The Lost Abbey Devotion

The Lost Abbey is the much-revered project of former Pizza Port brewer Tomme Arthur and Pizza Port owners Vince and Gina Marsaglia. Located in San Marcos, CA, they focus exclusively on strong, Belgian-style ales. The Lost Abbey, along with Stone and AleSmith, are the leaders of the San Diego Craft Beer Renaissance, and their beers--all sold as cork-and-caged 750 ml bottles--are amongst the most sought after in the US.

I saw Arthur, a former high school English teacher, speak at a beer festival in Colorado once, and he explained that his Catholic upbringing was the inspirtation for the church-themed beers and artwork on Lost Abbey products. The names range from simple--Devotion, Red Barn--to hagiographic--Sinners' Stout, Witches' Wit--to more playful (Duck Duck Gooze).

Unfortunately, their beers are not available in Oregon, so one must head across the Columbia to By the Bottle in Washington to get ahold of them. It is worth the trip.

Devotion, their take on a Belgian blond ale, is a beautifully hopped and drinkable beer. The style is rarely made by US brewers, who seem to prefer stronger or more classic Belgian styles. But, there is something beautiful in a well done Belgian blond, which takes many of the characeristics of stronger Abbey and golden Belgian ales and fits them into a lower alcohol brew. Devotion is notable in that it straddles the line between the sweet and bitter traditions in this style quite nicely: there's a grassy, very dank hop aroma and flavor that is matched by a stiff malt sweetness and some mild yeast-driven spiciness. In some irrational, inexplicable way, it just reminds me of spring. It is well carbonated, light on the tongue, and unendingly complex. I get flavors of pine, pepper and fresh bread. It is a fantastic aperitif that pairs well with lighter dishes, including salads and many cold hors d'oeuvres.

Other Lost Abbey beers receive more press and praise in the beer geek world, but I'll make a push for Devotion to merit much more attention.