BEER REVIEW - The Lost Abbey "Gift of the Magi" 2015 - Biere de Garde - 12.0%

Well, I've been waiting for a while to open this one up. I don't think I had any super special occasion to crack this baby other than just being a fun night where I felt happy and in a good mood (should always be rewarded with good beer!). Gift of the Magi is a seasonal Biere de Garde that The Lost Abbey releases every holiday season. It has bits of myrrh and some other festive notes. I'm glad this was the 2015, since the 2016 version was a "farmhouse lager" (I had that one too...it was ok). Also, this was the last year that this beer has been 12%. Last year's was 10% and this upcoming year's is 9.5%.

Cellaring this beer for over a year I think just made it absolutely stellar. These big beers do so well to have the flavors smoothen and develop with age. I really don't think I can say enough good things about this beer (especially the 2015). The aromatics coming out from the bottle and glass as I was pouring it were just super intense and powerful. I'm a big Biere de Garde fan, so this was on point for me. Nothing was too dominant, but nothing was too mellow. I really dug the color too.

First tasting this beer, I noticed a great mouthfeel. The upfront was welcoming as it danced across my tongue and down my throat. The finish was super smooth -- no interesting flavors, no weird after taste, nothing but perfection and enjoyment. Carbonation was on point, and true to form, this beer enhanced as it accumulated some warmer temperatures. One of the things I'm always on the lookout for big beers like this is the boozey flavors and noticeability. Well, you could tell it was a big beer, but there was no crazy booze flavor at all. Chalk that one up for another point on the "win" side.

Unfortunately The Lost Abbey seems to change their recipe for this every year, so I can't fully recommend based off of the name alone, but if you can ever snag your hands on the 2015, I'd definitely go for it!

Drinking atmosphere:
I enjoyed this an evening with my wife while watching a movie. It was an ideal scenario for me.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10
I really believe this is probably one of the best Biere de Garde's around (again, stressing the 2015 since the 2016 wasn't as enjoyable). It's difficult to think how this beer could really get any better, but I still can't necessarily call it perfect. Overall, this fits into the favorite category and I'm looking forward to this year's.