10 Commandments - The Lost Abbey

Seeker41184

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Date Drunk: 12/19/10

750mL into pint glass

A: Dark brown appearance, with a thin layer of head which laces the glass.
S: Smell is of candy, vanilla, and spice.
T: Honey and raisins coat the mouth with some nutmeg and maybe some chicory at the end.
M: A hot feeling is felt but smooth at the same time.
O: Can only drink 1 per sitting, but this beer is enjoyable. I think if this was the 2008 or 2009 brew, the alcohol would have been too much and not enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 18:15:29 | More by Seeker41184

ChrisPro

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Tasted blind as part of Blind BIF #6

Blind beer #2

750 mL cork and cage shared with a couple friends.

A - Pours murky mahogany with a bit of dark cream colored head. As it receded, it sounded like the fizzing of a coke. Really strange head 3.0

S - Fig, caramel as well as some mustiness. Kind of reminds me of spiced dirt. Bit more cherry and plum as it warms...yeah, tons of plum/prune/raisin...After warming, there's a little smoke as well. Interesting. 4.0

T - Nice sweet vanilla and plum, with a ton of belgian yeast. We've got ourselves a quad here. First thought is the pretty things plum quad...Some nice mild spicing, and actually a prety solid quad or BSDA. A slightly tannic finish is making me think there's some oak in there as well 3.5

M - Very full bodied with a thick syrupy feel. The carbonation is a bit big, and fizzy like drinking pop. Also a bit of heat in the back of the throat as well. Double digits for sure! 3.5

O - Quite good, but not overly complex. It's quite a fruity strong dark belgian/quad and pretty solid overall. I definitely enjoy sipping on this, but would struggle with a full 750. 3.5

This is definitely a solid brew. For as much as I dislike belgian style beers, this is something I wouldn't mind drinking again and sholland119 did well. I could easily see this being the pretty things quad, but I'm not convinced because of the smoke. I feel like I've had this before because the first whiff of the aroma just threw me off with the smoke, so I'm going with Pretty Things Quad or LA Judgment day.

Before the reveal: my buddy mentioned Victory Otto and I could definitely see this. The smoke sticks out a bit more, and it might just be a boozy dubbel. I still think it's something stronger and stick with my previous guesses.

The reveal: 2009 Lost Abbey 10 commandments.

Well, I was right, I've had this before and it is a BSDA with some plum/raisins, just forgot about this beer. This has aged pretty well and definitely tasting great right now. Thanks!

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 01:04:27 | More by ChrisPro

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2009 version

A - Caramel brown with a thin tan heads that quickly fades to a thin ring of foam.

S - Caramel sweetness, spicy clove, rum soaked raisins, cinnamon, honey, alcohol and hints of chocolate.

T - Raisins mixed with sweet caramel and plums, rosemary with spicy alcohol, yeasty.

M - Full body and well carbonated. Strong lingering aftertaste of sweet fruits and spicy alcohol.

D - I am finding the full body, high carbonation and strong flavors are not mixing so well.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2009 00:59:31 | More by brewcrew76

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Courtesy of Dave Guay. 750ml corked and caged bottle. Pours a dull mahogany hue with a loose head that dissipates towards the edges into a thin band. Nose expresses currants, figs, honey and a hint of spice. Taste follows nose with the addition of an earthy/grassy presence on a malty backbone. Prunes and rosemary also asserts in the flavor profile. Mouthfeel is medium-light in body with a lively carbonation. Overall, a decent BSDA but way too much happening in the Roasemary department for my sensibilities.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 23:32:54 | More by Jwale73

UCLABrewN84

California

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Tony's Darts Away in Burbank, CA.

Pours a clear dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, brown sugar, yeast, lots of interesting spices, and alcohol. Taste is much the same and the spices are the dominant flavor here and linger long after each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but the spices take center stage in the aroma and flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2012 02:44:45 | More by UCLABrewN84

ChazMania

California

3.63/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle. Poured similar to a ValDieu I had a few weeks back, nice brown with small head. Aroma suggests some raisin and brown sugar. The flavor is not as sweet as the aroma. A real good full flavor that has great malt balance and a really long lasting coated flavor all over my mouth. Lost Abbey continues to impress!

