Box Set Track #3 - Hell's Bells - The Lost Abbey

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Draft at Monk's Cafe in Phadelphia, PA.

Pours a hazy pale golden yellow color with a one finger white foam head that quickly settles into a thin, lasting ring.  Spotty lacing left behind.

Funky, earthy aroma with lots of oak and barnyard character along with some citrus acidity and lactic funk.  Burnt wood, lactic cheese, sourdough bread and lemon juice along with funky bugs and acetic vinegar.

On the fuller end of medium bodied with a strong lactic funk character along with some dry oak, citrus acidity, lemon juice and sourdough bread.   Wheat/berliner like notes come through but there's a stronger acetic presence than expected.  Wasn't any in the nose but the flavor has some vinegar/acetone.  This becomes more bearable as my palate adjusts, but I just wasn't expecting it.  Other than that, this is a really good beer with a nice balance of tart sourness and lactic funk.

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2013 23:46:50 | More by corby112

womencantsail

California

4.23/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Beachwood Brewing

Pours a cloudy straw color with a white head. Nice lactic sourness with a hint of peach along with lots of lemon and lactic sourness. Decently woody with a nice grassy funk and a slight mustiness. The flavor is quite tart and lactic. A bit of grass to go along with lemon, green apple skin, and straw. Tannic oak provides some dryness and just a bit of funk. Quite nice.

Serving type: on-tap

07-30-2012 22:02:50 | More by womencantsail

FosterJM

California

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

1259th Review on BA
Draft to 5oz taster

@Beachwoods- Long Beach's Ode To Lambic

App- A very very light yellow with a once finger head. A nice amount of residual cling and lace on this one. A bit of a clear beer as well. Not much density.

Smell- It was okay, some notes of lemony, earthy, grass. A bit tart with some clean wheat notes. Nice, but just okay.

Taste- A nice tasting sour. A bit thick for me. A little syrupy. Very upfront lemon flavors with a touch of thicker malts as noted and a medium amount of sour to it.

Mouth- A thick medium body with a medium carbonation level. Residual notes of the lemon, tart and some earthiness.

Drink- Nice, well carbed but not wowing. Just way too thick as well.

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2012 18:01:16 | More by FosterJM

Todd

Massachusetts

4.09/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Track #3. 12.7oz bottle. No date.

Look: Hazy yellow, thin white lacing

Smell: Bready, horsey, barnyard, apples, citric, spice, herbal

Taste: Lactic, sharp, acidic, oaky, medicinal, herbal, mint, tart crab apples, nectarines, grassy, lemons, pithy, earth, dry hay finish

While drinking this blend of Mellow Yellow (sour base beer) and Phunky Duck (one component of Duck Duck Gose) I don't hear Hell's Bells, but I'll gladly ring them after I'm done with this fine brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 02:33:29 | More by Todd

Jason

Massachusetts

4.06/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12.7 brown corked and caged bottle, no freshness date.

Mild haze, pale golden color with a thin lacing. Lively nose of fresh cut grass, lemon oil, big tartness, herbal phenols, faintly chalky, horse blanket, wood, browned apples, earthy, and spicy. Lactic smack down on the palate, mint, smooth, lighter bodied with a light creaminess as well. Grapenuts, ripe lemons, apple must, white grape skin, mildly peppery, kiss of alcohol, very dry woody finish.

A tart beauty here, first few sips really woke my palate up ... after that it really started to grow on me. Brew this again please.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 02:28:22 | More by Jason

largadeer

California

4.11/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Brilliantly clear golden body with no head or visible carbonation. Big pineapple brett character on the nose. Very acidic, with lacto and faint acetone. Has a bit of a Chardonnay quality to it and the fruitiness is pretty nice. It's completely flat on the palate, but has some great flavors. Pineapple and white wine, strong lactic acidity, slightly yogurt-y. Finishes with a nice buttery oak note. This is quite good despite the lack of carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 02:50:54 | More by largadeer

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.78/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

"Good for a homebrew", "Will be horrible in a year", "Tastes like vomit juice". All things said by someone other than me at our tasting.

Pours a still, cloudy bright golden color with a slight orange tint. No head or lace. Nose is sharply funky, mushroom and earth and mild acidity. Flavor tastes like most other LA golden sours with more mineral and earth notes. Some acidity and light malt sweetness in finish. Medium thick, light carbonation, heavy on palate. Watery finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 17:59:12 | More by yourefragile

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

4.35/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Bottle shared thanks to starrdogg from an awesome trader in CA! Tried in order with all tracks in the series.

This might have been one of the stronger tracks when all was said and done. It had a great color of straw and nice orange and gold highlights, as you'd expect from a sort of gueuze or lambic-esque wild ale. The smell is classic and text book dry tart and light tannic fruit.

The taste highlights apricot, peach, barnyard yeast and rustic straw malt, very nice taste that hits the right notes on the palate you want from a sour ale. The feel was the only knock here ,it was sort of juicy when you would expect it to be dry and crisp like the classic belgian beers we all know and love.

A nice beer, very drinkable and well done.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 14:23:48 | More by Dreadnaught33

starrdogg

District of Columbia

4.43/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beer pours a hazy golden-yellow with hardly any head at all. Beer looks to be a little on the flat side. Smell has got a nice lactic sour mixed with a bit of lambic-esque oaky funk. Flavor is really nice - this one comes off halfway between an American wild ale and a lambic, which makes for some of my favorite combination of flavors in a sour. It's got a nice oaky funkiness up front, but has a great acidic sour finish - well done! Mouthfeel is light-bodied and actually has nice carbonation despite the appearance. It's got that great mouth-coating feel that some lambics have. Overall, this is the best of the Box Set tasting so far, a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 23:09:19 | More by starrdogg

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.48/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Lost Abbey track beer tasting.

The beer appears straw yellow with a few random white bubbles of head that immediately fade to nothing, giving a still lambic appearance. The aroma offers lemons, oranges, assorted citrus, yeast, oak, funk. Smells great. The flavor follows suit, offering a surprising amount of prickly carbonation, especially given the appearance. Acetic finish with a bold, tangy character. An outstanding beer, and easily the best of the track series so far.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 23:05:34 | More by Huhzubendah

Gobzilla

California

4.48/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: poured a pale golden yellow in color with a ring of orange sitting right under a thin cap of head that left very little lacing sticking to the head.

S: lots of funkiness coming out of the aroma with lots of citrusy lemon, a bit of acidic character, good oakiness and slight grainy nots as well.

5. Nice sour lemony twang upfront on the palate with plenty of bretty funk, a little barnyard musty character, great oaky accents, some acidity, slight earhty flavor and a touch of underlying grain flavor.

M. The brew was medium to light in body with a moderate amount of carbonation which had a citrusy lemony, funky, oaky, slightly acidic sour and mild dry finish.

O: very delicous wild ale that reminded me of DDG, very glad I got to have tried it for sure.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 17:51:37 | More by Gobzilla

UCLABrewN84

California

4.03/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle pour courtesy of cbanker at Woodshop 7 held at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach, CA.

Pours a clear light yellow with a foamy beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is sour, tart, and funky with some grain and fruity aromas. Taste is much the same but it is not as sour as I was expecting based on the aromas. There is a slight acidic quality to this one with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer flavor wise but I was expecting it to be much more sour flavor wise.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 01:19:40 | More by UCLABrewN84

ehammond1

California

4.15/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottle (2012)

The Lost Abbey
San Marcos, CA

This looks like a gorgeous gueuze. This pours a clear, bright golden with a big, pillowy, big-bubbled white head that leaves spiderwebs of lace down the glass. Very pretty.

Bright, tart aroma with lots of lemon and nectarine notes, mild earth and brick, some sulfur, and a bit of grass/mildew.

The flavor is incredibly nice, with bright lemon notes, strong sourness throughout, mild earth, grass, and hay, along with tropical fruits. Very nice, complete flavors.

The one downfall of this beer would be its mouthfeel. Though clearly highly carbonated, it doesn't feel particularly light in body or highly carbonated. The beer seems a touch heavy, dense, and a tad lifeless.

Very nice, though I wish it was a bit more airy, delicate, and lighter in body.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 22:27:33 | More by ehammond1

MrFootstones

California

4.15/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured, dregs and all, by the bartender. Peachy golden color, slight haze and chunks of sediment settle to the bottom. 4

Classic Lost Abbey pale sour nose. Tons of nectarine, peach, citrus zest, and tropical fruit. A touch of sulfur and funk. 4.5

Taste follows the nose. Tons of tangy ripe fruit. A bit heavy on the acetic acid. Just about as much as you could get without it being gross. Close one, interested to see if it stays in check with age. Vanilla and oak are present, though low on tannins. 4

Mouthfeel is fine. Dense and soft tiny bubbles work well, nice bottle conditioning here. 4.5

This is a tasty beer. Would take Isabelle, Cable Car, V004/10 over it, as there is a touch more vinegar tang than I would like, but it's great nonetheless. 4

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 16:24:14 | More by MrFootstones

brystmar

New York

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Opened at the brewery the day after its release.

Nice pour, hazy & cloudy golden yellow. Funky sour aroma, plenty of yeast, tart fruits, and honestly pretty strong sulfur aroma. Get rid of that last item and we're good.

Excellent taste, great balance of sourness & fruit. Pretty acidic and tart, works well though. Perfectly carbonated (Lost Abbey?? What?!) Would love to see how this brew develops after a few years.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 19:48:05 | More by brystmar

HopHead84

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

3/17/2012 and again on 3/18/2012

Bottle at Lost Abbey in stemware.

A: Transparent bright orangish yellow with a big white head. Great color.

S: Lemon, oak, hay, and a restrained cheese note. Earth meets lactic and brackish notes. Barnyard accompanies goaty, salty, and horsey character. There's a decided mushroom influence.

T: Oak and tannins up front with a mouth watering citric acidity. Leather blends with earth and light fruit notes: lemon, peach, and apricot. There's a moderate lactic sourness and an upper moderate tartness. Brackish notes accompany hay. There's a bright tropical flair to the fruit profile.

M: Light body with upper medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is dry, sticky, and tannic.

Overall: I rated this a 4.93 off the first bottle, but after having two more bottles the next day I'm dropping the score a bit. The beer shows a lot of depth and acidity for one so young, but I think it will likely grow into the higher score over the next 6 months to a year. Reminds me a lot of Veritas 004 when it was first released, and that beer became amazing. This is very good, and I hope I get the chance to try it later in the year.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 17:43:59 | More by HopHead84