Red Poppy Ale - The Lost Abbey

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BA SCORE
95
world-class
-
946 Ratings

rAvg: 4.28
pDev: 10.28%
Reviews: 487
Hads: 459

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Brewed by:
The Lost Abbey

California, United States

Style | ABV
Flanders Red Ale | 5.50% ABV

Availability: Winter. bottle (458), on-tap (28), cask (1).

Notes:
Perhaps no country embraces the use of fruit in beers more so than Belgium. Numerous traditional as well as regional specialty ales are infused with every sort of fruit imaginable. In this way, the flavor of the fruit becomes especially prominent.

Red Poppy Ale is a veritable celebration of Sour Cherries in an explosion of aromas and tastes. Brewed from a brown ale base and aged in our oak barrels for over 6 months, this beer is not for the faint of heart.

View: Beers (49) | Reviews (46) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by kevanb:

kevanb

Illinois

3.96/5 rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

375ml bottle, Vintage 2012 printed on the bottle, poured into a Lost Abbey Teku.

The beer pours a dark burgundy color, very opaque, touches of ruby when struck by the light, a few bubbles can be seen rising to the top of the glass. Atop the beer is a finger high, bone colored head, light and fizzy that recedes quickly leaving behind a touch of film and no lacing. The aroma is of pungent sour cherry, barnyard funk, woody oak, light vanilla with touches of brown grain lingering behind. Sour cherry hits the tongue straight away, acidic and vinegary, funk, vanilla, dark, sweet grain with some mild funk coming out. There is a nice amount of barrel character on the tongue leaving behind some pleasant oak flavors that also bring out a touch of char. There is potential for a nice pie filling-esque flavor here, but the acidity and vinegar flavors really hurt this beer. The body is very lively, medium to high carbonation that really dances on the tongue, the finish is rather smooth and moderately dry.

Verdict: A good rendition of a Flanders Red from The Lost Abbey. Certainly not their finest work, but this is sure to satisfy anyone who enjoys a sour beer or who loves cherries.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 02:22:02 | More by kevanb

More User Reviews:

Kreko7

California

3.75/5 rDev -12.4%

05-19-2013 15:52:16 | More by Kreko7

Boilerfood

Indiana

4.5/5 rDev +5.1%

05-19-2013 15:20:02 | More by Boilerfood

jakeox

Illinois

3.5/5 rDev -18.2%

05-19-2013 00:50:54 | More by jakeox

muletrane

Pennsylvania

4.5/5 rDev +5.1%

05-19-2013 00:49:44 | More by muletrane

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4/5 rDev -6.5%

05-18-2013 21:24:44 | More by Photekut

itsthepleats

Ohio

4.25/5 rDev -0.7%

05-18-2013 18:26:52 | More by itsthepleats

jtladner

District of Columbia

3.5/5 rDev -18.2%

05-18-2013 13:38:33 | More by jtladner

ajzy

Wisconsin

5/5 rDev +16.8%

05-18-2013 03:25:43 | More by ajzy

hannydawg

Illinois

4/5 rDev -6.5%

05-18-2013 00:30:38 | More by hannydawg

kscaldef

Oregon

2/5 rDev -53.3%

05-17-2013 23:30:59 | More by kscaldef

vonnegut21

New York

4.25/5 rDev -0.7%

05-17-2013 18:05:38 | More by vonnegut21

GilGarp

Colorado

4.21/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

375 ml corked bottle served slightly chilled into a tulip glass.

There's no date or batch number on the bottle but I would guess I've had it in my cellar for about 2-3 years. Strangely, there isn't any loose sediment but I do see it stuck to the bottom of the bottle.

Red Poppy Ale is a deep redish brown with tight off-white head. It settles fairly quickly but maintains a thin layer on top.

The aroma is enough to make my throat tighten. This is going to be sour! Sour cherries and the oak barrel aging comes through.

The flavor is exactly what I expected after that aroma - hugely sour and tart with the tannins that hit right in the back of he mouth. The cherries are there with a hint of vanilla from the oak. The malt base is along the lines of a brown ale but it is really the wild yeast that stands front and center.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied nicely carbonated like a bottle conditioned Belgian would be.

Overall a stunningly powerful beer. I would like to try this side by side with La Folie as they seem to have similar characteristics, from what I remember.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 23:56:31 | More by GilGarp