Try?
Not that long ago, I was totally blown away by one of the most drinkable, funky-yeasty Belgian inspired beers I’ve ever come across: Lost Abbey Red Barn Ale. I ordered up a mug of that little beauty at my local Taco Mac here in Canton, but before I go much further I should add that this review is not about that beer. Nope, today my friends instead we’re going to talk about Lost Abbey Serpent Stout, an equally impressive beer from the other end of the drinkability spectrum.
The reason that I bring up the Red Barn is for comparison purposes: light in body but amazingly flavorful, packed with yeasty malty flavor, a true session ale after the Belgian fashion if ever there was one. It is a bit high in alcohol at 6.7% by volume for session drinking, but by today’s standards not overly so. Now take the Serpent Stout. This behemoth is everything Red Barn is not: jet black colored, roasty, 11% alcohol by volume (or so my bottle says, the Lost Abbey website pegs the beer at 10.5%). In short, a sipping beer to be slowly savored.
Serpent Stout is a Russian Imperial Stout of the first magnitude, and the fact that the brewery can craft beers as diverse as these so adeptly is a credit to them indeed. Serpent Stout is not a Belgian-inspired beer, but the brewery does maintain biblical connotations with both the name and the label. Even their description of the beer follows this theme:
The history of the bible and religion is indeed the struggle of good vs. evil. Our Serpent’s Stout recognizes the evil of the dark side that we all struggle with.
Lost Abbey Serpent Stout pours to a jet black color as black as sackcloth with a thick creamy head formation of dark tan foam and a sinfully enticing nose of chocolate and raisin. Taking a sip, the deep, dark, and mysterious liquid slithers slowly across the tongue, leaving behind a trail of powdery cocoa, rich dark licorice, raisins, a little vanilla, and of course coffee. The finish is roasty bitter and a tad sour even, dried nicely by a warming alcohol burn. In short, this one is a magnificent sipping brew perfect for a winter’s eve, but equally well suited to gentle imbibing with the AC cranked in the midst of June.
Delightful with a slice of Black Forest Cake as I enjoyed it tonight, or sipped slowly on its own. Pricey at about $10 a bottle, but this one is worth it, and should not be missed.
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
(D)=Draft
