Before I jump into the review I’ve got to thank my incredibly supportive and loving girlfriend Trish for not only putting up with this crazy hobby of mine but also for buying this beer for me for my first huge reviewing milestone. I love you Trish!

The Lost Abbey Bourbon Barrel Aged Angel’s Share Ale

A / 4.45
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4
rDev: +2.9%
374 ml/12.7 oz corked and caged bottle poured into a snifter. 12.5% ABV, “Bourbon 2010″ printed on the back, towards the bottom of the bottle.

A - Mild Carbonation results in a quiet fizzy pour that allows only seconds of tan head to appear before falling away to a tiny ring of bubbles. Obvious for a beer this high in alcohol. Surprisingly, it’s not sludgy like motor oil. Instead it’s a clear, very dark brown color with mahogany red slivers around the edge.

S - Dark, rich notes of earthy, dirty old wood pairs well with an incredibly hot bourbon booze in the nose. It’s like a slap in the face how hot it smells. Molasses trickles in after the booze but is followed by a scary soy sauce aroma. Let’s not have a repeat of “Triple Bock” please… Vanilla and caramel malts find their way in towards the background of the aroma. No hop presence at all as it’s almost entirely bourbon.

T - I’m thrown for a loop initially by the rich texture that it’s got that it didn’t seem to have on the pour. Then I’m thrown for a second loop with hop mild the bourbon alcohol hotness is in the flavor compared to the aroma. Vanilla and sweet milk chocolate with molasses outlines the caramel malt-laced warm wood bourbon barrel flavor nicely. Lot’s of deep, rich notes cover up any hops that may actually be in here and actually work very well with the lower bourbon kick. This is incredible.

M - It looked thinner from the pour but boy, was I mistaken. Almost non-existent carbonation leaves this full-bodied, chewy beer smooth as velvet, rich, and thick. It lacks the alcohol kick to the taste (thankfully) that the nose has. Instead, it warms up your innards pretty damn quickly.

D – I’ll be sipping this for the next two hours no doubt. It’s warm and goes down well but would be best shared and is much more suited for anywhere between late fall and the dead of winter. While the hotness doesn’t enter the taste so much, I still find this to be a beer that would only get better with another 5 years.

Cheers to 1,000 more!

-Andy