The Lost Abbey Judgment Day

**Aroma:** “Huge chocolate up front, with notes of dark cacao and bakers chocolate, along with a decent amount of vanilla and bourbon. Slight note of coffee and roast, with enough sweetness to balance. Deep notes of chocolate and raisin, with a nice vanilla oak character. Acetic aroma seems to be simply from the abundance of very dark-kilned malts.” **Flavor:** “Very clean yeast profile. Hops character is subdued; bitterness is a bit over-accentuated by the tannic wood. Rich and malty with dark coffee and dark chocolate notes accentuated by hints of wood oak character and dark fruit. Finishes with a complex warming character.” **Overall:** “The coffee flavors are quite nice. Alcohol is quite smooth. Grain bill is simple and straightforward, but the beer is so well done that it’s very tasty and a well executed example of the style.

**Aroma:** “Lots of complexity on the nose. Rich fruity esters with fig, prune, cherry, apple, plum, raisin. slight spice charac- ter. A nice malt sweetness that ranges from toast and biscuit to toffee and caramel. Slight oxidized note, similar to a barleywine or old ale. A hint of alcohol.” **Flavor:** “Tastes like sweet raisin bread. Very rich and complex, with moderate carbonation. Malt sweetness with toast, some biscuit. Lots of dark fruit with prune, dates, and raisin, and slight cherry. Nice alcohol warmth and not too sweet in the finish. Very similar to an old ale. An alcohol that is just enough to say it was there. Shows a bit of age, with a hint of sherry, but that adds to the complexity.” **Overall:** “Great beer. I like nearly everything about this beer...from the malt backbone to the fruity esters and even the complexity added by some age. This one is a shining example and one of the best-executed beers we’ve had in this style. Clearly brewed by someone who knows the style in and out.”

**Aroma:** “Light spicy notes with fresh and juicy fruit esters—notes of peach and cherry. Slight white grape notes with medium clove-like esters. As it warms, more fruitiness comes out with a slight citrus or low tart note. Peat smoke, light caramel, and some yeastiness.” **Flavor:** “Mid-level malts supply caramel and toffee while the fruit esters (cherry and peach) are subdued. This beer seems to be nicely balanced between malt sweetness and hops bitterness without the third dimension of yeast complexity. High grape notes with a touch of alcohol. Fruit notes transition from grape to banana as it warms. Light tartness in the finish. Medium alcohol balances with the moderate body. Medi- um carbonation and a touch of smoke.” **Overall:** “An interesting take on a dubbel. Not what most would consider a classic sensory profile for the style, but an excellent beer that one should order without hesitation.”