Sips on the Road: Beer Thirty, Part Two



Make your selection Saints and Sinners

Located in an industrial park in San Marcos, CA Port Brewing and Lost Abbey would literally be lost in the mix of concrete buildings if not for the massive crowd extending from the brewery out to the food truck and the ID checker waiting for the tour buses that roll up to the entrance during the day.   Lost Abbey’s tag line “Inspired Beer for Saints and Sinners alike” only adds to the intrigue of the various brews they keep bottled on site and in stores.  With beer names like Devotion, Inferno and Judgment Day you just might be choosing a side; sinner or saint.


Cheers Adam and Jason!

I went out on a limb here and went with a beer I don’t typically consume and had the Red Barn Ale which is their Saison.  While I typically find saisons too sweet and difficult to drink save for a sip, this was extremely palatable and incredibly smooth.  At 6.7% ABV it won’t ruin your day either if you start with it.  Their adjuncts (flavorings) include ginger, orange peel, grains of paradise, dextrose and black pepper, all blended well to give this beer a great flavor which you can expect to find in a saison.

During this same trip I made friends with a couple of regulars Adam and Jason who for no reason other than it would be a good time were clad in lederhosen.  We became acquainted as I came out of the glorious barrel room Lost Abbey and Port Brewing have installed.  The significance is that they make their barrel aged creations for the Lost Abbey side of the operation in this room. 

Barrel aging at its finest

There is a symbiotic relationship between Port Brewing and Lost Abbey, one that I was unaware of until this visit.  Port Brewing is the more commercial side of the operation, producing the American and West Coast style beers while Lost Abbey has the awesome responsibility of brewing up the Belgian-inspired and premium beers.  How can you tell the difference besides name alone?  Port Brewing bottles traditionally, while Lost Abbey’s brews are all bottled and corked.

Off we go

As we left Lost Abbey and Port Brewing, it was clear that our group had hit the level where it was either going to be a great rest of the day or downhill from here