Nate appealed to us saying that we should drink a lambic for our SWUS festivities.  My brother and I went to The Lost Abbey, so sipping some Amorosa was a no brainer.  Actually, my brother went with the intention of buying some Isabel Proximus or Duck Duck Gooze…stumped on both accounts.  I would loved to been able to post a review on those beers.  No matter, I got my second taste of Amorosa and here is what I thought.

The Pour: Trust me when I tell you, that, if you get this beer, let it settle and cool for a day or so.  I imagine that perhaps too much yeast or unfermented raspberry got into the bottle we drank because the cork started coming out on its own accord.  (The only other brew I remember doing something similar was the Gueuze from Hanssens I drank; it contained Mead, so those sugars made the cork really pop.)  Once the bottle was open (good thing it was thick), it was too late.  The Amorosa was gushing out.  Fortunately, we acted quickly and saved most of the brew (we probably lost an ounce or so).  At any rate, we gently poured our brews into a couple glasses and noted that the body was very reddish with some brown tones.  It was hazy, as the style should be.  Amorosa also had plenty of floating bits (the high co2 must have really stirred it up).  One of the lovely aspects of the brew was its prominently pink head.  My glass held the head well, but the goblet did not.  Either way, it still looked like a very drinkable beer.

The Nose: For those of us who like sour beers and sour stuff in general, this beer has the mouth-watering aroma that simply makes one begin to salivate in Pavlovian anticipation.  The prominantly tart raspberry stood beside acetic (vinegary) and lactic qualities, creating a beautiful nose.  A hint of sweetness seemed to be present and was a nice counter-balance to the woody sourness.

The Taste: As anticipated, there was a touch of residual sweetness in the brew, which almost certainly (along with the carbonation level) kept the higher than average 7% ABV in check.  Alcohol was well-hidden behind raspberries that gushed like opening bottle.  Drinking Amorosa was certainly more like eating a fresh raspeberry than a Lindemans.  (However it’s not quite as sour and tart as a Cantillion, for instance.)  Also, the seeds of the raspberry added their own distinct tones to the brew.  It seemed like raspberry through and through.  Slight bits of fresh lemon peel also graced the sour and slight bitter aspects of the brew.  The wood flavor and dryness were apparent but not over-powering.  A delectible sourness, tartness, and smaller acetic tones made this a wonderful beer.  On the back, the lambic tones really came through.  Paired with raspberries, the lambic was really emphatic.

Overall, this was a very tasty take on a framboise that seems like authentically drinking raspberries.  The sours with the touches of sweetness were harmoniously balanced.  The only flaw that I saw was the fact that the carbonation was so high.  I’ve seen that this is a problem across the board…I’m sure the next round will be spot on.  Still, like all other Lost Abbey brews, it’s good.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction:  

Among other Lambic Ales: