The Lost Abbey Track #8 - Ale Brewed With Raisins, Aged In Bourbon Barrels With Cinnamon And Chilies

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is The Lost Abbey Track #8 - Ale Brewed With Raisins, Aged In Bourbon Barrels With Cinnamon And Chilies. I picked up two bottles of this (same day) one from California Craft Beer (here) in Fremont and one from Caps & Taps (here) in Dublin.

Commercial description: “We’ve never released a Bourbon Barrel version of our Judgment Day. So we thought it might be interesting to take the base beer for Cuvee de Tomme age in first fill Bourbon Barrels and let mother nature take over. Of course, because this is a Rock and Roll inspired Box Set beer, we couldn’t just leave well enough alone. 

Upon sampling the base beer, it became apparent that the raisins used to brew the base beer were going to drive the flavor bus of this beer. The conversations turned to Oatmeal Raisin cookies and the essence of a freshly baked treat. So we added some cinnamon sticks to the barrels and threw in some dried chiles as well.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours deep dark brown with a thin tan head and spotty lacing.

Aroma: Cinnamon, raisins, bourbon, charred oak, vanilla, maple, chocolate and chilies.

Taste: Chocolate, raisins, figs, plums, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla, coconut, bourbon, candi sugar with a slightly boozy and chili heat in the back.

Overall: Big, sweet and very well done, The Lost Abbey Track #8 is excellent! This 13.70% ABV monster is well balanced and complex.  I think I may need a few more for the cellar.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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