Beer Review: Deliverance Ale

Reviewing the Deliverance Ale from The Lost Abbey. This beer is a blend of Brandy Barrel Angel's Share and Bourbon Barrel Serpent's Stout. The Lost Abby is a brewery with a lot of hype, and they are best known for their sours/guezes. This is the first beer I have ever drank of theirs, although I do have a Serpent's Stout in my cellar.
Score: 97

2011 vintage bottle served in a Surly Darkness snifter and enjoyed on 02/26/12. This is a backlogged review from a beer tasting I hosted on Oscar night.

Appearance: Pours a jet black color with a thin layer of caramel/brown highlight atop the glass. One half finger of creamy mocha colored head at pour settles into thin layer, ultimately settling into a ring around the glass. Above average lacing, solid retention. 4/5

Smell: Bourbon, vanilla and dark fruit. There's noticeable alcohol too. Fig, burnt chocolate and brown sugar too. Plum, rich milk chocolate, almond, pecan and tobacco leaf reveal themselves as well upon further whiffs as the beer warms. 4.5/5

Taste: Complex, super flavorful and balanced! First impression is mellow bourbon, fig, rich and creamy vanilla and brown sugar. There's oak/hickory and a moderate brandy-like flavor on the midpalate and towards the finish. Maybe it is just a part of the creamy vanilla flavor, but there is also a distinct "butteriness" to the beer as well. I want to say it's the almond/pecan flavor from the aroma. Whatever it is, it is a very subtle flavor that adds a really interesting additional complexity to the beer. There is also a consistent prune, molasses, milk chocolate, and "Raisinets" flavor throughout. As the beer layers, I detect a hint of banana too. Finishes with plenty of vanilla, raisin and rich chocolate flavor. Very sweet and viscous. Near perfect barrel aged stout flavors here. There's some booziness present, but the rich, sweet flavors keep the alcohol from being a "hot" distraction. I could see this one turning into something even greater with a little age on it. This one is a bit of a sipper, but even if it was not, I would demand that this brew be sipped and savored. 5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus bodied, minimal carbonation. Super creamy mouthfeel. Finishes a bit sweet, but it is not overly sweet at all. 4.5/5

Overall: Really expensive, but really delicious. If I am shelling out more than $10 per 12 oz, this is exactly the experience I want to have. I would absolutely buy this beer again, even though it retails at $20 (after tax) for one drink's worth.

Recommendation: Seek this beer out and save it for a special occasion.

Pairings: Chocolate chip pancakes.

Cost: $17.99 for a 355 ml bottle.