Amazing Grace Ale - The Lost Abbey

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

bottle from MasterSki

Reddish brown with a collar of white head, no lace to speak of here. Smell is full of oak and vanilla, fruity, cherry and plum, red wine, acidic/tart scents come off as well, bready with slight alcohol. Taste is acidic and tart, mildly funky, oak, vanilla, fruity flavours, cherries and grape skins. Light-med carbonation, medium-full body, nice feel. Quite drinkable and very nice, sour and quite complex, really good stuff here.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 14:58:45 | More by peensteen

moonknight31

California

3.75/5  rDev -6.5%

05-16-2013 16:52:19 | More by moonknight31

Zbeetleman

California

4/5  rDev -0.2%

05-15-2013 02:41:56 | More by Zbeetleman

CheapBeerBuzz

California

4.25/5  rDev +6%

04-18-2013 20:56:13 | More by CheapBeerBuzz

GRG1313

California

4.25/5  rDev +6%

03-11-2013 16:28:40 | More by GRG1313

rhefter

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +6%

01-24-2013 23:15:43 | More by rhefter

muskiesman

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -6.5%

12-24-2012 02:33:41 | More by muskiesman

HaveUSeenMyCellar

California

4/5  rDev -0.2%

12-15-2012 20:07:11 | More by HaveUSeenMyCellar

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev -0.2%

12-11-2012 03:05:10 | More by t0rin0

Chris_Cali_2o9

4/5  rDev -0.2%

11-20-2012 05:33:02 | More by Chris_Cali_2o9

Gobzilla

California

4.45/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: poured a dark murky brown in color with pale brown highlights and almost no head which left virtually no lacing sticking to the glass.

S: lots of bretty funkiness upfront in the aroma with plenty of oakiness, vinous character, acidic citrus was definitely there with lots of mouth watering sour qualities.

T: the bretty barnyard funkiness was more potent on the palate alongside acidic citrus notes, lovely oaky wine barrel accents but with some vinous character which help give a good fruitness and a great sour punch.

M: the brew was medium in body with a low amount of carbonation which had a semi sweet, oaky, vinous, funky, snd sour finish that was slightly dry.

O: very delicious beer with good qualities all around. definitely glad to finally catch up to this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 22:57:56 | More by Gobzilla

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from batch 1 that I received from NFLMVP way back when. Thanks, Steve! This beer was released December 2007-ish, so that makes it shy of 5 years old. Labeled 8.0% ABV

The cork pops out energetically, and the beer is brilliantly clear, a nice deep ruby red with a dense, brown head comprised of tiny bubbles. Retention is excellent, and no real lacing is noticeable, but the carbonation is high.

The nose has a blend of Brett and red wine. The Brett character is very nice. Spicy (mild clove and pepper), earthy and a little leathery, it blends harmoniously with the barrel character (a little fruit, mildly vinous, some leather). I can't say I've had the base beer before, but I reckon that's where the slight raisin and candi sugar notes on the nose come from. No sourness, but plenty of Brett funk and even a little tartness. Adding the yeast, and allowing the beer to warm up brings out notes of berries and unsweetened cocoa. Pretty excellent IMO.

The palate opens dry, vinous and loaded with Brett character. In some ways, this is like a Bon Chien-lite - not as vinous, not as sour, but still pretty Brett-forward with the flavors of clove, earth and leather integrated very well with the barrel character. Fairly intense flavors of earth, leather and tannins meld with a moderate vinous character. I don't think I've had a Sangiovese before, but going by this beer, I'd say it's on the more delicate end of the spectrum, with reserved fruit and light spiciness. Again, no sourness, but a moderate Brett and barrel tartness are present. Fairly tannic but working with the earthy and leathery notes, this beer is rather intense in its Brett-forwardness. There's a certain sharpness to it as well, rather spicy (black cardamom? black cumin?) that lingers in the back. Light in body, medium-high carbonation, this beer finishes dry, tannic and lightly vinous. Pretty impressive IMO, the whole is definitely better than the sum of the parts here.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 02:22:55 | More by DefenCorps

hockeyfighter19

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +18.5%

07-06-2012 19:10:33 | More by hockeyfighter19

bsuedekum

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -6.5%

05-02-2012 03:47:24 | More by bsuedekum

theminutemen

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +6%

04-22-2012 02:50:29 | More by theminutemen

acurtis

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -6.5%

04-18-2012 23:27:45 | More by acurtis

bauermj

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +12.2%

04-11-2012 03:39:45 | More by bauermj

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours deep red with a thin white head and solid lacing.

