Devotion Ale - The Lost Abbey

maximum12

Minnesota

1.93/5  rDev -50.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Thanks to a generous BA for throwing this into a fine summertime trade. Wrestled open on an evening to watch my Twins & laugh at A.J. in ChiTown.

Pours cloudy orange & holy crap. There's more sediment in this bottle than I've ever seen in a beer, almost a solid inch of crud littering the bottom. Geez. Smells good, like those orange candies covered in fake sugar with some tropical fruit underneath it. Promisingly sweet.

On the other hand, Devotion tastes not so good. As it warms it goes from ungh to miserable. A bizarre mix of lighter fluid, mold, bad yeast, & stink bomb. Bad enough that I don't want to take another taste to identify anything further that it tastes like.

Wow. Never had a Lost Abbey that was less than good...until now. This is terrible. Looking at the other reviews I might have gotten a bad bottle. I hope so. Down the drain it goes.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2009 02:12:13 | More by maximum12

Blakaeris

Iowa

2.42/5  rDev -37.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Pours cloudy, dark yellow. Head is thick and frothy with thick sheets of lacing.

Aroma is candy sweet, and lemony. Generous yeasty spices.

Taste is initially sugary sweetness, then becomes dominated by a bitter orange peel flavor. Very lemony. Finish holds powdery yeasty funk that lingers on the tongue.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied.

Flavor is dominated by the odd orange peel and lemon bitterness. Yeasty funk really doesn't help. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2009 01:22:41 | More by Blakaeris

Arbitrator

California

2.55/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Chilled bottle into glass.

A: Pours a cloudy gold color, with absolutely no head, carbonation, or lacing. Another victim of Lost Abbey's quality control issues.

S: A little bit of citrus hops, some candy sugar, and Belgian candy yeast producing sugary and fruity (apricot, peach) notes.

T: Some spice and candy in the initial taste, producing a sweet and biting backbone. Segues into an orange and grapefruit blend with some slight peach sweetness. The finish is mostly Belgian sugar and spice (cloves?) again. with a slight hint of grassiness.

M: Light to medium bodied, with ZERO carbonation.

D: Clearly this is a crap bottle, another in a series of bad ones from Lost Abbey. Fuck 'em. I have no desire to support their ongoing Fuck the Customer experiments. I will not buy LA beers again, especially at these elevated prices and downgraded quality standards. This is just appalling.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2009 05:52:49 | More by Arbitrator

Da1nonlyBD

Pennsylvania

2.68/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Golden with some slight orange hues. Similar to a Duval

S: Very very faint. I really didnt get much from this at all.

T: Same as the smell. I did not get much out of this one.

M: Great mouthfeel as it felt like a true Belgium pale ale.

D: I would consider that to be average.

Maybe something was wrong with mine, as I had to use a corkscrew to remove the cork, and it looks like there were pieces of cork glued to the inside rim of the bottle. I did let mine warm up, but nothing really came through on this beer. I really love Lost Abbey, but I wont be getting this one again.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 15:11:12 | More by Da1nonlyBD

sweemzander

Illinois

2.8/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

750mL corked bottle poured into a tulip glass. No bottled date.

(A)- Pours a hazy golden yellow color that produced a huge 2+finger fluffy white head with fantastic retention. It is sticking to the glass in webs as it dissipated.

(S)- Slight dry paleness with a sweet lemon, honey, and biscuity wheat characteristics. Bits of clay & yeast behind some minimal pine coming through on the finish.

(T)- Really dry and bitter pine that overpowers some (from what I can tell) biscuits and banana with a twist of clove; but it is hard to tell. Definitely more like an IPA than a pale ale. The more I drink it it becomes infinitely grassy with a mineral aftertaste.

(M)- Great carbonation level. Mouthfeel-wise is not very good. The more I had the more bitter it got, became grassy, and that upsetting minerality that gave it a weird metallic taste on the tongue. All of that only became more apparent the more I had of it.

(D)- This beer had alot of promise. It is still decent, but really offputting due to the metallic minerality and grassy nuance that really conflicts and overpowers what would make this an otherwise great beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2009 15:40:35 | More by sweemzander

TheCrowsNest

California

2.83/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

poured from a bottle into a wine glass. i had to use a corkscrew to remove the cork and there was no pleasant "pop" when it came out. i thought this may have been bad, but carbonation was present.

A - hazy yellowish/hay with a thin head that faded into nothing but a white film on top.

S - not a whole lot there but the fruity belgian scent was there, slightly.

T - same as the smell, just not a lot going on. some fruitiness was present upfront but there was very little complexity. i was hoping for more out of this one.

M - standard for a belgian.

D - i could knock a bottle of this back only because it doesn't taste like anything.

this was my first Lost Abbey brew that I've poured from a bottle and to be honest, I was a little disappointed in this one. I'm sure these guys make something good, I just haven't found it yet.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 22:56:38 | More by TheCrowsNest

beerandcycling88

Washington

2.98/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap at brouwers.

A pours a clear orange topped with a large foamy head.

S lots of tart apple with some light herbal notes.

T a very strong bitter hop note with a bit of earth and some apple like fruit.

M light and well carbonated.

Overall not bad, just not spectacular.

Serving type: on-tap

02-10-2012 20:12:05 | More by beerandcycling88

TexIndy

Texas

3/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 750ml corked and caged bottle that Roberts shipped me (no dating info) into a snifter. The back label had the usual Lost Abbey story. It was a hazy golden yellow color with a touch of carbonation. It had a small fizzy white head that quickly evaporated into a thin collar.

The aroma was peppery and hoppy. Reminded me a of dry saison. The taste was somewhat disappointing. It was very dry, which I'm not a fan of, and more bitter and peppery than I expected. Had me wanting a drink of water to cleanse the palate after each drink - never a good sign. I've had other BPA's and this one just didn't seem to match those so maybe mine got affected during the shipping.

Overall, it was a decent beer but too dry and peppery to really enjoy. For me, it's one and done. Can't recommend.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2008 01:30:59 | More by TexIndy

mactrail

California

3.05/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Simple beer flavors that take an unpleasant dark turn along the way. No hint of malty sweetness, and it has a nose like concrete dust. Definitely on the sour side. Dull amber in the tulip with fairly flat mouthfeel. I wouldn't say it has any Belgian flavors.

Trying hard to find some pleasure in this. Seems like yet another peculiar but slightly unpleasant experiment from Lost Abbey, but maybe risk-taking is the point.

Update: tasted 01/02/2011 also on tap. Has a Saison character but deteriorated into a bitter swamp. Harsh and unforgiving. Thin body and sharper as you taste. I was too generous the first rating.

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2011 05:33:04 | More by mactrail

grannaniwa

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

“dry-hopped Belgian-inspired blonde ale”

Golden color. Big head falls in jagged peaks and valleys. Not
a lot of aroma, mostly hops. Flavor is dominated by bitter hops, but not overpowering. Not so much hops that it feels syrupy. A little sweetness to go along with it. Maybe something in the terroritory of Sam Adams Latitude IPA, but less balanced. Don’t really taste the medium-high alcohol content.

Overall: B. Fine, but would not seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 02:42:14 | More by grannaniwa

rpstevens

New Hampshire

3.18/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to brdc for including this as an extra in a very smooth trade.

The beer pours a hazy straw color with a three finger foam head. The foam is white and frothy.

The smell is slight lemon and biscuity malt, some floral aromas.

The taste is light and crisp, but not very flavorful. The lemon and wheat are present, but both very mild. There is a slight sweetness to the beer as well. The finish has a strange metallic taste that I can't put my finger on, but is not very pleasant.

The mouthfeel is dominated by the metallic/acidic finish and aftertaste of the beer. It is light and crisp, good body and style for the summer time, but the taste is lacking.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2009 00:13:59 | More by rpstevens

happilysurly

Minnesota

3.18/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Blonde, amber with a one finger head. Poured from a 25 oz bottle into two glasses. The yeast starts a flowin about 2/3 through and unless you wanna drink all the yeasties, you lose about a fifth of the bottle. I chose to drink the plethora of yeasty particulates, but it definitely loses some points for appearance.

S: A little bland, really. Smells pretty malty and a little sweet.

T: Again, sweet and maly, but not overpoweringly sweet, very subtle. Earthy and herbal. Only a slight bitterness at the end, but the finish lasts for awhile. It doesn't abandon the taste buds at the end.

M: The lack of assertiveness and bitterness balanced by the earthy tones makes the lingering taste pleasant. It hangs around for awhile.

D: It gets more drinkable as you drink more of it. This beer is really starting to grow on me. On the other hand, I don't think I'd take it over any of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2010 23:25:20 | More by happilysurly

russwbeck

Virginia

3.18/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

A: Golden yellow pour with a big white head. Lots of bubbles raising from the bottom of the glass. The head is quite thick and stays around for a good long while.

S: Wheat, candied sugar, hoppy, but definitely with a malt backbone. Perhaps a hint of booziness shines through.

T: The taste seems a bit off on this one. The start is nice, crisp fresh sweetness from the Belgian yeasts, etc. but the malts are really overpowering on the back end, and not in a pleasant way. The breadiness and dryness was not what I was expecting, nor wanted this to turn out to be.

MF: Light, nicely carbonated (Look at that, a carbonated LA beer!) Very dry backend.

O: Just not a pleasing beer at all. The taste is all over the place.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 19:25:23 | More by russwbeck

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.2/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice looking beer that poured golden with a huge fluffy white head that stuck around. Some clumpy lacing. The smell was less impressive- somewhat light. There was a light graininess with a touch of floral hops and the barest whiff of banana and orange. The beer is surprisingly tasteless. Somewhat similar to the smell, with floral hops and light graininess up front, followed by some light fruit. The flavors are a little brighter than the smell but lack an edge. Curiously bland. Mouthfeel is a little better, and the beer is smooth and relatively light bodied. It lacks a creaminess that would have been a nice touch. I'm not all that impressed with this beer, but I've liked the other Lost Abbey beers I've had.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2007 22:07:44 | More by Georgiabeer

DogFood11

California

3.23/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

750ml brown bottle. Poured into a stumpy tulip it forms a silky white head. Body is that of a macro lager in that it is pale yellow and full of carbonation. Head fades to some string lace edges.

My first impression was that this has some distinct lager characteristics. Large grainy presence in the nose. The spices are what keeps this from being pedestrian. Thankfully they are strong and the hops are a solid drying power. Creamy up front but sharp and spiced dry to finish. There is some earthiness to it as well. I cant pull any fruits or directed sweetness.

Notes: A beer on its own island. This doesn't reflect the norm of belgian pale and it teeters on becoming lagerish in smell and taste. Spices pull it together. Just ok for me.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2007 04:14:50 | More by DogFood11

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.23/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a crystal clear dark golden color with a thinnish bone white head that slowly subsides, but leaves a little stickage on the glass. Smells of sweet pomme fruits and caramel mostly. Spicy almost peppery aroma provides a nice balance to the sweetness of the malts. The flavor is sweet and malty with a little spicy but not much in the way of pepper that was hinted in the aroma. Very dry finish makes this one seem thin. Medium to thin body with a light level of carbonation and a sweet grainy mouthfeel. Decent Belgian Pale, easy to drink but maybe a little boring.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 23:39:46 | More by johnnnniee

vrazionale

Vermont

3.25/5  rDev -16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

25.4 fl. oz. bottle at refrigerator temperature poured into a snifter.

A - Pours a very hazy golden orange body with a modest head and average retention.

S - An interesting interplay between green hop pungency, sweet, juicy stone fruit, and a floral honey. As pleasant as these are in concert, I also pick up on a slight phenolic profile that doesn't mesh well with the other aromas. The phenols become more powerful as it warms, causing me to lower my score a notch.

T - Lots of juicy fruit and a sweet, candied malt flavor could work well together, but the band-aid phenols really steal the show here.

M - Carbonation is fine, but I get a bit of post-swallowing tongue-coating slickness that is not pleasant.

D - The first sip of this brew, and I was excited. I picked up on peach and hop flavors, and it seem well-balanced. Then, it saw oxygen and warmer temperature, and (in my opinion) the flaws came to the fore. I wanted to like this beer because I like what Lost Abbey does, but this didn't do it for me. It feels a little rough around the edges.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2009 02:06:45 | More by vrazionale

womencantsail

California

3.25/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On-tap at Port/Lost Abbey

A: The pour is a slightly hazy pale golden color with a fluffy white head and some spotty lacing.

S: The nose is very heavy on the clove and coriander with some spicy hops. There is a bit of breadiness to it as well.

T: The spices completely dominate the flavor. There's a very earthy flavor to the beer as well. These two factors really overwhelm everything else, unfortunately.

M: The body is medium with a crisp, dry carbonation and feeling on the tongue.

D: This beer just seemed too heavily spiced for its own good. The base of the beer is overshadowed by these flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2010 05:36:03 | More by womencantsail

bs870621345

New Jersey

3.28/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a beautiful honey color with a huge white head. Nice small bubbles leave a beautiful lacing down the glass.

Smells of apples, caramel, pears, and other fruits. Not bad, but nothing special.

Taste is very light. Follows smell but not all that great.

Nicely carbonated beer. Nice gentle pour leaves a huge amount of carbonation with plenty of bubble floating up to the top.

