Sinners Blend 2009 - The Lost Abbey

steadydose

California

4.72/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tried my first bottle of this when it first came out as a sinners club member. I remember being unimpressed by this beer and forgot about the three other bottles I had, till recently...

I threw a bottle in the fridge for a couple of hours and it was ready to go, I popped of the cork and poured into a tulip. Black with brown edges. A wisp of brownish khaki lacing remains at the perimeter of the beer. No lacing or head is left on the glass through the session. Still looks pretty good though.

I took a whiff and was suprised by the tartness that came through, I definitely did not remeber it having this quality last year. It had more of a stout/herb type smell going on before, but I was happy with the new changes and as the beer warmed up scents of dark chocolate and tart cherries came through. Along with raisins and some hints of oak. I took my time savoring the complexity of the aroma, it was fantastic.

The first few sips were nice and tart, as my taste buds adjusted to the tartness I could begin to detect cherries, chocolate, and coffee. I've seen the word leather used in some wine descriptions and I believe I now know what they are talking about with this beer. Again when this was first released the sour component of this beer had not yet developed to its present level. This is such a unique flavor profile as the sour flavors subside a sweeter chocolate aftertaste lingers. Amazing! Towards the end I definitely got more of the wood characteristics and a wine like quality. Probably one of the most complex beers I have had in a while. This is excellent.

The mouthfeel had light carbonation and a medium mouthfeel. The carbonation was spot on in the begining, I may have savored this one too long as my serving lost some of its effervescence as it warmed up. Overall it was still very good.

I could not detect any booziness in this bottle. One bottle was perfect to myself, although I could have definitely drank more, I'll knock it down a bit for its warming effect. Sinners 09 is an excellent beer that benefited greatly from sitting in the bottle for a while, if you still have some I suggest you try one soon.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2010 00:12:26 | More by steadydose

Pecan

California

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%

05-05-2013 16:09:19 | More by Pecan

ACY73

California

4/5  rDev -0.5%

05-05-2013 15:31:46 | More by ACY73

mookihouse

California

4/5  rDev -0.5%

05-05-2013 03:23:44 | More by mookihouse

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.38/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

375 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Pours a flat inky black. Slightly transparent at the edges. Nothing really going on.

Smell - Oxidized. Chocolate. Sharp bright liquor flavor. I know its bourbon, but it smells like brandy. Dark fruit acidity.

Taste - Much more sour. Cherry sourness. Raisins. Oxidation. Oak and chocolate. Sharp alcohol. Red wine finish.

Mouthfeel - Mostly flat. Boozy. Acidic. Tough to drink.

Overall - Complex but not easy to drink. Wonder what it tasted like years ago.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 00:31:00 | More by Alieniloquium

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -12.9%

01-26-2013 01:45:02 | More by yourefragile

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Shared this one at a recent Random Sunday Tasting! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured pitch black with a minimal off-white head that subsided to none quickly. There was no lacing evident throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, cherry, tart, and wood. The flavor was of sweet malt, cherry, roasted malt, acidic, tart, and subtle dark chocolate. It had a light feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a fairly good brew. Out of the two Sinners Blend brews we had this night this one definitely stood out as the best. A nice roastiness was going on here that balanced out really well with the acidic tartness aspects going on. Still needed more carbonation to make it more appealing to the palate though. Definitely worth your time trying this one if you get the opportunity.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 11:52:14 | More by thagr81us

heavenlyStash

California

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%

12-17-2012 00:15:54 | More by heavenlyStash

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -3%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Richard for sharing this bottle. Served in a Lost Abbey Teku. Pours a fairly-dark brown color with no noticeable head. Fairly flat in appearance, and that carries over to the feel. The nose is quite complex with nice notes of bourbon and red wine before fading to some dark fruit and lactic sourness. Flavor has additional barrel presence, with a touch of the port coming through. Nothing too overwhelming, and the barrels blend very well. Nice lactic presence through the finish. Cherry and dark fruits. Really nice.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 19:58:35 | More by Thorpe429

t0rin0

California

4.5/5  rDev +11.9%

12-12-2012 04:14:29 | More by t0rin0

FreshmanPour77

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +18.2%

09-06-2012 20:47:13 | More by FreshmanPour77

drabmuh

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared at a recent tasting, thank. Beer served in a ticking snifter. Beer is black, dark, thick, almost no carbonation, no head, no retention, no lacing.

Aroma is pretty sweet, strong forward, very nice.

Beer is sweet and boozy with a nice malt backbone and a decent finish, sort of like Veritas 009 but better. I'd have this again.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 16:09:43 | More by drabmuh

ajs4bd

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%

07-10-2012 12:50:55 | More by ajs4bd

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.63/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer appears dark brown with a small, fleeting head. The aroma offers malt, roast, booze, cola, dark fruit. The flavor has a soy sauce consistency, with additional notes of booze, molasses, cherries. Distinguishable Lost Abbey flavors. Overall, this was quite complex and intriguing, but a bit unbalanced. Thick feel with low carbonation. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 21:36:09 | More by Huhzubendah

ChrisPr

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours nearly pitch black with no head. Aromas of date and leather and a prominent "Oud Bruin" twang. First taste is of cherry, immediately followed by a sour apple, aggressive tartness that slowly dissipates into a tannic, slightly oak finish. This is quite dry considering my expectations. Mouthfeel is sort of medium - lighter than I thought, but balances well with the tartness.

Overall I think this beer could use some changes, like a little carbonation, but it's a great American sour and I'm very glad I still have a few bottles left.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 02:06:41 | More by ChrisPr

jethrodium

California

2.5/5  rDev -37.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

On tap at City Beer Store. Pours a dark brown with a small light tan head that settles to a ring and leaves a decent amount of lacing on the glass. The aroma is sweet brown sugar, caramel, light lactic, light funkiness, and some bourbon and vanilla. The taste is really sweet with caramel and brown sugar . There is a light tartness as well as some vanilla and bourbon, and a bit of funkiness. The finish is sweet with caramel. Full bodied with medium carbonation. I did not enjoy this beer very much. The huge amount of sugar with a slight amount of tartness did not work very well together.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2012 22:26:49 | More by jethrodium

ObeMaltKinobee

California

4/5  rDev -0.5%

02-15-2012 07:42:40 | More by ObeMaltKinobee

acurtis

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -12.9%

02-06-2012 14:43:27 | More by acurtis

ChrisPro

Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.5%

01-20-2012 05:46:00 | More by ChrisPro

imperialking

Illinois

4/5  rDev -0.5%

01-13-2012 19:17:26 | More by imperialking

whartontallboy

New York

4.5/5  rDev +11.9%

01-13-2012 04:43:02 | More by whartontallboy

DovaliHops

California

4.08/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a murky, dark brown with a hint of red. No head on this one. Scent is chocolatey with a lot of sour cherry aroma. Red wine vinegar and tart cherry notes tingle the nose. Taste is initially very sour, followed by some raspberry, cherry, and red wine vinegar. A lot of vinegar and very acidic. Somewhat chocolatey. Mouthfeel is smooth and velvety with very light carbonation. Highly acidic. Drinkability is very high. Overall, this is a fantastic sour. The light carbonation seems too work for this beer, but a little more couldn't have hurt.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 07:05:05 | More by DovaliHops

phichifiji00

California

3.98/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into tulip glass.

Appearance: Dark brown, no head, no lacing.

Smell: tart, red wine vinegar, red fruit, sherry.

Taste: tart, red fruit, red wine vinegar, sherry, sour cherries.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied, minimal carbonation, tart.

Overall: A tasty sour. Well balanced, tart, very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 17:51:25 | More by phichifiji00

MrHirschybar

California

3.5/5  rDev -12.9%

12-27-2011 02:25:25 | More by MrHirschybar

GradyS1

California

4/5  rDev -0.5%

12-23-2011 14:26:34 | More by GradyS1