Abbey Scribe | May 23, 2011

The Lost Abbey’s latest barrel-aged rarity more than three years in the making

The Lost Abbey will release the next in its coveted Veritas small-batch barrel-aged beers on Saturday, May 28, 2011. The most complex and time-consuming beer released by the brewery to date, Veritas 009 took more than three years and periods in bourbon and wine barrels to create. With only 100 cases available, Veritas 009 will not reach general distribution and will be available for purchase directly from the brewery only. The 750ml cork-stoppered bottles will be $35 each and strictly limited to four bottles per person.

Veritas 009 is a substantial departure from earlier members of The Lost Abbey’s small batch experimental program, which were generally sour beers aged in French oak barrels for 12 to 15 months. Begun in late 2007 as dark base beer, it was sent to freshly emptied bourbon barrels from Kentucky’s Heaven Hill Distilleries. The beer aged for 15 months before it was moved into French oak barrels previously used for wine (primarily Syrah). Sour cherries were added and the beer was left to rest for another year and three months. Finally, in mid-2010, it was pulled from the barrels, blended, bottled and sent off to condition for an additional 11 months.

“It’s one of the most complex beers we’ve ever created,” Arthur said. “Veritas 009 has strong notes of cherry, red wine, cedar and dark cocoa accentuated by a pervasive acidity that makes for an incredibly deep finish. It’s an amazing beer and easily one of the most cellarable produced at The Lost Abbey. I have no doubt that it will drawn fans from both the craft beer and wine worlds.”

Interestingly, Veritas 009 came close to never being made available to the public. Begun as a private project of Arthur’s, the existence of the beer and the details behind it were kept secret until last year. Even after news of the beer leaked to the public Arthur declined to discuss it beyond acknowledging that he did indeed have a barrel-aging project referred to only as “KT”, a reference to the secretive order of the Knights Templar. It wasn’t until a sampling session that Arthur decided to move the beer into Lost Abbey’s public small batch program and release it as Veritas 009.

“There is so little and it took so long to perfect we actually considered issuing it as a private release, or not at all,” Arthur said. “But after sampling last week, we decided that it was just too good to keep hidden and the public should have access to it.”

A total of 117 cases (12 bottles each) of Veritas 009 were produced. 100 cases will be made available to the public on release day. More details are available below.

Veritas 009 Release Details

• When: Saturday, May 28, 2011. 10am – 6pm
• Where: Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey – 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069 (click for directions)
• Total release: 100 cases (1200 bottles)
• Format: 750ml cork stoppered bottles
• Price: $35 per bottle
• Limits: Four (4) bottles per person maximum

Category: Beer Releases, Events and Appearances, News Releases, Tasting room | Comments Off
Tags: barrel-aged, beer release, bourbon, sour cherries, veritas, wine

Abbey Scribe | April 15, 2011

Celebrate our 5th Birthday with food, live music and new beer releases!

Come party with Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey and celebrate our 5th Anniversary on Saturday May 14, 2011.

Like last year we’ll be breaking the party into two sessions and limiting the number of guests so everyone can relax and enjoy themselves.

Items on tap for our daylong festivities include specialty kegs from the barrel archives, bottled beer releases, special barrelhouse tours, amazing street food from our in-house chefs, and live music from our two special guests — Kiera and the Lesbians and The Professors.

Brews, Food, Tours and Entertainment

Brews:
Following our anniversary tradition, not only will we be loading all our taps with the latest and greatest of our beers, but we’ll be releasing Anniversary — the fifth release of our hoppy, strong pale ale from the Port Brewing side of the house.

DOBO Tomme Arthur will also be delving into the storied Lost Abbey barrel and bottle archives to give guests an opportunity to sample rare brews from the past half-decade. (Look for special bottles, and secret taps all day long!)

Food:
For those of you who enjoy five star food, this year chef Jason Danderand will be heading the outdoor kitchen and barbequing, steaming, smoking, broiling and baking his way through a stunning assortment of street foods with a unique “San Diego” culinary spin.

Special Tours:
Lead Brewer and Keeper of the Barrels, Ryan Fields, and our new QAD, Gwen Conlley (née Flying Dog), will be hosting tours of our famous barrelhouse, giving guests an opportunity to see where our beers await the angels on high (and possibly learn a few of the secrets behind one of American craft brewing’s most famous barrel programs).

Music:
We’ll have two bands playing this year. The first session will feature the vintage-tinged garage, folk, rock and roll sounds of Kiera and the Lesbians. The second session will play host to our favorite lounge lizards, The Professors, who will be performing their own special brand of sophisticated Surf Music.

The Details

Location
Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey, 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069.

Time(s)
Two sessions — the first from 11am to 3pm and the second from 4pm to 8pm. For $15/session admission guests will receive a commemorative tasting glass, 8 beer tasting tickets and food (additional taster tickets are $1 each). Ticket sales will be strictly limited for each session.

Tickets

Remember, we’re limiting admission for each session, and last year we sold out completely, so make sure to get your tickets early! (It’s unlikely we’ll have any at the door.) 21 and older only please. ID will be required.

For Designated Drivers (Either Session)
» Buy Designated Driver Tickets
sold out

Category: Beer Releases, Events and Appearances, News and Events, Tasting room | Comments Off
Tags: anniversary, beer release