Not overly inviting to drink because of the taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2010 02:35:52 | More by bs870621345

WeisGuy

New York

3.3/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to Swillinbrew for this bottle via Secret Santa BIF '07

a - pours a hazy deep golden color with lots of sediment, big white head with great lacing and retention

s - quite spicy and malty with a good deal of citrus, lots of lemon and orange, not much by way of alcohol, some graininess, definitely the high point of this beer

t - lemon and malty graininess dominate the taste, not a whole lot else, slight citrus lingering on the finish, actually pretty disappointing in its lack of depth and intensity

m - lots of carbonation, very active in the mouth, light-bodied

d - fairly drinkable, but does not keep my interest very long

The aroma was definitely the best part of this beer for me, and the appearance was pretty good as well. The taste was disappointing in that I have high expectation for Lost Abbey. I'll give this a pass and opt for the Red Barn instead.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2008 03:35:47 | More by WeisGuy

SirSketch

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Very pale yellow with a very slight haze. Pours a thin head, and dissipates quickly.

Aroma combines farm bread dough, light grains, honey, and faint dried cherries. Hops give minimal aroma, but piney. Very delicate, all around.

Initial sweetness turns almost sour. Spice and pepper characteristics are obvious, but do not 'mesh' well with the rest of the flavors. Light honey taste is similar to mead. A little bland at times. Not a bad beer, just not what I expected (and there lies the problem, as I shouldn't have expectations for a beer I haven't tried).

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2009 23:16:34 | More by SirSketch

jtierney89

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy orange hue with fluffy bright white head that recedes rather quickly. Honey suckle and apple on the nose along with sweet belgian candy. Floral hop presence rests beneath it all. Slick body and exceptionally smooth. Low carbonation. Tart apple and citric hop finish with a very bready malt body. Lingering subtle sweetness on the lips of honey. A complex yet subtle beer with pretty well blended flavors. Body holds up nicely through the entire sip. Pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 05:22:44 | More by jtierney89

Murrhey

Montana

3.33/5  rDev -14%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured on-tap at The Lost Abbey in San Marcos, Calif. Reviewed from notes.

A- Half a finger white head. Little retention. Pale gold color.

S- Wheat, citrusy hops. Tasty and sweet smelling.

T- Sweet and some hoppy bitterness. Grapefruit, a bit sour but not too much.

M- Smooth and nice carbonation.

O- Middling beer, but drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

11-16-2012 04:21:22 | More by Murrhey

younger35

Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Picked up this bottle on Lost Abbey night at Dobby's after sampling this with Tomme Arthur and about 15 other people. I had the other things that made it to Chicago so this was the only bottle I grabbed. Drank from a wide mouthed wine glass while watching Florida kick the shit out of Florida State.

Appearance- Light yellowish straw with super brilliant clarity and loads of Champaign like carbonation. Fairly nice one finger head forms leaving a thin lily pad like cap and a thick collar. Plenty of random fluffy lacing is strewn throughout the wine glass.
Smell- Light yeast character from the start with a minute amount of banana esters. Fairly hoppy, especially for a Belgium style, with some grassy notes and a touch of citrus. A bit of doughy, sweet malt becomes a bit more apparent as the beer warms.
Taste- Fairly bitter at the start with a light hop kick that is primarily calmly citric. Some pear and maybe even green apple and peach add that bitter kick. The yeast plays its part as well among those hops adding a bit of banana and musty dirtiness. Once the bitterness subsides a bit there is a slightly sweet component to this brew, although it is super dry. Slightly doughy with a raw grainy side and a bit more of that yeast in the finish.
Mouthfeel- Really light with not a lot (if any) body. The carbonation is prickly and intense with a super dry finish.
Drinkability- Maybe it was the cheese and drinking it with Mr. Arthur but I enjoyed this beer much more the first time I tried it. Now that's not saying I didn't enjoy it, I just didn't remember it being as bitter as it was (fairly bitter for the style). The yeast aspect is terrific and I love the dryness of this beer. Definitely a solid all-around beer though.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2008 22:19:48 | More by younger35

Popkas

Colorado

3.38/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours light golden color with a minimal off white head. Little retention, but a bit of residual lacing.

S: Strong spicy, clove smell. Malty and maybe some citrus?

T: Fruity, malty and yeasty/spicy. Not altogehter there.

M: Fairly light body with carbonation that fills the mouth.

D: Fairly drinkable, though not a favorite

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2010 04:00:42 | More by Popkas