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2007 23:37:35 | More by ChazMania

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Ron's Original Bar & Grille, Exton, PA

Poured a hazy dark brown with a thick finger of whitish head. Bready aroma with hints of sugar and dried fruits. A taste of pancakes and maple syrup up front fading to a plain breadiness; dried fruits, raisins, and a hint of chocolate and light spice. Not quite full-bodied, and nicely drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

05-13-2011 17:50:04 | More by Rifugium

BeerManDan

California

3.63/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

When poured into a tulip glass, the color was of an medium dark amber brown, with a lot of light tan foam and a fair amount of lace. The smell of roasted malts and spices was evident in the aroma. The taste of roasted malts and spices was also evident, along with a sweet candy finish. Not a lot of alcohol kick back in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 03:58:21 | More by BeerManDan

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.65/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Received in a nice trade with Mikesgroove. Thanks for yet another great brew!

A dark body that reminds me a little bit of cola. Fairly dark and opaque in the center, but slightly translucent and lighter in color around the very edges. Two fingers of tan head that settle into a thin ring on top of the beer. Leaves behind a good amount of sticky lacing on the glass. Pretty nice looking beer.

Raisins and grape like aromas hit the nose first. Honey sweetness also. Just a touch of herbal notes in there.

Up front is a raisiny sweetness with a bit of tartness that reminds me of green apples behind it. Next comes an herbal flavor with some very slight chocolately flavor in there. Finishes with rosemary and honey.

The mouthfeel is fairly interesting, the honey really comes through. The feel reminds me of a toned down Braggot, thick, leaving a coating on the mouth.

The more I drink this and the more it warms the more drinkable I think it is. At first the flavors were a little strong, but the more I sip the more I enjoy the complexity.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2008 20:37:49 | More by Hojaminbag

Wetpaperbag

Washington

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This was a fresh bottle of 2008. I have another one for aging for later. It will be interesting to see how this ages.

A- Well to start off this beer didn't "Pop" when I popped the cork. When I poured the beer it seemed a bit flat for a beer of this style. Well onto the beer. It looks like dark coke, but a bit on the deflated side. Oh and there is no head to the beer.

S- Nice dark fruits, a hint of cinnamon, and coffee. I also smell a bit of some of the rosemary in this. That should be interesting to see how that tastes.

T- This is interesting in taste. I taste a lot of coffee with this beer, there is the dark fruit taste I talked about, but the coffee flavor is dominating. As it warms up it isn't quite as potent, and there seems to mellow out.

M- One word: "Thick." I think that this is very thick and there isn't any carbination to help it out. I wasn't expecting this to be that thick.

D- Despite the fact that there is no carbination this is easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2008 04:18:00 | More by Wetpaperbag

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-Tap

Ten Commandments is a dark beer with a deep dark burgandy brown with no light shining through whatever. Ten has a nice sturdy tan head that produces silky lace down the glass. This one smells swwet with malts and burnt sugars. Some dark fruits and alcohol round the smell out. Wow, the taste is sweet bordering on too much. A big bready yeast component along with dark fruits and sweet malts are the focus on taste. A full feel with light carb and some alcohol to go with it. Would like to see what a aged bottle with carb would do to this beer, but for now the tap version will do, even though it's not my favorite.

Serving type: on-tap

08-16-2009 04:43:35 | More by onix1agr

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I love BSDAs, so big thanks to Russ for sharing this gem.

Pours a rich ruby with a light tan head that fades to a film and leaves spots of lace on the side of the glass. Big raisin, date, brown sugar and spice aroma has all the components for a great Belgian strong dark.

Lots of raisin, brown sugar and spice in the flavour, which isn't really as complex as I'd like, and comes across as a little too juicy. Other dark fruits make an appearance, with dates and prunes springing to the fore, which ups the sweetness a touch. Perhaps what really lets the flavour down is the body, which seems a little too light, and probably makes everything a little washed out.

A great beer to try, though I can't help that with a little more heft to the body it would be greatly improved.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2010 19:13:48 | More by bobsy

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

2009 bottle.

Poured clear brown but sits opaque black in my glass. Fluffy tan head leaves a Care Bear cloud near the top of my glass and several lacey rings thereafter before fading out.

Smells of plum, rum raisin, and indulgent caramel. Those three sumptuous carry through in the taste and are joined by molasses and dry honey sweetness. Lots of flavor up front but kinda bland in back. Almost 2 years have faded out any alcoholic heat.

Says it was brewed with rosemary but I couldn't taste or smell it. Truthfully I'm not sure I'd recognize it if I did.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 03:46:13 | More by donkeyrunner

gabedivision

New York

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 750ml to a Duvel glass.

