Tomme | May 27, 2007

We’ve been open for business for over a year. Hooray Beer!!! When we started this Lost Abbey project, we envisioned a barrel room like no other barrel room we had ever seen in a brewery. With this in mind, we created a sanctuary off to the side of our tasting altar. In this catacomb like room, we stacked row after row of oak barrels inside. It took us almost 6 months to get all 90 barrels full of beer. The good news is that now that all 90 barrels are full, we have acquired some 40 more barrels bringing our total to 130 Oaken Opportunities.

About a year ago, when we opened for business, the questions flowed. “How long does the beer sit in the barrels? How many different beers will you be releasing? Does this mean there will be more Cuvee available?” We still get these questions on a regular basis so I thought I would address them here.

First, we are producing the following beers from the barrel room at least once a year.

Cuvee de Tomme- Currently 9 oak barrels filled- anticipated release date is November of 2007.

Older Viscosity- Currently 10 oak barrels filled- anticipated release date is September of 2007.

The Angel’s Share(the Brandy Version)- Currently 9 oak barrels filled- anticipated release date is September of 2007

Red Poppy Ale- Currently 4 oak barrels filled- anticipated release date is October of 2007.

There are also many unique creations that will see the light of day as they mature. So far, we have released some En Garde, Amazing Grace and shortly there will be a special release for the members of our Patron Saints Club.

There are a bunch of randomly filled barrels that we will experiment with as we work on blending of casks for future projects. But let’s tackle some of the questions.

First, most of the beers in the barrel room will remain in oak for no less than one year. The Angel’s Share and Older Viscosity barrels are typically ready in 6-12 months. The other beers(sour versions) require something more akin to the patience of Job and as such I tell people 12-18 months. For those playing along at home, this is important as we have recently celebrated our 12 month anniversary. The next six months will be about selecting the best barrels and creating awesome blends. I for one am very excited about this.

Recently(at our anniversary party) we tapped a cask of The Angel’s Share that was aged in a Bourbon barrel. It was very well received. So well received that I have relented and brewed a batch of The Angel’s Share that will be finished in Bourbon Barrels and sold next year. This way, we can offer two versions of the same beer but with differing wood finishes.

This notion of multiple wood finishes is quite common in the whiskey world and is something that I had hoped to adopt at The Lost Abbey. It seems that our Angel’s Share was a natural fit. In the future, we may even look at 1-2 more finishes for this beer if we feel it is justified.

This past weekend, our patrons had to duck between the rows of the new oak barrels in order to get to our altar. The questions starting flowing as soon as they were seated. “What are you going to put in the new barrels? Can we expect more Cuvee? What is the first beer you will put in them?”

The answers are Yes, more Cuvee. We will be working on a few new projects(that we aren’t willing to discuss right now) and the answer to the other question is Duck Duck Gooze will be the first beer in the pipeline. Just remember that it will be 18 months before this one gets released so we’re looking at January of 2009.

It’s funny to be talking about beer 18 months out. Not many people and brewers are writing schedules for this far in advance. Most beer takes 9 days to make not 500 plus days. Maybe I will start speaking in terms of seasons like a farmer. (Holding a bottle)- “Now, this one here took seven seasons to get from tank to glass…” Oops. I forgot, we live in San Diego where there aren’t any seasons.

That’s it for the update. Thanks for listening. Apparently, it’s barrel filling season here at The Lost Abbey. We have tons of work to do(nothing new there). And at the end of the day, we won’t even know what these beers will taste like until 2009. Strange But True. Welcome to my World

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Abbey Scribe | May 25, 2007

From Michael Jackson’s Tasting Notes:

It is a freshly fragrant and blond abbey-style ale. Some added hoppiness give it a floral and truly California touch. At 6.25% alcohol it is a dangerously drinkable brew that makes a wonderful and sophisticated cocktail beer for the warmer months.

» Read the full review

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Tomme | May 15, 2007

Today

Was my daughter’s first birthday. She’s now a whopping 365 days old. That makes her sound so much older. Almost old enough to drink Old Viscosity- which I maintain is certainly not her favorite adult libation… or her father’s for that matter!!!

Tonight, we’re celebrating. We’re celebrating that after 365 days on this great planet, she’s accomplished some cool things. Like for example, she knows how to pull on the tap handle that daddy points to. She’s yet to learn how to close “said” handle however, like most grown ups, she smiles with glee when the river runneth through said tap. As the maker of said river, I would interject here that it would make me happier only if she learned how to stop said water of life from flowing…details I tell you.

For those of you who live in San Diego and visit our brewery, this comes as no surprise. Sydney is a frequent attendee at the alter of greatness we call Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey. She knows her stuff well. We expect her first words to be “world class” or perhaps “Gold Medal…” But then again she may have moved on to the business of life and be willing to blast off a “hey, you owe us $3.00 a pint…” We’re just not sure which way she leans yet. It will be sassy no matter which direction her tongue takes her.

I have this bet with her mother that her first word will be LAMBIC. This is only due to the fact that Brettanomyces is too polysylabic. I’m holding that one back for our First Parent Teacher Conference Night.

Um, “Mr. Arthur, did you know that Sydney broke off a Brettanomyces reference today…?” She did. That’s my girl!!! Did she make Vinnie proud and reference Pliny too?” I can’t wait. She’s not only a step ahead, she’s one and a half fake ID’s ahead as well. My daughter turned one today and she knows great beer and she knows it better than a one year old can(with apologies to Ava Rae Murray of Pizza Port Fame- who has yet to turn one year yet)!

I for one, am looking forward to more conversational opportunities with her when we can discuss the merits of Avant Garde and Cheerios. Both sport a decidely “toasted” quality and at the same time have subtle nuances that need to be discussed on their own. She’s told me as much.
Still, I felt it was important to stop for a moment and share this moment with all of you and especially her. So Sydney Happy Birthday. Your Daddy is very tired. He double brewed today. It won’t pay your tuition yet but that’s life. In honor of your birthday, he threw back a chocolate with chocolate frosting cupcake and a bottle of Deus. Certainly this was not a pairing made in heaven. But at the end of the day, a beer made in the Champagne Method needed to be drank. Cupcakes be damned!!!

Happy first birthday my little one. Daddy has to go back to work now. Something tells me that college in 2025 won’t be cheap… I think I hear the Angel’s calling. What’s that, there’s a shortage of barrels? Someone tell the Dean, I have his check… I just need to sell a few more cases of the good stuff.

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Abbey Scribe | May 15, 2007

Our sister outfit, Pizza Port, will be hosting it’s annual Real Ale Festival June 1st and 2nd at the Carlsbad location. From the website description:

The most amazing selection of Real Ales dispensed in the traditional way using beer engines and this year we will even have some Real Ale bottled beer to taste. It’s a great way to get educated while having too much fun!

Admission is $25, which gets you admission for both days, a commemorative glass and eight tasters. Additional tasters are available for just $1 apiece. There’s also a VIP Tasting, which is $40, but it gets you in at 1pm on Friday (instead of 4pm for the great unwashed), plus access to a whole bunch of real ales that are too limited to make available during the main sessions.

If you’ve never been to one of Pizza Port’s events (e.g., the Belgian Beer Fest, Real Ale Festival or Strong Ale Festival), then you definitely need to attend — it’s always a great time. (Oh, plan on getting a hotel and/or taxi — you will definitely need it!)

You can get all the information on Pizza Port’s website right here.

VIP tickets are available for purchase online right here.

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