Lost Friend April Visit

April 12, 2019 Mike

Considering they just opened on April 7th, we really got to this one in a hurry, and I’m glad we did!

When I arrived, the parking lot was pretty full, and I considered calling Jesse to see if maybe we wanted to go somewhere else. I went inside anyway, and Jesse had already arrived. Luckily, even though the place was hopping, there were a bunch of seats along a bar.

The brewing area, and I mean where the beer is made, is right behind the bar, in a big open space, with the seats I mentioned right along side of it. It was pretty cool to sit there and gaze upon all the shiny equipment and see a fermenter just bubbling away happily. (Pictured above)

I’ve recently stopped getting the flights, and instead have gone to half pours, I feel that I can get to know the individual beers better, even though I don’t get to sample as many.

My Overall impression? Lost Friend knows what they’re doing, because the beer is pretty great!

Weltschmerz Vienna Lager – 5% ABV, 18 IBU – I happen to be quite a fan of Vienna Lagers. A nice refreshing beer, soft and malty, with a slightly dry finish, these are just easy drinking. Weltschmerz didn’t disappoint me at all, as a matter of fact, Lost Friend’s take on it is right up there with my favorite examples. It had a really nice Mexican Lager flavor to it, and was just perfect. I highly suggest it. Heck, I was thinking about swinging by for a crowler of it on the way home sometime this weekend.

Soft Brexit English Mild Ale – 5.3 ABV 30 IBU – This was another nice and refreshing beer. Super light, a little malty. The description on Untappd listed nutty smells and molasses and brown sugar flavors, and I have to say that I didn’t really get that, but still really enjoyed the beer. I’m going to make sure to try it again the next time I’m in. The Mild has become a style that I’m pretty interested in, malty and sessionable, it’s right up my alley.

Unbeetable Sour Beet Beer – 5% ABV 18 IBU – Until Cogstone made one, I have to say, I had never heard of a beet beer. To be honest, it sounds like something out of a kids bad dream. In reality though, all of the examples I’ve had are really great. I was expecting something red or dark, and was surprised when I saw the nice hazy golden beverage that I was served. The carbonation was higher on this one than the other beers, and it really worked well. It was fairly tart and light in body.

[Jesse]:
Mike is right on the money with his run-down of the establishment. It was a very welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. There are several tables to sit, a few cozy nooks with comfortable chairs and, of course, the bar. It seemed to be dog friendly (I believe I saw a photo of a carabiners attached to the tables to secure leads) with some well-behaved dogs hanging out. Even for a Thursday evening, the place was pretty busy. I chalked it up to it still be a “new place”, but after I tried their beer, I’m not too sure the crowd are going to ease up.
On to the beers:

Chimera Sour Wheat Ale – 4.6% ABV 19 IBU – As of late, I have been trying sour beers when given the opportunity, so when I saw that Lost Friend had not just one, but two, sours on the menu, I figured that I had to give at least one of them a try. This was a pretty good beer. Definitely sour, but not overly so; maybe tart would be a better description. My only “complaint” (for lack of a better word) is that there isn’t much of a flavor to this beer other than sour. I don;t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, just something to note. This would be a good beer for sipping on a warm day, because of that, actually. When I was checking this in on Untapped, however, I noticed that it is classified as a “Berliner Weisse” in that app. The Berliner Weisse beers that I have seen in the past had a flavored syrup added to them and I think something like that would be a game changer with this beer. I don’t know if it’s not offered at the brewery or just not offered when I ordered it.

Fearthainn Wee Heavy – 6.9% ABV 24 IBU – This was pretty much exactly what I was expecting — A malty, somewhat sweet, heavy beer. It was quite tasty and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was taken by surprise at how boozy it was and how that flavor lingered. I got a 1/2 pour of this one and was glad I did, I think eight ounces of this was the perfect amount for me. Much more and I would have been a bit burned out on it.

Homeward Bound Hazy IPA – 6.5% ABV 40 IBU – After having some of the other beers, I though I’d get a half-pour of the Hazy IPA. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It had a citrusy/orange start and a very smooth finish without much bitterness. The only thing that I found odd was that once the citrus flavor dies a bit, I was left with a tinny or metallic flavor that lingered a bit too long. I’m not confident that it’s not a sensitivity that I have to certain ingredients because I have noticed it in other beers at other breweries.

Beers we’ve reviewed here: