Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Location: San Marcos, CA
Style: Strong Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: B+
In my glass today is the Lost Abbey Deliverance Ale. The Deliverance Ale is an interesting blend of the Lost Abbey's Angel's Share Strong Ale and their Serpent's Stout, aged in brandy and bourbon barrels, respectively. The Deliverance Ale pours up a short, chestnut colored head. The beer is opaque and the color of black coffee. The nose detects raisins, syrup, wood and smoke.
The flavor leads with sweet notes of vanilla bean and maple. Raisins, dark chocolate and syrup are also present on the sweet side. Oak and tannins are here, along with dark rye toast. There is also a bit of wininess as well. The Deliverance Ale is medium-bodied, and is on the lighter side for such a syrupy-tasting beer. The finish has dry woodiness with lingering vanilla and syrup.
Although it is a bit too oaky for my tastes, the Lost Abbey Deliverance Ale has some great flavor. It has just the right amount of sweetness. My main issue is that the flavor and high alcohol content want this to be a sipping beer, but the body wants to be a session beer. (At 12.5% ABV, this is in no way a sessionable beer, unless your name is Rasputin.) It could really use more syrup in the body to fill it out a bit. That concern aside, the Lost Abbey Deliverance Ale is a damn tasty brew and I will be sure to snatch some for the cellar if I can still find some around.
One other point of note on the Deliverance Ale - the cocoa, vanilla and woody notes make this a perfect pair for a dark chocolate. I paired this with the Chocovic Ocumare, which has some nice woody notes of its own.
Showing posts with label Strong Ale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Strong Ale. Show all posts
Monday, February 14, 2011
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Location: Escondido, CA
Style: Strong Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A
Up next for review is the Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale from Stone. This is a version of their renowned Arrogant Bastard Ale that has been aged with oak chips. Oak-aged beer isn't exactly a common practice, and by using oak chips the goal is obviously to maximize oak-to-beer contact and thus oak flavor in the final product. Let's see how well this works...
The Oaked Arrogant Bastard is deep red in color with a hint of brown as well as a slight haziness. A firm pour results in a 2-finger thick, reddish-tan head head with big bubbles. There is a thick, sticky lace left behind as the head recedes. The nose picks up fresh-cut timber, citrus hops and a touch of liquid smoke.
On the palate there is an earthy malt that is balanced by a bitter hop bite. There is a piny hops note that pairs very nicely with the prominent oaky wood flavor. There is some citrus that peeks through on the hops side as well. The finish has lingering bitterness with a nice sawdust counterpoint. The Oaked Arrogant Bastard has a medium-to-full body that holds up to the big flavor here.
The Oaked Arrogant Bastard has a great flavor profile that I really enjoy. The wood flavor is prominent without being overpowering, and the Arrogant Bastard is a big enough beer to hold up to it. To me, the flavor and aroma remind me of hiking through timber country of the Great North Woods. I will definitely be bringing a sixer of this up with me during hunting season this year. The oak brings a nice earthiness that really meshes well with the hops and malt profiles of this beer. Highly recommended.
Location: Escondido, CA
Style: Strong Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A
Up next for review is the Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale from Stone. This is a version of their renowned Arrogant Bastard Ale that has been aged with oak chips. Oak-aged beer isn't exactly a common practice, and by using oak chips the goal is obviously to maximize oak-to-beer contact and thus oak flavor in the final product. Let's see how well this works...
The Oaked Arrogant Bastard is deep red in color with a hint of brown as well as a slight haziness. A firm pour results in a 2-finger thick, reddish-tan head head with big bubbles. There is a thick, sticky lace left behind as the head recedes. The nose picks up fresh-cut timber, citrus hops and a touch of liquid smoke.
On the palate there is an earthy malt that is balanced by a bitter hop bite. There is a piny hops note that pairs very nicely with the prominent oaky wood flavor. There is some citrus that peeks through on the hops side as well. The finish has lingering bitterness with a nice sawdust counterpoint. The Oaked Arrogant Bastard has a medium-to-full body that holds up to the big flavor here.
The Oaked Arrogant Bastard has a great flavor profile that I really enjoy. The wood flavor is prominent without being overpowering, and the Arrogant Bastard is a big enough beer to hold up to it. To me, the flavor and aroma remind me of hiking through timber country of the Great North Woods. I will definitely be bringing a sixer of this up with me during hunting season this year. The oak brings a nice earthiness that really meshes well with the hops and malt profiles of this beer. Highly recommended.
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