Aroma contains a lot of vinous qualities. Tart grapes along with a heavy dose of oak and some vanilla.

Taste is similar. Lots of tart grape and sour berries. Rich and juicy vinous quality. A little bit of oak and vinegar emerge and a solid dose of vanilla in the finish.

Good prickly mouthfeel despite the just medium carbonation level.

Very solid beer. Reminds me some of Supplication and Rapture others aged in red wine barrels. The wine really comes through on this one and some notes from the barrel give it the perfect balance.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 20:36:24 | More by jmarsh123

emerge077

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks Ben for sharing this one, review from written notes.
Bottle stored in temperature-controlled, zero light conditions. Served in a goblet.

In the glass it appears a tawny, reddish brown copper color. Some spotty irregular lacing forms as it sits for a little while.

Aromas of dried cherry sweetness, woody oak, and balsamic traces. Acetic and vinous impression at first, red wine and leathery brett nuance. Ginger cookie spiciness, oak, acetic tartness, tannic and dry aftertaste. Creamy and smooth wine-like feel. Aged gracefully, thanks again Ben for the chance to try this!

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 02:24:09 | More by emerge077

THECPJ

Delaware

3.5/5  rDev -12.7%

02-22-2012 02:29:30 | More by THECPJ

billab914

Virginia

3.6/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 375l bottle into my lost Abbey stemware. It poured a deep brown color with a slight ruby tint to it in the light. It started with a thin white head barely covering the top of the beer, but faded quickly.

The aroma shows a lot of the wine barrel to it. I get some tart grapes with a little bit of a woody oak and vanilla flavor. A moderate sourness is there as well. Nice aroma to it.

The taste has a sharper, sour orange juice like flavor to it up front. More of the red wine character comes out in the finish with some tart, dry grape flavors.

The mouthfeel is on the heavier side with carbonation being low for the style. Overall it was a pretty good beer of the style, but not a great one. The sour orange juice flavors was a little strange and overpowering in it. I liked the wine characters that came out though and the sourness was pretty decent. Not a bad beer overall, but definitely not my favorite LA sour.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 02:33:49 | More by billab914

DovaliHops

California

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Beer Revolution for Lost Abbey night (what a great time!). Pours a cloudy/murky brown color with hints of red and purple. Very tiny head...mainly just bubbles. Scent is dark fruits, tart raspberries and cherries, oak, and vanilla. Definitely some red wine vinegar in the nose with just a tiny hint of booze. Taste is initially quite acidic and sour with berries and wild yeast flavors. Then, some molasses and hints of dark fruit pull through. Sour turns to sweet with vanilla and oak flavors. Finishes with a sticky, puckering vinegar flavor. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with pleasant carbonation for this style of beer. Drinkability is high. Overall, it's hard when I'm drinking this side by side with Cuvee de Tomme (on tap, so carbonated), but it holds up well. A very solid wild ale IMO.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2012 07:12:28 | More by DovaliHops

Diomede

California

4.5/5  rDev +12.2%

02-14-2012 22:18:44 | More by Diomede

DJButters

California

4/5  rDev -0.2%

02-12-2012 16:10:11 | More by DJButters

nataku00

California

3.98/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap poured into a tulip glass. Beer poured an opaque brown color, slightly cloudy, with a thin to little head. A few bubbles clinging lightly to the edge of the glass but little to no carbonation, with no lacing.

Nose is dried figs, dark caramel, red wine vinegar, and some light barrel notes, vanilla, oak, and earthy.

There is some mild sourness, red wine vinegar and some sour berry notes, with a bit of sweetness, dark caramel and molasses. A bit of barrel comes through in the end, oak and vanilla with some lingering lightly sour vinegar flavors.

Medium body with some mild carbonation, lightly registering on the tongue. A bit of alcohol warmth after drinking half the glass, while the beer seems to get a bit sweeter as my palate gets used to it. An interesting beer.

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2012 06:24:24 | More by nataku00