The Lost Abbey's Gift of the Magi

There is a brouhaha on BeerAdvocate about The Lost Abbey and its most recent Angel's Share release. Apparently this (approximately) $30 bottle of beer did not have enough carbonation and the BeerAdvocate crowd is mad. Mad may be too mild a word, as the frustration with Angel's Share has grown to encompass all The Lost Abbey / Pizza Port beers some posters thought were bad or did not like. Some BAs are swearing off all Lost Abbey and Pizza Port beers due to their anger. The worst charge is that The Lost Abbey knowingly distributed a "bad" beer. The Lost Abbey's head brewer, Tomme Arthur, responded to the criticism by saying that Angel's Share is bottle conditioned (may get more carbonated over time) and was brewed to have low carbonation. I, for one, am not swearing off The Lost Abbey or Pizza Port beers, but I am not going to pay $30 for a bottle of Angel's Share, either.

In support of The Lost Abbey, and in an attempt to rid myself of my remaining holiday beers (one left), I opened a Gift of the Magi this evening. I like this beer. It has plenty of spices and a rich depth of flavor. The 10% alcohol is present throughout, and becomes more pronounced as the beer warms and the bottle is drained. It has a rich, copper color that is slightly cloudy, and the foam is thin and quickly dissipates. It had some carbonation, but not much, which was fine with me. I will buy this beer again this coming holiday season. I think it retails around $10 to $12, which is commiserate with its quality. While I liked Gift of the Magi, I prefer drinking holiday beers during the Holiday Season.

I think it's important to remember that brewing craft beer is an art as much as science, and that all releases will not taste the same. The lack of standardization is the "craft" in craft beer. The brewers at The Lost Abbey, Ballast Point, Stone and others are craftsmen and there may be variation in their beers. I know that the main complaint with The Lost Abbey is that a bad beer was distributed on purpose rather than destroyed. This is a serious charge and after reading Tomme's response I will give The Lost Abbey the benefit of the doubt.