Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale

Brewed By: Port Brewing/The Lost Abbey in San Marcos, California 

Purchased: Single 12.7oz bottle (375ml) bought at Friar Tucks in Urbana, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Flanders Red Ale, 5.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

This beer hurt my wallet. Hopefully it will also hurt my enamel. About the The Lost Abbey: 

The Lost Abbey is part of the Port Brewing Company, and is located in Stone Brewing's old brewery location. The Port Brewing Company/Lost Abbey emerged from Pizza Port in 2006, and now operates independently. There is a lengthy history page on The Lost Abbey's website. The main story goes: back in the day, Vince Marsaglia (owner and co-founder of Pizza Port) was interested in brewing American-made Abbey style beer. In 1997, Vince joined forces with brewer Tomme Arther who worked to brew some awesome Belgian beer at Pizza Port. In 2005, when Stone Brewing moved from their San Marcos location, Vince, Tomme, Vince's sister Gina, and Jim Comstock founded the Port Brewing Company. Port Brewing opened in May of 2006, and the rest is history.

Today's beer, the Red Poppy Ale, is a "celebration of sour cherries." This beer is brewed from a brown ale base, and is aged in oak barrels for over 6 months. This American-Style Flanders Red is released in limited amounts, and costs an arm and a kidney.

Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale

On the pour: a rich and hazy, dark brown, red-tinged body. This one kicks up two fingers of deeply brown-tinted, reddish head. The head has good retention, with a pinky's worth hanging around. This beer is also appropriately carbonated. It looks like it has had that barrel clinic, and this would fit right in among a lineup of Flemish Reds. 

There is great scratch and sniff action here, with deep layers of oak, sour cherries, and wood barrel on the nose. There are deep malts in here, with caramel sugars, cola, and cherry sweetness. The deep malts play off Brett funk, weird band-aid funk, and acidic pop. I'm getting red apple cider vinegar, acidic wood, and tart cherries. There are cherry tannins in here, with cherry skin, and some light jammy fruit notes. This aroma is actually quite complex, and surpasses some recent sours I've had, including the Love Child No. 4.

Hmmm...this is, all things considered, kind of a restrained beer. I'm getting nice lactic sourness, with some apple cider vinegar, sour cherries, and granny smith apples. There are some nice oak and Brett notes that round things out, with good wood in the mix. The back end is actually quite soft and malty, with more wood, Brett funk, oak, cherries, cola, and even some caramel sugars. At this point, this isn't the enamel-ripping monster I expected to get it. It's kind of balanced and constrained with the fruit maybe adding some sour notes and sweetness to the overall mix.

All things considered...this is light and drinkable for the style, with a medium-light mouthfeel. At 5.0% this is basically non-intrusive and non-alcoholic. Palate depth is okay and complexity is pretty high. This isn't overtly sour or aggressive...it's kind of balanced and constrained. Up front: tart cherries, sour cherries, lactic acid, sour wood, apple cider vinegar and sour apples; the mids roll into sour cherries, jammy fruits, growing malt sweetness; the back end drops oak, band-aid funk, wood, sweet caramel, and a nice dry finish that leans on the malts. Nice.  

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd) 

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average here. This is really good and has nice complexity...I just wish it was a little more assertive. It could even benefit from more overt fruit notes. I think in that respect, this beer falls short compared to something like...Goose Island's Madame Rose. Or even their Juliet or Gillian. If you are going to go with the cherries...really embrace the fruit. This beer's maltier leanings mean it will pair well with grilled meats, duck, and maybe even a slice of cherry pie to really bring that cherry flavor home.

Random Thought: As a Bears fan, I am concerned right now. That is all.