Mo' Betta Bretta - The Lost Abbey

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

If the intent was to brew a Belgian style ale with a pleasant orange citrus character, understated carbonation, then they did it spot on. Smooth mouthfeel. Decent drinkability with food. If this moderately bretted ale qualifies as a wild ale, then there are funkier beers around not listed as wild ales. Thanks Robert Bland for hooking me up.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 02:47:37 | More by northyorksammy

womencantsail

California

3.9/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Lost Abbey

Pours a cloudy orange color with a white head. Smells of citrus, banana, yeast, and spices. A light floral note, some hints of straw and grass, and maybe a little pineapple. The flavor is quite fruity with good citrus, banana, pear, and pineapple notes. The spice (clove and nutmeg) notes are also well represented. Sweet malt and a touch of yeast are also present. More of just a Belgian pale ale sort of flavor, but it’s still quite enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2012 04:37:39 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a Lost Abbey teku. Quite bland. Low carbonation. Touch of peach. Fairly dry. Hopefully this gets better with an increased presence. The aged version from Pizza Port was phenomenal.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 03:20:21 | More by Thorpe429

UCLABrewN84

California

3.7/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 5/23/12.

Pours a murky honey orange with a 1/2 inch foamy bone colored head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of malt/grain, yeast, and some slightly funky Brett aromas. Taste is of malt/grain, yeast, and some very mild Brett flavors without any sort of real funk tastes. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is drinkable but just like the New Belgium version, there is no real distinct Brett presence. However, I must say that this is the better of the 2 versions in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 04:55:28 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

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

Bottle: Poured an amber color ale with a medium size foamy head with average retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of funky yeast is sourer then I would have anticipated. Taste is a mix between some sweet malt notes with some funky ester and light barnyard notes and a sour finish. Boyd is quite full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Interesting but a bit underwhelmed and not sure this is one I would revisit anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 17:14:22 | More by Phyl21ca

drabmuh

Maryland

3.55/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Shared by Thorpe, not impressed with this beer. Better than the New Belgium treatment but still not good.

Beer is brown and hazy with thin tan head, low retention, no lacing, low carbonation.

Aroma is yeasty and malty.

Beer is medium to light in body, a little yeasty but hte yeast is lost in a lot of malt, it seems like an incomplete beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 16:22:06 | More by drabmuh

metter98

New York

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

A: The beer is hazy dark golden yellow in color. It poured with a finger and a half high off white head that quickly died down and left lacing on the surface and a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of lemon and orange citrus in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of orange citrus along with hints of sourness and tartness.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer feels a little heavier (and maltier) compared to other wild ales. It doesn't deliver as much sourness compared to other beers in the style but it still has some interesting properties and is very easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 03:52:28 | More by metter98

zeff80

Missouri

3.9/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a cloudy, golden yellow color with a one-finger, white head of rocky foam. It left thin rings of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled of funkiness and yeastiness with some caramel notes.

T - Good phenolic and funky tasty with a nice spicy bitterness. Caramel sweetness makes a nice backbone.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This is a really tasty wild ale. I enjoyed this version better than the New Belgium version.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 15:52:05 | More by zeff80

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to DaveHack for opening this one. The beer poured out at a hazy golden yellow color with a thin white fizzy head on top. The retention and lacing were decent. The smell of the beer is very mild for a wild ale. There really isn't a lot of funk of sour notes on the nose of this. Instead I get some fresh wheat aromas and other grains. The taste has a very subtle funkiness to it with some soft grain flavors and minimal bitterness. The mouthfeel of the beer is light bodied, smooth and fairly refreshing. Overall I was surprised by how subtle this beer ended up being. Not bad, not great though either.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 01:56:08 | More by Knapp85

emerge077

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks Ben for sharing this one! Tasted alongside NB Brett Beer and SN Brux. Quick review from notes.

Served in a tulip glass from a sturdy 375ml bottle.
Pale murky yellow orange, some light carbonation visible, thin cap of white foam. Skim breaks quickly, it didn't have that crazy rocky head like many Brett beers have.

Light aromas of pear esters and a generic Belgian yeast. Not getting much funk or farmhouse character from the Brett strain. Grainy like a BPA or Saison. Flavors are similar with a basic light pale malt sweetness, pear and apple flavors, and a watery thin body. Not really worth the $11 price tag... maybe this was released too early, it seemed the Brett was barely there if at all.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 15:15:22 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

4.28/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12.7 oz. bottle,

A: Pours an almost opaque orange yellow with a bubbly white head which leaves almost no lace.

S: Light bretty funk/gym socks/leather, stone fruit, citrus peel. Real nice colour.

T: Delicious candied peaches and apricots, with a light hint of mushrooms. Fruity as a young beer, very tasty.

M: Crisp, medium-bodied, refreshing, prickly yet soft carbonation, rather dry.

O: This is quite young (i.e. the 'Brettiness' hasn't really started), but it's drinking great and really doesn't need it. Very impressive. The $8 bottle price is pushing it, but this goes to show that Lost Abbey can certainly make good beer even with all the problems they've had in the past.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 01:20:22 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a cloudy orange color with a short 1/4" head.

Smell: caramel, citrus, and nice funkiness create a pleasant aroma.

Taste: caramel, peaches, mild orange, green grapes, and a moderate bitterness is wrapped in a nice funk that is not overwhelming to the profile.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer. Lightly crisp throughout with a bit of drying late. Long lasting funk-filled aftertaste.

Overall: this was slow sipping but easy to consume. The brett was not in your face but more complimentary here. Enjoyable but one glass is enough in a session.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 18:42:13 | More by Gavage

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The nose on this one says nothing at all of a wild ale. It seems very much like a saison or a belgian pale ale; rather ordinary and uninspiring. Flavor is very much along the same lines with a sweet and bready character and a slight earthiness as well. If this were listed as a different style, I wonder if the scores would be much higher. That considered, I am curious how to score it, personally. I think the base beer is pretty good. There are just no wild ale tones to speak of at all.

A nice beer, but as a wild ale, very much a miss considering who is behind this one. A disappointment, unfortunately.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 08:02:41 | More by RblWthACoz

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.23/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Poured a cloudy, glowing orange with a medium white cap leaving a hrrily resceding cap, no lacing remains just a little white ring of bubbles on the perimeter

S: Yup. Brett. Immediate barf, horseblanket with banana, cloves, some pepper and minimal orange zest

T: Acidic sting and big carbonation meet some banana, citrus and clove with a small dose of horseblanket funkiness. Finish has a little booze sting, dry, carbonation with lingering yeastiness and more fruits

M: Light to medium bodied, big carbonation with fruitiness and hay on the palate

O: Honestly, not bad but I was expecting more out of this collaboration. I bought 1/2 case so we'll see what happens with it.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 02:17:21 | More by barleywinefiend

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottled 3/24/12
(Served in a tulip glass)

A- This beer pours a slightly hazy dense orange body with the second pour being chucky. There is a light beige thick meniscus of head that is supported by strands of microbubbles.

S- The aroma of boiled corn has a slightly sweet yeast aroma in the finish.

T- The over cooked corn taste has a slightly sweet green hops candy hint the turns into a pale malt sweetness as the beer opens up.

M- The medium-light mouthfeel has a slippery texture and no alcohol heat.

O- I’m glad I got to try this beer as it is a very interesting experiment but I didn’t care for the cooked corn flavor at all. I really like brett when it is aged in Belgian beers and perhaps a different strand of Brett would be more enjoyable but this one was tough to get through.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 22:14:15 | More by rhoadsrage

mdfb79

New York

4/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 07/08/12 notes. Big thanks to Nugganooch for sending a bottle of this my way; thanks Dane! Always excited to try a new wild ale and LA beer. 375ml bottle into my Lost Abbey stemware.

a - Pours a hazy yellow-orange color with one to two inches of bright white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of brett, funk, wood, citrus, floral hops, bready malts, earthy notes. Nice citrus and brett in the nose, as well as wood.

t - Tastes of brett, oranges, citrus hops, floral hops, earthy notes, wood, hay, lemon. More brett and some nice oranges here; better than the nose.

m - Medium body and moderate to high carbonation. Very easy to drink.

o - Overall I liked this one quite a bit. It is not sour at all, but has a lot of brett and a little funk so it you like bretty beers you should like this one. Very easy to drink, glad to have another bottle of it.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 21:59:57 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.69/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Wanted to wait a while to crack this, but I have a couple other bottles so might as well have it while it's not too old and try it first.

Pours a light fizzy head despite tons of bubbles, little lacing, crazy hazy murky sediment filled yeast chunked golden straw honey colored beer.

Nose has some funk, light horsehair funk, lemony, lemon balm like, light floral spices, little fruity and tart fruit, light wheat and grassy aromas, fairly fruity overall.

