Resonant Constellation

This is one of those few beers that I get to drink out of my trappist glass, so even before I poured it I was excited. What drew me to this particular beer out of the (probably) hundreds of other nearby at my local beer store was the fact that it is brewed with rasins. Well, this was so novel I HAD to try it, even if I had no idea how that would taste.

The bottle is quite large and is corked instead of the usual metal crimped caps that beer has. It took a little work to get the cork out, but when I did, the scent clarified the experience immediately: RASINS! They are omnipresent in this beer as a strident forward note. Because of this, this is a rather sweet beer; some may consider it a dessert beer. The rest of the beer certainly follows this impression, but before we get to taste, let’s consider the looks:

Lost Abbey Judgment Day in my Chimay Trappist Glass. Not quite sacrilege...

The beer pours very dark with very little head (this might be bad pouring on my part, but I’ve been getting pretty good as of late, so this is getting less likely). The nose, while dominated by rasins, is also accented by other dark fruits and hops.

This beer is almost shockingly fruity. In the first sip, I tasted pear, strawberry, and a hint of plum. As the beer warmed a bit, I began to taste caramel malts and just the barest suggestion of melon. Overall, it is very creamy and at just the right amount of carbonation to take advantage of this.

So, if you’re in the mood for a very sweet, fruity beer, give Judgment day a whirl. Just be careful, at 11% ABV it has a hidden kick!

Score:
Aroma:7/10
Appearance:4/5
Flavor:8/10
Palate:4/5
Overall:15/20

Final Score:3.8/5.0