Lost Abbey Cable Car

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Sour Ale
San Marcos, California USA

Funky, with dusty lemons and worn burlap in the nose. There is even a hint of sweet-cream butter and biscuits amidst all those ’cobwebs’. Beautiful pour ... pretty as a translucent peach ... with a thin and persistent cloud-soft head. Sour apricots and bright citrus fruit are layered with notes of oaky, buttery chardonnay and green moss. Great body, and the finish is just long enough to let you ’wonder’ for a moment before you are compelled to take another sip. An absolute treasure.

Cant help but think this tastes shockingly similar to DDG in flavor profile. Poured an orangy yellow with billowing head. Nose was heacy on citric acid and sour pedio. Taste was complex, nice tart front, a little bit of lemon, chardonnay, and peches. Then a big sour middle, like an unripe orange, with strong but targeted wild fermented flavors. very rich in its sourness, and then a finish that is just the slightest bit hot with vinegar. There is a lot to this beer and t $30 I couldn’t say no.

Review number 360 on the quest to 365 is a very special number, and one I had been trying to acquire for a while. This 09 vintage comes from a trader over at BA. First impression of the aroma is very good. Funky lemony/citrus notes and some wood. Not an overly sour or funky smell but a fine balance between the two. Appearance is also quite good. The head is only about a half an inch but has quite the staying power. I poured this one extremely carefully as to keep the yeast in the bottle, so the murky golden liquid looks great. Flavor is thankfully not subtle. The leathery brett compliments nicely the sourness here. Wood, lemon, funk. Really excellent and nearly worth the hype surrounding it. Palate is suitably bubbly and medium in thickness. I know a lot of folks are not big fans of the brewery, but I can say the good to bad ratio, for me anyway, and keeping in mind I have sought out mostly special releases, has been quite excellent. Probably won’t be able to try this one ever again. Was worth what it took to get. Excellent beer.

Batch 3 bottle. Thanks to Brian for this rare treat. Pours a nice clear golden leaning toward orange with a large eggshell head. Nose is soft and funky. Brett and white grape jump out at me. Soft apricot and peach. Pretty tart and sour. I’m finding a bit of that signature dry, salty edge that really shines in Veritas 4 and kind of in Duck Duck Gooze. Kind of similar to Isabelle Proximus too in its biting edge, almost geuze-like at times. Much more sharp than I expected, and not hugely fruity. Acidic and just a touch sulfuric. Very good but nothing mind-bending.

750 ml bottle - 2008 vintage; pours cloudy, glowing orange with thin white head; leather and funky cheese aromas; soft texture, bone dry and mildly sour flavors; overall the flavor profile here falls flat and not nearly as complex as the Cuvee de Castleton IMO; love the soft texture, but quite basic; let down city

Bottle. Not so sure about this. Pretty awful appearance, very murky, peachy in colour and just plain murky, not head whatsoever. Aroma is quite nice, citric, slightly funky. One dimensional citric flavours, with nothing else really standing out in the flavour, but still pretty tasty it has to be said, just not a sour i would really like to try again.

A Mes rate. Bottle at home.
Firstly I have to say a HUGE thanks to Ken for giving me the chance to try this without trading something crazy for it. Firstly, it’s not the best looking beer I have seen. Murky dirty orange with a fizzy alka seltzer type head that lasted all of three seconds. Thankfully the rest of it means this is of no consequence what so ever. The aroma is a straight ten. A perfect blend of sweet fruity, elegant funky sourness an a simply spectactular lemony acidity. The flavour flows on in much the same vein but as with many American sours I just feel the lemony acidity takes centre stage giving the amazing lactic sourness underneath no real chance to really sing it’s song. It’s a story I have witnessed before, especially with the CDC. I can’t help but feel this has SO much more to give. Either way it’s an extremely good beer. Utterly superb mouthfeel and the finish is almost beyond description. A glorious hit of sour lemons and fruity lip smacking goodness. Loads of length too. Excellent beer no doubt but if there was less of the lemon it could be truly a world beater. Thanks so much Ken. Instant hero status.

2008 Vintage. Pours a clear, pale orange-gold with a very thin, fine white head. Very forward, clear sour brett aroma which is focussed, but not overbearingly strong or opulent. Fruit aromas abount with underripe peach/stonefruit, green strawberries, light apple juice, and soft lemon. The flavor is dry, very sour, and crisp with a clean barrel fermantation characte. Delicate barrel-aged aspects are present as well and are harmoniously blended into the very tight flavor profile. The body posesses incredible balance, amazing structure, and really shows of the supreme blending skills of the brewer. This well-composed body delivers the flavor profile with precision and poise. This is one of the best aspects of this wonderful beer.