10 Commandments - The Lost Abbey

basica

Singapore

4.75/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours an intense dark opaque brown to black color into my Rochefort chalice with a two-finger thick even, and deliciously milky looking tan head; very nice and appetizing looking (5)

S - Sweet caramelized malts, yeast and dark fruits on the nose with suggestions of cherries, raisins and dates; pleasant rummy, boozy notes blend in pleasantly to round up the aromas (4.5)

T - Caramel and brown sugar sweetness take a quick headstart to be decked by pleasant oaky, woody flavors which lifts to reveal a roasted malt background and dark fruits on the surface with suggestions of raisins, dates, plums and berries nicely blended with rummy, boozy flavors; dark fruits (mainly raisins), roasted malts, a good amount of honey and a very light bitterness show up in the finish; slightly complex and extremely delectable flavors (5)

M - Between medium and full-bodied mouthfeel with above average carbonation and a foamy, milky smooth texture as it goes down revealing a light and pleasant alcohol warming (4.5)

D - Lovely nose, delectable flavours and feel, fairly complex and improves significantly with warming; as with any good BSDAs, alcohol shows through just minimally. The woodiness, honey and roasted malts are some of the more interesting and noteworthy differences in the 10 commandments. A very well done Belgian Strong Dark Ale style brew that's on par or well better than top brews of a similar style from Belgium. (4.5)

This is the last of 3 American BSDA style brew evaluation and the 10 commandments has been a beer that I have long wanted to get my hands on. This 2008 vintage 10 Commandments has been solicited over eBay and this has definitely impressed me. Amongst the noteworthy differences, the roasted malts seems to give it a slight stout feel but this one's definitely a BSDA and a great one.

The Lost Abbey 10 commandments has indisputably the best nose of the 3 BSDAs; it probably spots the best appearance as well. Pelican's Grand Cru would however hold claim to the best mouthfeel and may just very very slightly and marginally rise above the 10 commandments in terms of taste.

In summary, it's an extremely close tussle between the Pelican Grand Cru and the Lost Abbey 10 commandments; Unibroue's La terrible is clearly behind slightly. I would probably still award first place to the Pelican Grand Cru due to the slighty more complex flavors and better mouthfeel but the 10 commandments is following extremely close in second place. Final ranking: 1st - 2009 Pelican Grand Cru, 2nd - 2008 Lost Abbey 10 Commandments, 3rd - 2004 Unibroue La Terrible

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 20:06:56 | More by basica

cheefdaddy1

Mississippi

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

06-16-2013 15:17:52 | More by cheefdaddy1

GuinnessAtRogerWilco

New Jersey

3.99/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

750ml bottle poured into a Chimay goblet.

AP: Near black in colour, but with some colourful purplish hues like a really dark eggplant. Fluffy off white and light tan head of 1" that takes a while to dwindle down to 1/4". Decent lacing when the glass is tilted.
AR: Dark fruits (raisin and fig), brown sugar, toffee, molasses.
T: Tastes like it smells, sugary sweetness that is toned down by the high ABV and yes, there is some heat on this one. Fruits have a rum soaked aspect to them.
M: Decent carbonation for a BSDA, moderate body (not too heavy), bit of a crispness on the finish though the sweetness does coat your mouth a bit.
OV: Good sweet flavours, though you can taste the booziness of this one. I think some cellaring would benefit this beer. Didn't get any spices on this which I think it needs to balance the sweetness. A solid brew, but not World class.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 06:06:29 | More by GuinnessAtRogerWilco

bluckbeyes

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

06-06-2013 23:16:09 | More by bluckbeyes

pisano

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +1%

06-05-2013 12:16:34 | More by pisano

DenverBigRed

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

05-31-2013 23:01:47 | More by DenverBigRed

drewone

California

4/5  rDev +1%

05-28-2013 00:56:25 | More by drewone

KiMiRaiK

Washington

4.75/5  rDev +19.9%

05-26-2013 00:09:05 | More by KiMiRaiK

Absolut

California

4/5  rDev +1%

05-23-2013 23:03:19 | More by Absolut

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1%

05-23-2013 20:56:59 | More by InspectorBob

CoryR

Oregon

4/5  rDev +1%

05-22-2013 00:11:45 | More by CoryR

zonker17

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1%

05-20-2013 19:19:46 | More by zonker17

NJB145

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%

05-20-2013 00:32:49 | More by NJB145

avisong

Virginia

4/5  rDev +1%

05-18-2013 03:05:33 | More by avisong

moonknight31

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

05-16-2013 16:52:07 | More by moonknight31

tourdot

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-15-2013 04:11:28 | More by tourdot

Zbeetleman

California

3/5  rDev -24.2%

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

Gatordaddy

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

05-13-2013 05:05:56 | More by Gatordaddy

fredmugs

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

05-11-2013 15:03:59 | More by fredmugs

TheNightwatchman

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1%

05-09-2013 04:46:58 | More by TheNightwatchman

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark black with a finger of frothy tan-khaki head. Fades fairly slowly.

S - Dark caramel malts, Belgian yeast, coriander, clove, pepper, raisins, plums, and other dark fruits, honey, dark candi sugar, rosemary, and some booze.

T - Sweet dark caramel malts, plums, raisins, and other dark fruits, honey, dark candi sugars, Belgian yeast, coriander, clove, pepper, rosemary, and some booze.

M - Full bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a sweet, warming finish.

D - Great BSDA. Nice balance and complexity.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 07:51:54 | More by ngeunit1

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

04-27-2013 08:55:52 | More by Kelp

Dirty25

Arkansas

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

04-22-2013 09:07:45 | More by Dirty25

GTaylorjr

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +26.3%

04-14-2013 20:04:37 | More by GTaylorjr

jpd7374

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1%

04-13-2013 01:53:28 | More by jpd7374