Folding boxes.  That’s what I did for about an hour at the Lost Abbey last Sunday while we were waiting on some friends who were caught in traffic. I saw that the Lost Abbey had tweeted about having a 1,000 boxes to fold.  I’m not intending to brag, but Andrea and I make a great team. We killed 200 or so boxes in a very short time.

Right after we started working, Terry (the bar keep) came over and asked me what I wanted to drink.  Fortunately, I’d seen a Tweet the day before containing this phrase, “Gozer the gatekeeper sent me.”  Confessedly, this was an odd phrase, but the gate entrance yielded something pretty special.  That phrase secured me a pint of Bourbon-aged Angel’s Share. This is not an un-coveted brew, so I sipped it discerningly and slowly.  Not a bad start to the day.

Upon the completion of my task, which incidentally, I would have done for the sheer joy of folding those boxes at a brewery, I retired to take a repast with my comrades.  They were sipping some Carnivale, also a delightful brew by the Lost Abbey.  Let’s face it, this brewery doesn’t make bad stuff.

While we were eating, I decided to check in about sampling a couple of homebrews I had brought, as well as a Bourbon County Stout (something I knew my friends had been wanting to try).  Our festivities commenced, and we sipped on some other delights, also trying a Port brew here and there.  I bought a couple bottles of brew in the meantime: two bottles of Red Poppy and Cuvee de Tomme.  I was content to hold on to my brews for future use.  Yet, it was far from over.

One of the six in the group was so kind as to purchase a bottle (a large one) of Cuvee de Tomme, which we split and enjoyed.  Also, a bottle of Red Poppy was opened.  Yet, this was not the end of the day.  What came next but the coup de gras…a bottle of Duck Duck Gooze that Sage delivered to the table (you may remember that he commented on one of my earlier posts, which is demonstrably awesome).  $40 a pop is nothing at which to scoff.  It was wonderfully sour and simply a beautiful beer.  I encourage you to try it if you can.  The other great part about the bottle of DDG, which is also true of the Isabelle Proximus, is that these brews are scalper-proof.  I mean, the early bottles are still floating around, but if you purchase a bottle at the brewery, you have to drink it right then.  Can’t buy it and sell it on eBay…terrific.  That’s a side note.

I got to try Duck Duck Gooze.  That’s outstanding.  Besides gas, my total for the day of drinking brew was $0.  I had a couple pints of Angel’s Share as well as a bunch of other stuff.  However, that wasn’t the best part about the visit.

When I arrived and they let me go to work, I knew that the attitude engendered there was completely unpretentious.  These people just love making good beer.  Go figure, I was folding some boxes for the brewery.  Folding boxes that would be shipped to stores carrying the coveted prizes from the Lost Abbey.

When the boxes were done and I joined the group, I pulled up a keg, threw a bag of dextrine on the top and sat.  Did you know that the bags sat on by people end up in the beer?  I learned that fact from Anya, a friend we were with.  The attitude was laid-back, warm, and welcoming. Trust me when I tell you that I’ve visited some pretentious breweries.  For the most part, patrons will follow the example set by the establishment.  You could tell that the tone set by The Lost Abbey was to relax, cut the attitude of superiority, and have a good time.

I learned a lot while I was there.  Did you also know that The Lost Abbey is located in Stone’s Old building?  While Stone has moved up to a bigger, cleaner, and sleeker facility (not that there is something wrong with that), The Lost Abbey seems as rustic and unique about its brewery as it does its beers.  Companies like Stone, New Belgium, and numerous others are great for beer.  They really help the industry and the smaller guys.

Sometimes bigger is better, but when Nate and I have a brewery, I would be honored to function in the same way as the Lost Abbey.