Taste starts with a somewhat sweet malt bite, sweet golden malts and candi sugar, a nice golden Belgian malt flavor esp with the candi sugar gives a nice Belgian feel overall. Smooth malts turn to light funk, just a touch of funk overall but a decent fruit base, tart pear and lemony, grassy and wheat flavors again, straw, grainy a bit, nice and fluffy and a bit effervescent. Finish is sticky and somewhat sweet but mostly dry, gritty, light tart lemony fruit, little floral grassy and fruity.

mouth is med to lighter bodied, plenty of effervescent carb, little gritty.

Overall not bad, but nothing like I expected, very little funk, a bit fruity but not a lot of tartness, more like a decent Belgian ale with a faint hint of funk.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 02:37:04 | More by jlindros

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy golden orange color with lighter banana colored edges and a one finger white foam head that quickly settles into a lasting ring. Visible carbonation bubbling up and sporadic spots of lace left behind.

Aroma is similar to that of a wheat based beer with zesty spice, bread, citrus fruit and pale malt notes. Slightly earthy but the brett presence is weaker than I expected. A little musty and funky but I'm getting more lactic sourdough bread and some subtle sulfur. Reminds me of a tame Berliner weisse.

On the thinner end of medium bodied with a decent brett presence but again, tastes more like a wheat based beer with subtle funk. Crisp and refreshing with some zesty spice followed by bready yeast, citric acidity, light fruit and faint musty funk. Slightly lactic but not very sour or acidic. Peppery spice with some coriander and ginger followed by some banana, bread and strong lemon juice presence. The wild yeast adds subtle farmhouse funk and light tartness in the finish. Refreshing and easy to drink but not all that interesting.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 07:46:34 | More by corby112

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.13/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Hefty chunks of haze throughout the yellow beer, nice pristine white head on the top of it. Mild aroma, immediately was thinking more biere de garde type of thing moreso than a wild ale. Just lots of bretty and bready going on. Just the slightest bit of mild citrus, like they took 1/20th of a valencia (that's a juice orange!) rind and threw it in the barrel.

Taste, definitely not sour, again, more like a biere de garde, lots of biscuity, breadyness to the beer, thick mouthfeel. Seems like this may be uber fresh without giving time for the brett to do more of its thing. Comparing this to Sanctification does a major disservice to Sanctification. This pour, tasted nothing like Sanctification. There's no bacteria here, just brett yeast strains. Don't go into it expecting a sour beer.

Plenty gritty, teeth sticking aspect of the beer. Drank at the FW invitational. Never picked up any oak from it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2012 15:34:17 | More by Beerandraiderfan

DoubleJ

California

3.68/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Once again, good artwork and a good back descriptions sets up this Lost Abbey beee (whispers - and a little help from New Belgium too). From a 375 ml corked and caged bottle, on to the beer:

Pour it, swirl it, get a cloudy and murky yellow orange colored beer with a small head. Retention is fair, and is doesn't really show off with lacing. The aroma does show some of the brett, but the complexity and intendity it usually brings don't seem to be there just yet. The funk is mild, with breaks of leaves and a quick touch of manure.

It's refreshing and very crisp, that's for sure. Very appealing with its mouthfeel, so it's a little bit of a bummer that the taste doesn't meet my high expectations. A little funk rides the wave. A kiss of bubblegum, leaves, and vague spice enter the profile. Its alcohol, listed at 6.3%, does touch and go with a little solvent feel. A soft bubblegum aftertaste lingers.

Good drinking, refreshing, though could use a little time to develop.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 18:05:01 | More by DoubleJ

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.38/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: A bronze-orange coloring has a whirling amount of effervesce with some cloudiness and micro-particulate matter about. A chalky white head is sudsy and thin in stance not lasting very long while the lacing was bare.

S: Nose of muted oranges and wheat. None to funky, quite restrained with some indications of fresh wet grass.

T: Flavor of citric oranges and wheat. Flowery wet green hops and wet bread make up the general flavor with some hints of dried tropical fruitiness and dried honey. Some sweet grain juice comes on the close.

M: Bubbly carbonation, bready feel, heavy on the tongue with a flowery dried tropical leave off the tongue.

O: Overall the funk is very limited here, a bit of a dissapointment if your a fan of lost abbey with expectations of thier other beers. Fairly good but clearly not distinguishable. More of a bottle fermented strain of brett which is weaker and not as dominant.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 00:41:41 | More by beerthulhu

kojevergas

California

3.4/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12.7 fl oz brown glass bottle with hood and wire cap acquired at Ramirez Liquor in Los Angeles, California, and served into a generic (unbranded) stem-tulip in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are high given the breweries and style; I was extremely impressed with La Folie and I love Lost Abbey's sours.

