Inspired by the shroud of mystery that envelopes the Vatican City during the Papal Conclave, The Lost Abbey presents their newest creation, Sede Vacante (SEH-deh vah-CAHN-teh). Created from a cloak and dagger blend of variously aged barrels previously stored in the catacombs of the brewery, Sede Vacante is a marvel of equal parts flavor and mystery. The creation of the beer itself was veiled in secrecy; the formulation written on black papyrus was burned soon after completion.
An extremely limited amount of bottles, less than 100 cases, will be available beginning Saturday, March 23rd beginning at 10am at the Lost Abbey tasting room. With its small-batch size, Sede Vacante’s lore will only be intensified by its fleeting availability.
Sede Vacante is a blend of Barleywine aged in Cognac barrels and Brandy barrel-aged Angel’s Share and at packaging came in at 15% abv. A contemplative beer with substantial depth, Sede Vacante imparts tones of dark fruit and vanilla, with a warming finish from the Cognac. The strongest beer to emerge from The Lost Abbey, portions of the beer spent almost 5 years in a barrel. Sede Vacante can be enjoyed immediately or cellared till the next Papal Conclave, however long that may be.
Sede Vacante Release Details:
– When: Saturday, March 23rd, 2013. Doors open at 10am
– Where: Port Brewing/ The Lost Abbey – 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069
– Total Release: less than 100 cases
– Format: 750ml cork finished bottles
– Price: $35 per bottle
– Limit: One case per person (12 bottles)
Craft Brewery will culminate its yearlong special release series with a limited edition collector’s set
SAN MARCOS, Calif. – October 17, 2012 — Bringing its 12-month paean to classic rock anthems to a shuddering crescendo, The Lost Abbey will issue the complete Ultimate Box Set as a special collector’s edition on November 24, 2012. Limited to a total of 500 publicly available sets, the collector’s edition will include each of the 12 special edition brews (aka: “Tracks” 1 through 12), a custom-designed album sleeve with the full-sized art used on each of the beer labels and liner notes from the brewers — all packaged in hand-built, numbered metal road cases. The Box Set case and album sleeve were designed by Grammy® award-winning art director Matt Taylor of Varnish Studio in collaboration with John Schulz of StudioSchulz. Each of the Sets will cost $450 and be available only by lottery drawing.
The Lost Abbey Ultimate Box Set Collector’s Edition | Photo Credit: StudioSchulz
The Ultimate Box Set releases began in January of 2012 with the brewery releasing one beer every month with names inspired by classic rock songs invoking Heaven or Hell. The beers covered the full gamut of The Lost Abbey’s signature stylings — fruit and spiced, wood-aged, sours, wild, and spontaneously-fermented ales. Each was issued in 375ml corked, hood-and-wire format, included original label art, and was limited to a total run of approximately 1,000 bottles; 350 of which were sold in the brewery tasting room and had to be consumed onsite. The remaining bottles, reserved for the upcoming collector’s sets, will be the only full bottles ever allowed to leave the brewery.
“This is the most ambitious project we’ve ever undertaken,” said Tomme Arthur, director of brewery operations for The Lost Abbey, and the mind behind the Ultimate Box Set. “Not only have we produced 12 exceptional rare beers, but the original label art and stories associated with each, along with the one-of-a-kind hand-built road cases brought the entire concept together beyond anything I’ve encountered in my near 20 years of brewing. It really is the Ultimate Box Set.”
Because of the extremely limited nature of the collector’s sets, the brewery will not put them into general distribution. Rather, the 500 will be allocated to the public via a lottery with names drawn from patrons who purchased individual Track releases each month in the tasting room. Two lottery drawings still remain allowing those who purchase Track 10 in October and Track 11 in November an opportunity for a full collector’s set.
The final release in the set, Track 12, will issue on November 24, coinciding with the complete collector’s set. This Track, as with the earlier individual releases, will be available to the general public in the tasting room and must be consumed on site. More information on the beer will be posted on The Lost Abbey website in mid-November.
About Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey
Founded in 2006, Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey produces an extensive line-up of award-winning ales and lagers. Under the direction of legendary brewmaster and co-founder Tomme Arthur, the brewery was named 2007 Great American Beer Festival Small Brewery of the Year, and 2008 World Beer Cup Champion Small Brewery. The company’s beers, many of which are aged in oak barrels for 12 months or longer, are universally recognized for their complexity, unique flavors, and bold, boundary-pushing styles. For more information, contact Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey at 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069, telephone (800) 918-6816, and on the web at www.lostabbey.com.
This Saturday, October 20, 2012 we’re releasing the tenth beer in our Ultimate Box Set series. This one is a Fresh Track that’s an ode to the Meatlof operatic 1977 rock anthem, Bat Out of Hell.
You’ll probably want to get Track 10 sooner rather than later because, like the song says, this one will probably be gone when the morning comes.
Track 10 is a big coffee and cacao beer that began as a fresh Serpent Stout base sent to age in four hand-selected bourbon barrels. Then, to maximize the flavors, 17lbs of coffee and 4lbs of cacao nibs were added shortly before bottling.
You’ll find the beer details (blend, ABV, liner notes, album art, etc.) on the website here. Details on the other Box Set beers can be found on the Box Set home page.
The tasting room doors will open at 10:30 am for this special event. As with all Box Set releases, the beers must be consumed on site, same day. Unopened bottles may not be carried out. Each bottle is 375ml and is $15 each.
As we enter the home stretch of our Ultimate Box Set releases, we thought this would be a good time to update you on the logistics of the last few releases as well as the complete Boxed Set itself. Here’s what you need to know
Track 10 release — is slated for release on October 20, 2012. Once again, we’ll be opening the tasting room doors at 10:30a.m. As with all Box Set releases this beer must be consumed on site. Unopened bottles may not be carried out. More details on this release will be posted on The Lost Abbey website the week before the release.
Track 11 release – Track 11’s release has been moved up by one week to November 10, 2012 to coincide with San Diego Beer Week and give us a little more breathing room between it and the release of Track 12 and the full Ultimate Box Set collection. As always we’ll post more details on our website as we near the release date.
Final Lottery Drawings – The 3rd lottery drawing (for those who purchased Tracks 7 – 9) will be held this week. If you’re a winner you’ll be notified shortly thereafter. Because of the short amount of time remaining between now and the full collection release, we’ll also be doing lottery drawings immediately following the release of Track 10 and following Track 11. Winners of the Track 10 lottery will be notified by November 11, winners of the Track 11 lottery by November 16.
Track 12 release – Track 12 will release on Saturday, November 24, 2012 in conjunction with the Full Box Set Collection release. As with previous Box Set bottle releases, the tasting room will open to the general public for bottle sales at 10:30 am. We’ll have complete details on Track 12 available shortly after Track 11’s release in November.
Full Box Set Collection release – First off, we’re pleased to announce that we’re bumping the total number of complete collections from 350 to 500. When, we originally planned this release back in 2011, we estimated that we’d have enough to release 350 individual bottles each month and have 350 left over to release as part of the complete collection. As it turns out, we were lucky with the barrel yields so we’re able to increase the total number of complete sets to 500. As a result, we’re also able to draw an additional 150 lottery winners (names drawn will be divided equally among each track) to reach the full 500 set allocation. There will be no additional complete sets available to the general public the day of release.
Lottery Winner Pickup – We will issue the Full Collections to the lottery winners on Thanksgiving Weekend – Saturday, November 24 and Sunday, November 25, 2012. You will be contacted in early November to schedule a private appointment to come in and pick up your Ultimate Box Set. As of yet, we don’t have a price for the full collection (all the pieces aren’t done quite yet), but we anticipate having that information along with payment options and all the details of what will be included in the Ultimate Box Set in Mid-October. Please keep an eye out for the email notice.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, we’ve set up an Ultimate Box Set hotline and email address. You can telephone (925) 269-7381, or email us at LABoxSet@gmail.com.
Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey queues up four releases for June and July
San Marcos, Calif. – Get ready for the wild and barreled this summer because Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey will be issuing four beers in the next couple of months ; two aged for a year in used bourbon barrels, and two fermented with the wild yeast, Brettanomyces. The releases are as follows:
Mo’ Betta Bretta
An all Brettanomyces beer, Mo’s Betta is a collaboration beer between The Lost Abbey’s Tome Arthur and New Belgium’s Peter Bouckaert. The pair originally brewed this beer in 2004 while Tomme was head brewer for the Solana Beach location of our sister operation, Pizza Port. This is the first time the two have produced the beer since. Earlier this year they also collaborated on a Brett version of New Belgium’s Lips of Faith. A large enough batch of this beer was produced to send it into the full Port/Los Abbey distribution network in both bottle and draft formats. Expected release is the week of June 11, 2012.
The Angel’s Share – Bourbon Barrel-aged
The sixth annual release of our famed barrel-aged barleywine, The Angel’s Share spends a full year resting in used bourbon barrels before release. Limited quantities of this beer will reach our full distribution network in both bottle and draft formats. Expected release is the week of June 18, 2012.
Santa’s Little Helper – Bourbon Barrel-aged
The 2012 release of our Santa’s Little Helper aged in used bourbon barrels for a year. We always release this one in conjunction with our annual Christmas in July celebration and fundraiser. Very limited quantities of this will reach our distribution network in both bottle and draft formats. Expected release is July 14, 2012.
Ten Commandments
The 2012 vintage of our strong farmhouse ale brewed with raisins and rosemary and topped off with a little Brettanomyces at bottling. Delicious when released, by the time autumn, cooler weather and the holidays roll around, the Brett dries the initial sweetness and turns this beer from great to spectacular. This beer will reach our full distribution network in both bottle and draft formats, and should be available on shelves for several months. Expected release is the week of July 22, 2012.
Please note release dates are estimates and subject to change based on the whims of the barrels and brett. Arrival in our distribution network on the East Coast is generally two weeks after the initial release date (to allow for shipping).
Date:December 17 December 24, 2011 – 12:00pm – 7:00pm
This will be the release date for Cuvee de Tomme 2011, our multi-award winning bourbon barrel-aged aged strong ale with sour cherries.
Cuvee de Tomme 2011
Release Details:
Style: Cuvee de Tomme 2011
Format: 375ml cork-stoppered bottles
Price: $15 per bottle
Limits: 6 bottles per person
Supplies of this beer are extremely limited. Bottle sales will be brewery only and a select quantity of draft will be available in the Southern California region, however, it will not reach any of our other distribution areas (sorry).
Because we expect this beer to sell out quickly, we’ll open our doors at 11am for registration; bottle sales will begin at 12pm.
Standard disclaimer: This is a barrel-aged beer. As such release dates are subject to change based on the whims of the barrels.
Update 1: 12/14/11 – Release has been delayed by one week to December 24, 2011.
The Lost Abbey’s latest barrel-aged rarity more than three years in the making
Veritas 009 - May 28, 2011
The Lost Abbey will release the next in its coveted Veritas small-batch barrel-aged beers on Saturday, May 28, 2011. The most complex and time-consuming beer released by the brewery to date, Veritas 009 took more than three years and periods in bourbon and wine barrels to create. With only 100 cases available, Veritas 009 will not reach general distribution and will be available for purchase directly from the brewery only. The 750ml cork-stoppered bottles will be $35 each and strictly limited to four bottles per person.
Veritas 009 is a substantial departure from earlier members of The Lost Abbey’s small batch experimental program, which were generally sour beers aged in French oak barrels for 12 to 15 months. Begun in late 2007 as dark base beer, it was sent to freshly emptied bourbon barrels from Kentucky’s Heaven Hill Distilleries. The beer aged for 15 months before it was moved into French oak barrels previously used for wine (primarily Syrah). Sour cherries were added and the beer was left to rest for another year and three months. Finally, in mid-2010, it was pulled from the barrels, blended, bottled and sent off to condition for an additional 11 months.
“It’s one of the most complex beers we’ve ever created,” Arthur said. “Veritas 009 has strong notes of cherry, red wine, cedar and dark cocoa accentuated by a pervasive acidity that makes for an incredibly deep finish. It’s an amazing beer and easily one of the most cellarable produced at The Lost Abbey. I have no doubt that it will drawn fans from both the craft beer and wine worlds.”
Interestingly, Veritas 009 came close to never being made available to the public. Begun as a private project of Arthur’s, the existence of the beer and the details behind it were kept secret until last year. Even after news of the beer leaked to the public Arthur declined to discuss it beyond acknowledging that he did indeed have a barrel-aging project referred to only as “KT”, a reference to the secretive order of the Knights Templar. It wasn’t until a sampling session that Arthur decided to move the beer into Lost Abbey’s public small batch program and release it as Veritas 009.
“There is so little and it took so long to perfect we actually considered issuing it as a private release, or not at all,” Arthur said. “But after sampling last week, we decided that it was just too good to keep hidden and the public should have access to it.”
A total of 117 cases (12 bottles each) of Veritas 009 were produced. 100 cases will be made available to the public on release day. More details are available below.
Veritas 009 Release Details
When: Saturday, May 28, 2011. 10am – 6pm
Where: Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey – 155 Mata Way, Suite 104, San Marcos, CA 92069 (click for directions)
Celebrate our 5th Birthday with food, live music and new beer releases!
Come party with Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey and celebrate our 5th Anniversary on Saturday May 14, 2011.
5th Anniversary Celebration
Like last year we’ll be breaking the party into two sessions and limiting the number of guests so everyone can relax and enjoy themselves.
Items on tap for our daylong festivities include specialty kegs from the barrel archives, bottled beer releases, special barrelhouse tours, amazing street food from our in-house chefs, and live music from our two special guests — Kiera and the Lesbians and The Professors.
Brews, Food, Tours and Entertainment
Brews:
Following our anniversary tradition, not only will we be loading all our taps with the latest and greatest of our beers, but we’ll be releasing Anniversary — the fifth release of our hoppy, strong pale ale from the Port Brewing side of the house.
DOBO Tomme Arthur will also be delving into the storied Lost Abbey barrel and bottle archives to give guests an opportunity to sample rare brews from the past half-decade. (Look for special bottles, and secret taps all day long!)
Food:
For those of you who enjoy five star food, this year chef Jason Danderand will be heading the outdoor kitchen and barbequing, steaming, smoking, broiling and baking his way through a stunning assortment of street foods with a unique “San Diego” culinary spin.
Special Tours:
Lead Brewer and Keeper of the Barrels, Ryan Fields, and our new QAD, Gwen Conlley (née Flying Dog), will be hosting tours of our famous barrelhouse, giving guests an opportunity to see where our beers await the angels on high (and possibly learn a few of the secrets behind one of American craft brewing’s most famous barrel programs).
Music:
We’ll have two bands playing this year. The first session will feature the vintage-tinged garage, folk, rock and roll sounds of Kiera and the Lesbians. The second session will play host to our favorite lounge lizards, The Professors, who will be performing their own special brand of sophisticated Surf Music.
Time(s)
Two sessions — the first from 11am to 3pm and the second from 4pm to 8pm. For $15/session admission guests will receive a commemorative tasting glass, 8 beer tasting tickets and food (additional taster tickets are $1 each). Ticket sales will be strictly limited for each session.
Tickets
Remember, we’re limiting admission for each session, and last year we sold out completely, so make sure to get your tickets early! (It’s unlikely we’ll have any at the door.) 21 and older only please. ID will be required.
This is the release date for the 2011 vintage of Older Viscosity, our American Dark Strong Ale aged in used bourbon barrels for a year. To celebrate we’ll be tapping this year’s release as well as previous vintages in the tasting room.
Release Details:
Format: 375ml cork stoppered bottle
Price: $15
Purchase Limit: None
NOTE: This is a general release and will reach our full distribution network in both bottle and draft formats.
This will be the release date for Framboise de Amorosa, our luscious, tarty, raspberry beer aged in wine barrels for a year.
Framboise de Amorosa
Release Details:
Style: Barrel-aged raspberry Framboise
Format: 375ml cork-stoppered bottles
Price: $15 per bottle
Limits: 6 bottles per person
Note: Supplies of this beer are extremely limited. As such, this is a brewery only release; bottles will not reach our distribution network. Because we expect this beer to sell out quickly, we’ll open our doors at 11am for registration; bottle sales will begin at 12pm.
Standard disclaimer: This is a barrel-aged beer. As such release dates are subject to change based on the whims of the barrels.
Update (2/27/11): To avoid a scheduling conflict with the Craft Brewer’s Conference we have moved the release date up one week from 3/26/11 to 3/19/11
An extremely limited amount of bottles, less than 100 cases, will be available beginning Saturday, March 23rd beginning at 10am at the Lost Abbey tasting room. With its small-batch size, Sede Vacante’s lore will only be intensified by its fleeting availability.
