As you may recall from More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkeys, angel’s share is the portion of booze lost to evaporation during barrel aging; a fitting name for alcohol mysteriously stolen without opening the container. Also a fitting name for a beer that spends at least 12 months aging in bourbon or brandy barrels.
San Diego based brewery, The Lost Abbey, has entered the barrel aging game with its release of Angel’s Share an 11.5% ABV American Strong Ale. The style is a catch-all category use to describe beers with high alcohol content that do not otherwise fit an established category.
Appearance
Cloudy dark brown beer pours from the 375 ml bottle. A hint of red is visible when held to the light. Even a vigorous pour leaves only a thin layer of head. What little foam there is has a tan hue. Naturally, very little lacing is left on the glass.
Smell
Strong bourbon and hints of vanilla and oak knock the drinker back. A second waft reveals unripened green pear and cherries mingling with with sweet malt and caramel. The 11.5% alcohol is not shy about announcing its presence.
Taste
Notes of fig and dried sour cherries with a bourbon and booze backbone invade the mouth. The beer finishes with a bit of roastyness and caramel from the malt and some oakyness from the barrel. Not a hint of hops to be found.
Mouthfeel
Medium to full bodied beer. As foreshadowed by the thin head, Angel’s Share is very lightly carbonated. Alcohol is hot on the way down.
Drinkability
A somewhat difficult to beer to grade as the style is unique even for the catch-all Strong Ale style. Barrel aging has imparted a complex layer of bourbon, oak, and vanilla that crowds out the pleasurable malt aromatic and flavors. This beer is ranked in a tie for 38 on Zymurgy’s top 50 beers, but feel short of our expectations. Overall grade for The Lost Abbey Angel’s Share: C+
Lost Abbey Angel’s Share
Up next on Tuesday Tasting: Stone Brewing Co.’s Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale