Abbey Scribe | November 19, 2007

Brewery celebrates the start of the holidays with release of Older Viscosity, Amazing Grace and Gift of the Maji

SAN MARCOS, Calif. � Beer lovers will have a reason to put down the turkey leftovers and give thanks of another kind this weekend when Port Brewing/The Lost Abbey issues three new limited releases for the holiday season. Beginning at 11:00 am this Saturday, November 24th, brewery visitors will be able to purchase the following special brews:

Older Viscosity
The barrel-aged version of the popular Old Viscosity. A dark, strong ale aged over a year in American oak bourbon barrels, it’s a deep, silky black brew thick with luscious chocolate, cocoa, vanilla and caramel flavors balanced by notes of burnt wood and ash.
Release: 120 cases; 375ml cork-finished bottles. Maximum 6 bottles per person. 12% ABV; $10 per bottle.

Amazing Grace
A barrel-aged issue of the brewery�s lauded Lost & Found Abbey Dubbel ale. Aged 6 months in French Oak Red Wine barrels Amazing Grace matches an earth burnt umber color with rich aromas and complex flavors of figs, molasses and dried fruits.
Release: 80 cases; 750ml cork-finished bottles. Maximum 4 bottles per person. 8.5% ABV; $12 per bottle.

Gift of the Maji
The Lost Abbey�s first release of this Winter Seasonal ale, Gift of the Maji is a deep golden caramel-colored Bi�re de Garde brewed to a contemplative 9% ABV and bottle conditioned with Brettanomyces. Laden with toasted malt and caramel flavors accented by notes of grape, apple and cherry, its truly magical gift is a complexity that grows and softens as it ages.
Release: 170 cases; 750ml cork-finished bottles. Maximum 2 bottles per person. 9% ABV; $12 per bottle.

To ensure the largest number of people receive these limited releases, patrons will be required to present identification, and purchase quantities will be recorded. Those who attended the Lost Abbey Barrel tasting in October and reserved bottles at that time will be limited to purchasing the reserved amount.

Members of The Lost Abbey Patron Saints will be able to purchase their allotments of these releases one day in advance, beginning at 4:00pm on Friday, November 23rd.

More information on these releases can be obtained via email at lostabbey@gmail.com or on The Lost Abbey website at www.lostabbey.com

About Port Brewing / Lost Abbey
Founded in 2006, Port Brewing Company is 2007�s Great American Beer Festival Small Brewery of the Year and produces a line of award-winning American ales as well as the groundbreaking Lost Abbey family of Belgian-inspired beers. Craft brewed under the direction of co-founder and three-time GABF brewer of the year, Tomme Arthur, five beers are issued under the Lost Abbey label year-round: Avant Garde, Devotion, Lost and Found, Red Barn and Judgment Day. Additionally, a number of seasonal and specialty releases including Ten Commandments, Cuvee de Tomme and the Angel�s Share, are offered at various times throughout the year. As many of these are blended and aged for up to 18 months in French Oak, Brandy and Bourbon barrels, Lost Abbey beers are universally recognized for their complexity, unique flavors, and bold, boundary-pushing styles. Port Brewing is located at 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069, USA. Telephone (760) 889-9318, web: www.lostabbey.com.

Category: News Releases | No Comments »
Tags:

Tomme | November 12, 2007

Over the weekend, we rolled out the 2007 Brandy Barrel Aged bottling of The Angel�s Share. Since we first released this beer in November of 2006, it has become a media darling, an online tradeable commodity and for some, a profit center. Some beers just have all the luck I suppose.

Many of our most passionate fans and locals have been eagerly awaiting the 2007 version as their 2006 stocks have been depleted. For this years batch, we extended the contact time on the oak by 2 months and we used the Brandy Barrels from the first batch a second time. These freshly emptied barrels will now be moving sideways into our Cuvee program where we hope to gain some more complexity from the newly emptied barrels and their spiritous remains. It�s good news for Cuvee fans as more barrels equals more bottles each year.

I�m going to keep this blog way shorter than most. Essentially, I am exhausted from the weekend and don�t feel too much like writing. Yet, I wanted to make a point to thank everyone (in print) who volunteered for the weekend to help us successfully release the 2007 bottling.

Here�s the most important details for consumers then:

The 2007 Brandy Barrrel Aged Angel�s Share yielded 173 cases of 12 x 750ml cork finished bottles. This years batch can be delineated from last years batch through the inclusion of Copper Foil on the labels. All of our barrel aged beers will now include Foiling enabling consumers to buy with confidence. Next year, in 2008, we will begin Vintage dating our specialty releases as well.

This past weekend we sold 15 case of beer to our Patron Saints locally. These were picked up on Friday. We also sold 16 cases to our non San Diego base Patron Saints through our e commerce on Friday as well. On Saturday, we sold 75 cases of The Angel�s Share to the general population. The doors opened at 10AM and by 2 PM. We were out of beer. We also have reserved 28 cases from our Barrel Aged Beer tasting that we did back in September. Each ticket holder from that night got to reserve their 6 bottles of The Angel�s Share without having to worry about standing in line.

All told we have 134 cases that have been spoken for. We also will be selling two cases each to some of the better specialty beer bars in San Diego. This will take us to about 150 cases for this release. The other 23 cases will be used for promotional work and beer dinners and our brewers cellar. It�s simply amazing to me that so much beer can disappear so quickly. But it did. And, it would not have done so without the help of our amazing volunteer(s) at the brewery.

I wanted to finish today by taking some time to thank all those people who helped us make Saturday a spirited and uneventful release. Prior to the release on Saturday Mary Jo and our Webmaster David compiled Excel files allowing us to categorize and supply Patron Saints with beer. David also executed the online sales flawlessly.

On Saturday morning, I was first met at the brewery by Damian and Lona. You should all know who Lona is, as she was the one who logged everyone in. Damian personally stacked all 75 cases in the lobby and then assisted in making like Santa on Christmas day.

Tim showed up next and made sure that we were ready to roll during the crush of the morning. He also alerted me to the ebay post on the bottles from this release. Mary Jo and Adam showed up a few minutes later and I walked them through the system I had prepped, hoping it would handle the long day ahead. They were soon joined on the front line by Terri and Sage. Many of you should thank the �beer fairy� and Angel who slung beers all day. Gina rolled in shortly thereafter and we had a crew in place to handle it all.

When we opened the doors at 10AM I didn�t know if we had enough staff to handle the eager consumers. After about 1/2 hour it was easy to see that our preparation was paying off. All told, it took most people less than an hour of standing in line to get their beer. We kept meticulous counts on who was buying, how many beers they were buying and throughout it all, our concern was always the people at the back of the line.

I�m proud of our system and the way it worked. It isn�t rocket science or FBI tight. But it�s a system that we now know works and we can improve on. Yet, the reason I wrote this post is that I�m frankly veryproud of everyone who busted their ass on Saturday to ensure a smooth operation. There were only three �true paid� employees working the release that day. But, everyone else working isn�t doing it for money. Nope, they love beer. And that�s exactly the kind of help any young company needs. So next time we release something special, take a look around and spend a moment to say thanks to the people helping you. We all need a little beer Karma from time to time. Even the elves at Christmas time.

Category: Around the Brewery | No Comments »
Tags:

Abbey Scribe | November 5, 2007

From the article:

King Arthur’s kingdom was in disarray.

After a triumphant weekend in Denver at the nation’s largest beer competition, Tomme Arthur returned here to find his brewery � Port Brewing/The Lost Abbey � under siege.

A balky capping machine had spoiled cases of Shark Bite Red Ale.

A glass supplier has run out of the distinctive bottles that hold the distinctive Lost Abbey ales.

The tiny brewery has so many orders, it’s unable to fill them all.

Still, it’s nice to be king. Last month at the Great American Beer Festival, the industry’s annual showcase, Arthur’s beers won three medals. Port Brewing/The Lost Abbey, which opened its doors in 2006, was dubbed the nation’s best small brewery, and Arthur was crowned the top small-brewery brewer.

» Read the rewst of the article (Via Sign On San Diego)

Category: News Coverage | No Comments »
Tags:

Abbey Scribe | November 3, 2007

It’s official! On November 10th, 2007 we will open the doors at Port Brewing Company and release the 2007 Brandy Barrel Aged version of The Angel’s Share.

In order to accommodate more interest and demand in this beer, we will be opening the doors at 10 AM. We “may” have bottles of Older Viscosity available for sale as well. This all depends on our bottling situation this weekend. There is about a 25% chance these will be ready.

Please also note the following rules for this release:

• Bottles will be $15 per cork finished 750ml bottle.
• There will be a limit of 6 bottles per person.
• You will need identification to buy these beers as each person will only be allowed to purchase 6 bottles.
• This beer is being sold at the brewery only.
• We will NOT take email orders nor will we hold back bottles for pick up at a later date.
• We will NOT ship this beer to out of state patrons.

Once it is gone, it is gone.

There are about 90 Cases available for Sale next weekend.

In a little over one years time, The Angel’s Share has become one of the most desirable beers that we produce. As such, we are implementing the above rules this year to ensure that as many people as possible can secure their allotment.

We believe a system like this is necessary and we ask for your patience on Saturday as we test it out and work out the kinks for future releases.

Category: News Releases | No Comments »
Tags: