Shetland Camels and Our 10 Commandments
Many years ago when I first started working on The Lost Abbey project, I had a list of beer names that I knew would be part of the core and seasonal program we wanted to develop. It was great and the list was fairly long (nearly 20 beer names I think). This was at a time when beer names could still be conjured up without stepping on other brands and their Intellectual Property.
Both of today’s beers were part of the original list and land on the seasonal side of things. First up is 10 Commandments. This was a version of a beer that was produced at Pizza Port and was known as SPF 8 (we also had an SPF 45 which later became Red Barn). 10 Commandments would honor SPF 8 and essentially no recipe changes were implemented.
It was a very quirky recipe relying on some non-traditional things. It was designed to be dark brown in color with an incredibly light body. It featured Buckwheat Honey, Caramelized Raisins, Rosemary and Orange Peel. Somehow, all of the ingredients worked well together and the beer was fermented with the same Saison strain that we used in Red Barn.
I’ve always loved the power and simplicity of the art for this beer. I love the color and choices that Sean made. There are some incredible blue and purple hues and Moses just looks super bad ass. It definitely does not give off the vibes of Mel Brooks and his Moses dropping one of the “15” Commandments thereby revealing he had been given 10 by God above.
Ten Commandments art by Sean Dominguez
This beer was very special for me in that the verbiage was used to share our mission and goal as a brewery. The back of the label listed the 10 Commandments and tells our consumers what to expect. While not perfect and preachy like “real” commandments, these were used to established the ethos behind our method and madness.
The most imaginative beers are our crusade.
Simply put Lost Abbey beers should be bold and bad ass.We believe we are all in this together.
They say it takes a village. In order for our craft to succeed, we need customers.We strive for honesty and integrity in our lives like you.
From the Honesty is the best policy files.Fresh beer is great, aged beer is better.
We love a great fresh IPA but we’re also well known for beers that have (and can) age well.Now that you have found us, help us spread the message.
Don’t be shy. Go tell it on a mountain. Say it loud and proud Lost Abbey Good!There is good and evil in the world, our beers are good.
Life is too short to drink crappy beer. You found the good stuff. Now Share.Passion isn't something you can buy at the corner store.
Probably my favorite Commandment.We believe an inspired life is worth living.
One should sprint out of bed and run to work everyday because it’s just that awesome.Life is about choices. The Lost Abbey is a great choice.
20 years later we still think this rings true.We are not perfect but no one is.
For Sinners and Saints Alike- pay attention to what group is listed first. No virtue signalling here.
Original Gift of the Magi Painting by Sean Dominguez
Have you ever seen a camel in real life? They are massive (and kind of nasty) animals. I could not fathom jumping on the back of one and bouncing across the desert. But that’s that exact story of the 3 Wise Men who visited Jesus after his birth. The Magi came bearing gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Mryhh.
Originally when it came time to produce Gift of the Magi, I considered trying to incorporate some Frankincense in the beer. That plan was abandoned when I realized how incredibly difficult it would be to get approval from the TTB (Tax Trade Bureau) for the inclusion of such a unique adjunct. Some of the earliest beer reviews actually reference Frankincese and the contribution in the beer..OOPS!
The recipe is a stronger version of our Avant Garde. It’s a primary lager fermentation which is subsequently dry hopped and then at packaging the beer receives Brettanomyces for extended aging in the bottle. Even though it’s stronger and has Brett on board, I find t’s best drank within the first year of its release. For many years, this was our annual Christmas release. This has since been replaced by Gnoel de Abbey.
Gift of the Magi Bottle Art
The title of this blog post references Shetland Camels. As I have previously alluded, many of our Lost Abbey original art pieces have some interesting quirks. This beer is no different. The image of the Magi in a desert on their camels is quite literally the Christmas image we see on so many cards during the holiday. In fact if we ever wanted to send out real Christmas cards this would be the best image to use. As stunning as the image is, it’s never been lost on me that those are the shortest damn camels I have ever seen! So over the years, I have lovingly referred them as “Shetland Camels.”
All told this is still a very beautiful image and one that I think portrays Sean’s artistry well.
