Lost Abbey Veritas 004

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

bottle from rusty or the goat... memory evades me... at the bockyhorseys...

hazy golden color (darker than the cdc sitting next to it!) with a soft white head and lasting ring of foam. surprising amount of spotty lacing. the nose is quite malty and sweet with notes of cinnamon, cement-y brett stink, lemon and some cheese-y cdt funk. the amount of maltiness on the palate gives the impression of balance and really calms the sour... flavors include lemon, malt, some wood and yeast with the sourness hitting late in the finish. brett’s at the party but in moderation and lends a refreshing dryness. the body is surprisingly thick and coating with a rich slick mouth feel. delicioso... 8/4/8/5/18/4.3

Bottle generously shared by jarspag with Maheu and myself at the epic tasting during the January ’09 ski trip in Mammoth, CA. Backlogged rating. Another killer brew in the Veritas series. Probably my favorite so far. Cloudy straw yellow color with a fine white ring of lace. Awesome nose of zesty lemon citrus, biscuit, funky wet hay and wild yeasts. Really a pleasure to smell. Flavor is complex as can be, with all the right nuances of peach, apricot, lemon rind and oak wood. Yellow bus cultures are noticeable throughout, with the super-dry and earthy tones of gueuze hanging forever on the finish. Perfectly soothing palate with soft carbonation. An awesome creation. I’ll be stoked to see how this one ages. Will re-rate in a year or so.

From a 750mL Bottle. Generously shared by cquiroga. Mostly transparent, marigold colored body with a finger of fizzy white head. Tart, funky aromas of spicy oak, lemon rind, and a subtle nuttiness distinctive from the Lost Abbey wild house character. Light acetic notes are present, but the tartness and fruitiness of the peach flesh stands out strongest of all. Light bodied, moderately carbonated mouthfeel with a moderate level of acidity. The flavors up front are sour and funky, with a musty brett character and some spicy pineapple. The peach flavors come out mid-palate, soft and under-ripe, developing some tea-like skin tannins as the flavors transition into the finish. Finishes dry, but with a substantial amount of sourness and woody funk left lingering on the palate to keep it from being thin. The Yellow Bus component is clearly present in this beer, which is a very good thing. Great finish and excellent execution.

Sampled on Christmas Day thanks to my cousin, krkearn. The beer poured a cloudy golden, yellow color with a half inch thick white head. The nose had a nice aroma of citrus fruits, a bit earthy and yeast notes as well. The taste is wonderful. Tart up front with a nice mix of sweet as well. I also got a touch of wood character and some buttery notes as well. Another fine Lost Abbey beer.

NOTB 2009. Poured a hazy yellow with an average size foamy white head. Aroma is very tart and funky with notes of barrel, cherry, cellar, cobwebs and just nicely complex. Medium bodied with tight bubbly carbonation that drank smoothly and was very refreshing despite the tart sourness. Sour flavor with acidic citrus, sour cherry and wood notes.

In short: An intense sour, dry and funky Gueuze-like blend beer combining the complexity of the Yellow Bus and the intense acidic sharpness of the Phunky Duck.
How: From the bottle at EBF 2009. Multiple samples
The look: Cloudy yellow blonde body topped by a medium white head
In long: Nose is intensely sour, acidic and funky. This is up there with the sharpest Belgian Gueuzes. Taste is intensely acidic, very dry, some dry wood (sawdust), very lemony, dry lemon skin, dried pineapples. Very sharp. This is a blend of Phunky Duck, Yellow Bus and Cuvee de Tomme. The Cuvee de Tomme is not aggressive enough and was nowhere to be found in this intensely sour/acidic blend. I was lucky enough to have this Veritas, the Phunky Duck and the Yellow Bus on the same week-end. This beer really tastes like the fantastic Yellow Bus brought down a bit by the excellent but excessively sharp and acidic Phunky Duck. Fourth release one of this blend series. Excellent mix. An annual thing? If so the Veritas series is not Y3K compliant.

Draft at EBF. Aroma of cheese and warheads candy. The appearance is hazy pale yellow. The flavor to me is all acid and sour sour sour. Mouthfeel is thin. Overall, this is sour. Perhaps I need more sour adventures to appreciate these better.

Draft at EBF. Pours a golden body with a white head. Citric acid, lightly woody with some dry tart apple and lemon. An awesome peachy sour funk. Moderate acidity but still struck a good balance.