Pours a murky brown with a 2 finger off color white head, and plenty of sticky lace all about the place (cant tell if there is sediment floating or pieces of the cork that broke off). Smells of dark fruits soaked in alcohol, plums, figs, raisins etc. Nice breadiness from the malts, and a slight alcohol prefume. Huge sweetness on the tongue, grapes and figs all over. The sweet malts leave traces of chocolate covered raisins, and maraschino cherries that give a bitter/tart finish. Also i find as the beer warms up a bit a big Ny-Quil quality at the end, weird. Full bodied, medium-high initial carbonation that prepare your tongue for the bold sweetness. This beer is very well done, great complexity and composition, afraid its just way to sweet for my liking.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 01:49:06 | More by gabedivision

phichifiji00

California

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2009 vintage.

Appearance: Black with a red hue, minimal tan head that fades quickly. Minimal lacing.

Smell: raisins, red fruit, malty, rosemary.

Taste: raisins, red fruit, malty, vanilla, honey.

Mouthfeel: full bodied, low carbonation, silky.

Overall: A tasty beer. Drinkability is moderate. Fairly complex.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 19:12:43 | More by phichifiji00

kojevergas

California

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Served on-draught into a 4 oz taster glass at Lost Abbey's taproom in San Marcos, California. Reviewed from notes. Cost was $1.00. Expectations were high given the brewery.

A: Pours a one finger head of nice cream, good thickness, and okay retention (excused by the ABV). Colour is a nontransparent dark caramel-black. Not opaque.

Sm: Incredibly estery, with honey, fig, raisin, and spices. Intriguing. Maybe some sort of berry comes through as well? I look for rosemary but don't find it. A faux vinegar sort of funky note. A moderate strength aroma.

T: Caramel, raisin, fig, cream, slight funkiness, a berry note, heavy esters (especially on the climax), honey, and spice. Strange but very pleasant and enjoyable. Bold and experimental to its benefit. Complex and subtle. Well balanced and built. I don't know that I've a had a beer quite like this one; the flavour profile may be unique.

Mf: Smooth and wet, with some cream. Suits the flavour profile nicely. Neither too thick nor too thin.

Dr: Drinkable for its high ABV - which it hides incredibly well. I'd have it again. Would pair well with cheese.

A good candidate for aging. Likely better out of the bottle than on-draught; I'd anticipate more yeasty notes from the bottle.

I had to bring the "overall" score down to get the letter grade I wanted.

B

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2012 04:02:16 | More by kojevergas

jwinship83

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml corked and caged 09 edition. purchased as soon as i saw it on the shelf. a pleasant yet unexpected surprise. poured into my chimay goblet. bottle reads 10% abv.

A- this one pours a murky dark brown colored body with a small khaki colored head. the head quickly fizzles out and becomes no more than a crown. it leaves sticky rings of lacing on the sides of my glass.

S- as i was typing the appearance, the scent of sweet raisins crept into my nose. cant find the rosemary the bottle claims its brewed with. instead i get very sweet malts, brown sugar, alcohol, and a bit of chocolate. pretty unique smelling.

T- the taste is very sweet and filled with raisins. fig and date as well. the alcohol is not very well hidden, but then again this is a fresh beer thats meant to age well and long.

M- light bodied with a high level of carbonation. moderate warming from the alcohol as it makes its way to my stomach.

D- right now, one bottle was plenty. it seemed to kind of drag on towards the end. ill check back on this one in a few years to see how it develops. another lost abbey product that showed no signs of quality control issues.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2009 00:25:32 | More by jwinship83

impending

California

3.7/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml into a tulip. Pours a dark chestnut, decent head, nice sheet lacing.

Typical strong dark accompanied by the rosemary which if I didn't know what it was may have had difficulty in identifying, adds a nice mysterious touch, complex.

Taste is mildly sweet, yeasty dark fruits accompanied again by the rosemary which was better as a scent than a flavor. Again nice complexity but the rosemary became distracting. Full bodied mouthfeel.
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 00:38:40 | More by impending

froghop

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pours a dark brown with a medium size caramel-tan bubbly foam head, looks almost like a coca-cola only with better lacing.

smell is of dark fruits, some caramel, some spice, a little sweetness, and some malt.

taste is sweet up front, raisins, grapes, prunes, spice, some cocoa, sour malt, finishes nicely, the sweetness dies down a bit and the fruit flavors come through.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2008 22:01:44 | More by froghop

morebeergood

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap this past Friday at the Other Side Cafe. Served in a tall thin glass (8 oz?) for $7.50. A bit steep, but I wanted to try it. Dark brown, almost black, in color. No head to speak of. Smelled of alcohol and dried fruits. Taste was complex. Layers of fruit, followed by layers of oakiness, then sugar, then more alcohol. I can see why this beers is sold in small servings. Could have been a bit thicker in the mouthfeel. Tasty and nice to drink. Yet, for the price I paid, I was expecting to be blown away, and I was not.

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2009 23:19:41 | More by morebeergood

claspada

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

My bottle says 10%; not sure if it's a misprint or an older vintage or what... I've had this for around 9 months in the cellar.

Aromas of dark fruit and dark chocolate; raisins and cocoa powder to be specific. Lesser notes of Belgian yeast, specifically the cloves and typical spiciness.

The taste follows the nose but in reverse (I've been saying this a lot for some reason lately). Begins with spicy Belgian yeast flavors of clove and mild banana. The caramels and brown sugar and extreme dark fruits make up the major flavor profile of this beer. The finish exposes the high ABV a little with a slight alcohol burn. I am serving this @ a slightly warmer temperature than most prefer; cellar temp around 55 degrees.

The mouthfeel is super super full and thick with less than average carbonation, but the overly full, borderline cloying and sticky raisin body of this brew lowers the drinkability for me. Finishing the full 750 may prove to be a challenge. Overall I wish this was served in a smaller bottle because a 750 of this will bore you and/or put you straight to bed.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 00:27:36 | More by claspada

brotherloco

California

3.73/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml C&C. Date is mostly scratched off, I think I see 2010. Poured into Tulip.

Just about zero pop getting the cork out of this bottle.

Pours almost opaque dark brown. There are bubbles at least, a small beige head to razor thin ring and moderate lacing.

Smells of concord grapes and spices. I suppose that's the raisins and rosemary coming through, but I also get port wine and oregano notes. Belgian yeast and sugars are present. Background sting of alcohol, but not strong.

Tastes super sweet and fruity, raisins come through strong here, I guess the honey too. Banana and clove, molasses and brown sugar, sweetness lasts through the slightly bitter finish. Alcohol seems completely buried in the flavor, a definite plus.

I wish there was more carbonation in this, as things get a bit syrupy. Not a great mouthfeel.

Overall a tasty beer but not a completely solid experience.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2011 02:10:53 | More by brotherloco

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle which cost me $10 from Hi-Time Wine Cellars. I shared this with a friend which was good given the strength. The color was dark brown with no head and no carbonation. Smells slightly sour, licorice, alcohol. It took awhile to taste the raisins but they are there. Another interesting beer from Lost Abbey.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2008 05:41:51 | More by ArrogantB

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This pours a cloudy brown with reddish hues and a very small head of foam that shrinks to just a ring around the glass almost immediately. When I popped the cork, it was the lightest sounding "pop" I've ever heard from a corked bottle.

The smell has all sorts of goodies going on. Dark fruit like plum, raisins, and some spices greet my nosebuds.

The taste has all that fruit in spades with some toffee and molasses and when I swish the beer in my mouth, I get some tartness and a bit of funk and yeast. There's some spice here as well and as the label says it's Rosemary, I'm going with that. ;^) There's also a noticeable alcohol kick here as it's quite warming during and after the swallow.

The mouthfeel is a very light medium and the carbonation is so low it's almost nonexistant. That could be improved upon as it reminds of drinking wine not beer!

Bottom line: I like the flavours here, kind of reminds me of an Oud Bruin, but the lack of carbonation and the strong presence of alcohol limit the drinkability for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2008 22:48:30 | More by Bitterbill

TheJollyHop

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Almost completely black, poured with a voluminous amount of foam that was somewhere between tan and light brown. This brew coats the tongue with an oily sweetness, and is very smooth. Spiderweb like lace clings to the inside of the glass for dear life.

Honey definitely comes through with plenty of grain sweetness. Part of the malt component tastes like grapenuts cereal. Maybe the interaction of the cereal flavors and the grapes? Aroma has a grape-like wine smell along with some rosemary herbal quality.

Thankfully there is some balance. The beer is not excessively sweet, and the pop of hops bitterness coupled with some spice cuts through but doesn't overtake the malt.The bitterness doesn't tingle but rather warms the back of the throat along with just the right amount of contained but expressive alcohol heat at the swallow.

Finally, I wouldn't say the beer has the quality to entice the palate, therefore to me a drinks just above average. Overall not a bad honey ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2010 16:46:47 | More by TheJollyHop