Lost Friend December 2019 Visit

December 27, 2019 Jesse

Shortly after they opened their doors in the spring of this year, I had the good fortune to find myself in Lost Friend somewhat frequently. Of course, Mike and I got there as soon as we were able to sample the beer and write about it here, but also on other occasions.

For example, a friend of my wife recommend that she try the salon just a few doors down from the brewery. Of course, being the wonderful husband that I am, was happy to drive her to that appointment (and while away the time reading a book and enjoying a beer). The advantage of visits like those is that I don’t feel compelled to try something new and I can enjoy a beer I’ve had in the past.

So, with all of that in mind, I’ve been itching to get back there – I haven’t been there sine May, I believe. So, finally, this week Mike and I paid them another visit.

Since this was the week of Christmas, we didn’t make plans for a brewery trip until the last minute, so Bill was the only one of the group that was ready to take a break from the family festivities and join us.

Varnas Baltic Porter – 6.7% ABV 28 IBU – This one is billed as having “Rich coffee and roasted caramel smell, slight chocolate and strong cold brew flavor, slight alcohol warming, and a dry finish.”
Unfortunately, I’m not getting any coffee, caramel or chocolate flavors, which is disappointing. I blame my palate more than the beer, though.

That said, this is a delicious beer. It’s nice and malty with a great body. This is exactly the type of beer that should be served on nitro. It was rich, smooth and creamy.

The Bitter One IPA – 6% ABV 100 IBU –
A classic West Coast IPA. This one is advertised as being very hoppy, but I didn’t think it was overly so. It had a pretty sweet start with the promised hoppy, piney finish. I found that it had a rich, almost luxurious mouthfeel. The sweetness and pine balanced well and resulting in a great, smooth beer.

I typically don’t consider brewing IPAs because after having the same one a few times, I’m kind of done with it for a while. But I mentioned to Mike that if I could replicate that beer, I’d definitely brew it up. I could drink this one on the regular.

The Swayze Sour – 6.4 % 40 IBU – This is a blend of the sour wheat (Chimera) and the hazy IPA (Homeward Bound). The result is essentially a mild sour with a grapfruity flavor. Really refreshing.

{Mike} – I was also pretty stoked to get back to lost friend. As Jesse mentioned, we hadn’t been back in awhile, and this outing was a bit last minute, but it was a nice break during the Holiday week, and a chance for us friends to catch up on all of the Christmas happenings. What I sampled is below:

Fearthainn Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy – 6.9% ABV – Although we tried this back on our April Visit, I thought it would be fitting to have it this cold December evening.

It has a nice creamy mouthfeel, light roast and dark sugar flavors. Finishes with a boozy / alcohol note.

Experimental Red IPA – I was having a bit of trouble deciding on what to have as a follow up to the Wee Heavy, and the only other beer I hadn’t tried was a light lager, but I noticed it said “ask us about our experimental beers”, so I did.

This was really pretty tasty, I’m a fan of reds, and this checked off most of the boxes, malty, light and flavorful. I don’t know that it had enough hops to fall into the IPA range, but it was more bitter than I would expect from a Irish Red.

Beers we’ve reviewed here: