Beer Review: Track 8: The Number of the Beast

Reviewing Track 8: The Number of the Beast from The Lost Abbey out of San Marcos, California. This beer is Lost Abbey's Judgement Day (a quadrupel brewed with raisin) aged in bourbon barrels with cinnamon and chiles added.

Score: 93

December 2012 bottle served in a stemmed Cantillon tulip and enjoyed on 01/04/14.

Appearance: Murky raisin skin in color, fading to brown color at the edges when held to light. No head off the pour, and no lacing or retention to speak of. Totally flat in appearance. 2/5

Smell: Smells primarily like sweet raisins steeped in bourbon, with a little Christmas spice added. The bourbon character is very brown sugar-forward. A hint of chocolate and grain too. 4/5

Taste: Tastes like an oatmeal raisin cookie with a strong cinnamon twist and light chili pepper flavor towards the finish. Light notes of chocolate and licorice too. Has a nice brown sugar-forward bourbon character as its backbone. There is a little alcohol booziness in the finish, but nothing that screams 13.7% ABV. The spice character is much more prominent on the palate than it is in the nose. Quite delectable. Above average linger, finishing with raisin and brown sugar. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, virtually no carbonation (not shocking, given that this is a Lost Abbey beer). A beer like this does not need much carbonation, but a modicum thereof would have been nice. Has a nice sweetness to it, with a faint pepper prickliness in the finish that gives a nice life to the mouthfeel. 4/5

Overall: The taste is great, which is what counts most, but it would have been nice if the nose was on par with the taste and if the beer had (some) carbonation. Overall, one of the more unique tasting beers I have drank, and certainly delicious despite the above-mentioned flaws. At $20 per 375 ml (this is the reload price; it was much more expensive per bottle when you bought the whole box set), however, this beer is not a can't miss brew.

Cost: $20 for a 375 ml.