gradually recedes to a cap and then to a ring and a thin irregular island of foam while leaving a web and swath of foam on the sides of the glass that eventually becomes scattered patches of foam. Sipping creates scattered patches of lacing.

The aromas are mostly about the tart cherries and some oak but in the background there’s a bit of vanilla and what seems like a bit of cinnamon.

Much as expected from the nose, the flavors are filled with tart cherries but there’s an astringent character to the tartness. There’s also a bit of oak and vanilla. In the background there’s a just a bit of sweetness that is almost concealed by the astringent tartness.

The mouthfeel is on the light side of medium bodied and astringent with the tartness, tannins and the very light but persistent carbonation. The finish begins as the cherry tartness and astringency begins to slowly fade. The long dry ending is tinged with with some astringency, some fruity tartness and a touch of oak.

On the whole a drinkable, enjoyable beer that is challenging with its complexity in the aroma and flavor profiles. Without being overly intense with the cherry tartness and tannic astringency they still rule the day but a bit of oak and vanilla are also showing. I’d definitely be interested in trying this again, if I have the chance, and would even like to sample the beer at multiple bottle ages. But it is also a once in a while beer worth giving a try if you enjoy the Flanders Red.

Jun 10, 2019