Adam's Beer #1 - Lost Abbey 10 Commandments

**WARNING** Please be kind to the writing - hopefully the reviews will get better as the weeks fly by. I have decided that after a year of listening to a new (to me) album a week throughout 2009 that I would keep with the theme of introducing myself to something that I have yet to try. 2010 will have many new experiences but the two I am going to shoot for are BEER and SHORT STORIES. The goal for the beer is to have a new beer each week that I have yet to try, but the twist is that I can not repeat a brewery.

For my first beer of the 52 I have opened a Lost Abbey 10 Commandment. From the bottle: 10 commandments: 1. The most imaginative beers are our crusade. 2. We believe we are all in this together. 3. We strive for honesty and integrity in our lives like you. 4. Fresh beer is great, aged beer is better. 5.Now that you have found us, help us spread the message. 6. There is good and evil in the world, our beers are good. 7. Passion isn't something you can buy at the corner store. 8. We believe an inspired life is worth living. 9. Life is about choices. The Lost Abbey is a great choice. 10. We are not perfect but no one is.

This Belgium Strong Ale in a 750ml bottle and poured a very dark, cola brown into a 16oz tulip glass. A lot more carbonation than I expected, which you can see by the picture above gave it a large head. As the head dissipated it did not leave much or any lacing.

The raisins came fourth big time in the aroma, and a sourness that I expect was caused by the Brett that was added during bottling. The taste was of a dark cherries and red wine which turned into a more sweet alcohol on the finish. It seemed to have an enormous mouthful, but it may have been the abundance of carbonation dancing on the tongue.

There was a lot going on in this beer, but without going over the top, which made it a very enjoyable beer to drink. As the beer got closer to room temperature it only got better. The spices made it a must have beer for the winter time.

Overall - 8/10 ... As the 9th Commandment states, "Life is about choices. The Lost Abbey is a great choice."