Lost Abbey 10 Commandments Ale

Review Date 4/28/2013  By John Staradumsky

Hey folks, have you ever never had a beer before, only to find that you’ve had a beer before, only to find you’ve never had it before? That may sound a bit confusing, but I assure you it happened to me not so long ago when I popped a bottle of The Lost Abbey 10 Commandments Ale. See, I bought a 750 ML crown corked bottle of this beer, knowing I had never had it before.

Then I got the beer home, and popped it, poured it into a glass and….could have sworn I had had this beer before. It was, at the very least, vaguely familiar. Was it at Taco Mac, I wondered? I poured over my Brewniversity credits. No, it wasn’t there. I didn’t have it listed on my database of beers tasted.

As I sipped and read about the beer, I learned the reason for my sense of Déjà Bu. Now before you really think I’ve gone off my rocker, I’ll explain what Déjà Bu is. You are, no doubt, familiar with Déjà vu. Déjà vu is a French term that literally means “already seen”; it’s the sense that you’ve experienced something before when you really have not.

Vu, of course, is the past participle of the French verb “voir”, to see. It just so happens that the past participle of the verb “boire” (to drink) is bu. So there you go. Déjà Bu.

Anyway, back to the beer. The reason, again then, for my sense of Déjà Bu was because The Lost Abbey 10 Commandments is a bigger, bolder version of The Lost Abbey Lost and Found Ale, a Belgian-style dubbel brewed with raisin puree. That beer I had had, and recalled due to the similarities. Similarly, 10 Commandments is brewed with raisin, but also with honey and rosemary.

The beer has a hefty (and appropriate) alcohol content of 10% by volume. This is a Belgian strong ale in style, spiced with a few unusual ingredients. That is to say, spices in Belgian ales are not at all uncommon, but raisins and rosemary are not commonly used among them. I paid $9.99 for a bottle at Sherlock’s.

The Lost Abbey has enumerated 10 commandments to go along with this brew, printed on the back of the bottle. I would be remiss if I did not list them here:

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

The Lost Abbey 10 Commandments Ale pours to a murky brownish color with a very thin head formation and a spicy pine and dark fruit nose. This beer has almost no carbonation, I got no pop when I removed the cork and had to pour vigorously to get a minimal head. Sipping, though, the beer has a delightful, almost sinful dark maltiness underneath, the dark fruity raisin and fig coming in on top of that with amazing intensity. I can really, really taste the raisins here, it’s almost like a Sun-Maid party in my mouth.  Some sweet, rich honey comes through too, and then the rosemary at the last with it’s twiggy, piney-oregano like spiciness.

Not a lot of hops here, but the alcohol helps to warm and dry. Still, the beer does not seem that strong. Like Lost and Found Ale, this beer is chocolaty and bready, but it isn’t all that yeasty in a Belgian sense. To be sure, there’s a hint of Belgian funk, but only a hint. It is very raisiny, though, even more so than its sibling.

Dangerously sippable, and very delicious, this is a beer that would pair nicely with a raisin-filled Eccles Cake.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled, Canned

(D)=Draft

 

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