Taken from the refrigerator and and allowed to warm significantly prior to serving. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours an impressive seven finger beige colour head of nice fizzy soft cloud-like cream, good thickness, and excellent retention. Colour is a hazy orange-copper; very hefeweizen-esque. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. All around I'm excited to try it, but there's nothing unique or special here.

Sm: Heavy brettanomyces, clean malts, a bit of bacteria, hints of orange peel citrus (and accompanying citrus-focused light hopping), wheat (?), and above all yeast. A fairly strong aroma. Very pleasant to a sour fanatic. I'm excited to try it.

T: Pleasant bretts, wild yeast, no real bacteria, orange peel citrus and accompanying complementary light hops, and a clean malt foundation. A lactic note. Certainly alive. A bit too biscuity on the back end. Nicely layered and subtle, but it comes off a bit simple compared to my expectations. It's enjoyable, but I expected more complexity and subtlety. Nicely balanced and built.

Mf: Smooth, wet, and refreshing. Suits the flavours quite nicely, but borders on too much wetness. Carbonation is perfect.

Dr: Drinkable and enjoyable, but not at all worth the high price. I expected far better from these two breweries, especially for a sour. I'd have this on draught or significantly aged if I was in the mood to over-pay for a sour, but I wouldn't recommend it to friends. A disappointing limited release, but still an enjoyable one.

B-

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 07:52:49 | More by kojevergas

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Much appreciation goes out to BdubleEdubleRUN for sending me this. I am even more thankful after seeing this on a PA bar menu for 35 bucks. Seriously? What makes a beer get a 5x multiplier in price just for traveling across the country? Anyway...

Poured into a matching Lost Abbey Teku glass (again thanks go to Brett for this) the brew appears a clouded color of gold. Sitting atop is a finger and a half of white head that recedes slowly due to supporting bubbles that rise to the surface. A light swirl revives a finger of yellowish stained meringue. Spotty lace sticks to the glass.

The aroma opens up with some tropical quality. Pineapple and mango are noticed before the onset of some belgian phenolics like clove, pepper, bubblegum and banana. There is some grainy wheat inclusion that gives some freshness to the brew. As the brew warms up and is swirled, some grassy notes come forward with some earth and sulfur.

The taste is surprisingly a conglomeration of hefeweizen, saison and/or belgian blonde. There is an upfront fruit quality like mango, pineapple, peach, pear and apple that blends into some spicy yeast elements like clove, banana and pepper. There is a pretty significant wheat inclusion here that does a decent job transitioning the flavors of fruit to yeast and back. The aftertaste is mildly earthy, grassy and sulfuric.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation yet it feels creamy and smooth at times in the feel. For a brew that announces itself as a brett beer, I can see why people get their shit flung up in the air over this and are pissed that it isn't sour or more wild. The overall impression of this beer is something quite similar to a brew I made with brett C, so I would venture a guess that this is what was used here. I found it to be enjoyable in it's own right but really wasn't expecting this to be so similar to an everyday hefeweizen blended with a saison of sorts.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 00:52:16 | More by stakem

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.01/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Received this earlier this year from Doppelbockulus in a great trade... Thanks Charley!!

Pours dark golden... looks like apple juice and the light carbonation and nearly nonexistent head solidifies that image.

Nose is grainy with the brett showing only as some light lemon and dusty/grassy notes... really fruity and sweet with warmth.

Flavor is pretty much the same with an underlying sorta fruity sweetness... apple and perhaps apricot.

Very light carbonation ... bubbles only really show on the tongue.

Just not very good. Seems like a BSPA with only the lightest Brett character.

3.25/3/3/3/3

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 05:14:19 | More by JohnGalt1

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Aroma is fruity, mainly pear with hints of lemon and tangerine, plus yeasty and malty undertones. Pours a fairly hazy amber with a fluffy and rather persistent white head. The bottle popped when I opened it, but at least I didn’t have a miniature Old Faithful. Flavor fills the palate with fruit, apple, pear and tangerine, plus malt and yeast notes and just a whisper of butterscotch. Lively, fizzy texture has good, firm body and leaves a tingling fruity, malty finish that carries a butterscotch hint. Get knee-deep knee-deep knee-deep in this beer!

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 23:30:32 | More by Cyberkedi