The Lost Abbey Devotion Ale
It seems that The Lost Abbey has been in the beer news lately and for all the wrong reasons. You see Tomme Arthur is a world class brewer. I have no doubt about that but lately he’s come under fire to selling some beer that is not quite up to standard. It seems a lot of his beers went out of the brewery with little or no carbonation in the bottle. Tomme even came out and wrote to the fans about the situation. Which to me is a fantastic thing. He’s taken the issue head on. The one issue I have is this should never happen. They should be testing their batches as they go out the door. What also annoys me is that The Lost Abbey has some crazy prices for their beer. 25-30 dollars for a 375ml bottle of beer that can be bought in stores? It annoys me that I paid a ton of money to be part of the Patron Sinners club. Sucks to hear that your order will be delayed months because of the issues. Nothing like paying over 200 dollars for a club that doesn’t deliver. I hope we even get these beers. I’m almost certain one day soon we’ll see an email from the brewery stating sorry but we couldn’t meet the demands of the club so here’s your money back. Ok enough of my bitching. Bottom line is that this brewery is world class in my opinion. They just need to get some stuff straightened out. Hey did I mention Devotion Ale is a really good brew?
Devotion pours a cloudy dark orange color with a medium sized fluffy head. The nose is full of Belgian yeast, lemon, citrus hops, and candi sugar. This beer is a pure joy to drink. Sour up front. Not as sour as other Lost Abbey brews. Not even close. Pretty much perfect for my palette. Lemon, citrus and grassy hops come up next. The lemon and grassy hops make for a nice bitter taste. The mixture of the Belgian Yeast, fruit, hops, sugar sweetness make this brew perfect to sit back and enjoy while outside sitting on your deck. The mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, slightly syrupy, and easy to drink. This is not a big beer and might be one of their safer beers right behind Witch’s Wit. I enjoyed it a lot.
I hope I wasn’t to harsh up top. I commend any brewer on running the daily operations of a brewery. I sure it’s a crazy job. I just want my bi-monthly supply of Lost Abbey dammit!! =) Keep up the good work Tomme.
Found: South Bay Drugs, Imperial Beach, CA (Mail Order)
Price: 7 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.lostabbey.com
What the company says: Read the whole story here
ABV%: 6.25%
Other beers to try from this brewery: The Lost Abbey 10 Commandments, The Lost Abbey Lost and Found
Other beers to try within the same style: Furthermore Fatty Boombalatty
Rating: B+
What beers are you seeing that are $25-30 for one of their small 375mL bottles? Maybe they price them different in the eastern states but Angels Share, Isabelle Proximus, and all of their other special release beers that are $30 are the 750ml bottles… which is still too expensive for me.
Steve,
A store in CA was selling 375 ml bottles of Red Poppy for 20-25 dollars if I remember correctly. I just couldn’t believe it.
We had their 10 commandments at DLD. Very good! Nate especially loved it.
I loved 10 Commandments. Good stuff. Like I said they make quality stuff. Some of their beers are just overpriced. A lot of their beer isn’t though. I guess a lot of breweries have beers that have high prices. I’ve just heard some stories about Lost Abbey.
I’m moving to Cali in about a month, so I’ll let you know if there is some relief on the prices out there.
Oh ok, yeah it’s few and far between but there will always be a store selling those bottles at ridiculous markups. I remember for Older Viscosity release a couple years ago some sold the $10 bottles for over $20.
Just a heads up, i was the store selling Red Poppy for $20 per 375ML bottle. My cost per bottle was $15.
Should i not make a profit?
Just saying, sometimes it’s not gouging like you think.
Joey
Devotion is my favorite Lost Abbey beer, I think it’s a great beer. I was a Patron Saint last year but did not renew. All the beers, with the exception of a special Devotion, were available in stores before I got my shipment. May have been worth it if I was able to make it to the annual party, but could not make it. I had an Angel’s Share a few months ago at San Diego’s Toronado. Thought it was good, but would not pay $30 for a bottle. Just too much alcohol. Plus, I usually taste beers with a friend and we’ll drink four of five, and I’d hate to pop open a $30 bottle of beer after four or five DIPAs. 10 Commandments is a great beer, especially at its $10 to $12 price tag.
Joey,
You should make a profit no doubt and I’m not talking about your store in particular. If I thought your prices were outragious then I wouldn’t order from you as much as I do. =) I always say how great your prices are. I’m talking about going through BA and RB reviews and seeing people saying how much they paid. Sometimes I just can’t believe it.
Here’s an example of a review on Red Poppy Ale
Paid $29.99 for a 12.7 oz bottle from Perry’s Liquor in Livermore, CA. Poured into a large wine glass to review.
That’s an example of what I was talking about.
Wow, that’s an insane price to pay for a 375ML bottle. I bet they have a sinners membership and they’re just re-selling the beer with the added cost of shipping they paid.
Cheers!
Joey
Like my said, I loved the ten commandments. I need to get into trading a bit more so I can explore their other varieties. The fact that you said this beer is “sour up front” has got me craving it.