REVIEW 144: GIFT OF THE MAGI

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  The Lost Abbey

STYLE:  Bière de Garde

ABV:  12.0%

PURCHASE:  25.4-oz. bottle, $14.99

SERVING:  Said bottle, poured into St. Bernardus branded snifter. Not very heady. I got maybe half an inch from pours of both normal (~20 seconds) and fast (~10) speed. A slow pour yielded not even one complete layer. Not much retention of what was there.

APPEARANCE:  Chestnut brown, almost like apple butter. Beige-white head. Translucent, as it seems to glow even when not in the light. Faint bubbling present. No lacing.

BOUQUET:  Malty and earthy. Seems a bit figgy or raisin-like. Brown sugar seems evident, as does a pinch of spice, seemingly clove, as in a witbier. Before I continue, I must say that I reviewed this one once before, for a private message board, almost five years ago. And scouring my notes from that session--via the original post--my experience tonight was strikingly different.

PALATE:  Malt sweetness characterizes practically the entire front half. Dark fruit enters the picture toward the slightly boozy finish, in the form of fig and possibly raisin. Rich aftertaste, continuing with the fig, but added hints of what seems to be clove. Warming at the end. The label claims this is "dry-hopped," but I couldn't detect any sort of hop presence whatsoever. (Note: This also contrasts with my earlier, private review, which noted a hoppy and also citrusy presence.). Not overly complex on the whole, and like a lot of specialty brews, gets better as it warms up a bit. In fact, these beers are better consumed at 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit, as opposed to 35-40 degrees for a "normal" beer. If drunk too cold, you will no doubt experience an off-putting yeast factor--likely the brettanomyces at play. (That's what the label refers to as "brett." "Brett" is the colloquial shorthand synonym for brettanomyces. Okay, that's enough with the etymology for one day.)

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  The recipe for this brew has obviously changed since I first (and last) had it, in 2012. Comparing my notes for both that and tonight's sessions is like night and day. Even the ABVs are different: It's gone up two percentage points in that time!

In that earlier session, I noted that I thought this was an "elite brew." That wasn't the case here, although I was still nonetheless very pleased. The "magi," if you're not aware, refers to the "Three Wise Men" who visit Jesus with gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense. I don't know if I tasted or smelled any in the beer; I don't have much gold and have never once encountered the other two. Myrrh? What the hell is that?




GRADE:   B+