Cable Car Kriek - The Lost Abbey

SDDanC

California

4.88/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into Lost Abbey Tulip at Toronado San Diego.

Right out of the bottle the glass is met with an incredible red foam, settling into a reddish, grapefruit hazy abyss beneath a white, fluffly head. Small splotches of orange are found in the residual head. The aroma is filled with incredible sweet cherries, like a pie filling, vanilla, and slight oak background. The nose does not give off a huge amount of sour, but a tartness is surely present. The taste is very much the same, however, it starts out tart cherry in the front with a light vanilla in the background to round out the flavor. Minimal oak character comes forth. I took a while to drink this, in doing so, I noticed as it sat and warmed up the tartness fleeted and it was left with a very appealing sweet cherry body. Mouthfeel was great. Excellent in carbonation, medium-ish. Frothy head added a decent amount of body, which went well with the great, full flavor. I am very thankful to have tried this. I wish it were available in to-go bottles

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 21:40:17 | More by SDDanC

Zbeetleman

California

4.75/5  rDev +3.5%

05-15-2013 02:46:14 | More by Zbeetleman

joel66

New York

4.55/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to Josh(jbuddle) for opening this.

A- reddish pink with a beautiful haze and a soft pillow of white, cloud like head.

N- sour cherry, oak, funky sourness

T- a depth of cherry flavor, both sweet and sour cherry. great oakiness is coming through from sip to finish. sour fruit with a suttle sweetness. mmm this is good.

M- light spritzy carbonation, smooth dry finish

O- this one gets best in style IMO. by far the best kriek i have had.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 14:51:04 | More by joel66

jaylib

California

4.25/5  rDev -7.4%

04-10-2013 22:06:58 | More by jaylib

Peb4peb

California

5/5  rDev +8.9%

04-10-2013 21:46:00 | More by Peb4peb

Twal

Colorado

4/5  rDev -12.9%

04-06-2013 01:44:59 | More by Twal

Grant35

California

5/5  rDev +8.9%

03-26-2013 04:23:36 | More by Grant35

Azrael

4.25/5  rDev -7.4%

02-08-2013 04:33:59 | More by Azrael

GRG1313

California

4.25/5  rDev -7.4%

01-29-2013 05:52:55 | More by GRG1313

popery

California

4.25/5  rDev -7.4%

01-28-2013 01:51:27 | More by popery

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.25/5  rDev -7.4%

01-16-2013 15:11:45 | More by yourefragile

ChrisPro

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +3.5%

01-16-2013 00:07:35 | More by ChrisPro

jbuddle

New York

5/5  rDev +8.9%

01-14-2013 04:22:52 | More by jbuddle

GrumpyOldTroll

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +8.9%

01-14-2013 02:13:03 | More by GrumpyOldTroll

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.45/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Thanks to Mike and Josh for this one. A long time want and one I thought I'd have to eventually travel to CA for. Much appreciated. 4oz. pour into a Lost Abbey teku.

Pours a .5 finger pink, frothy head with average retention. Beer is a slightly cloudy stunning pink orange. Lacing is spotty and sparse with some stringiness and thin legs. Average save for the really pretty color.

Nose is cinnamon, cherry jam, light tartness, hay, and some funky, wed woodiness. Clean, fruity and very aromatic and appetizing.

Sweet cherry, cinnamon, red fruit syrup, lightly sweet and mildly tart in the middle. Great balance. More cherry, lemon rind, and hay at the finish with a sweet and tart cherry aftertaste. Really really good.

Light to medium bodied with ample carbonation. Dry in the mouth and puckering going down. Very refreshing. Sticky and dry finish with a messy and lingering aftertaste. Nearly perfect.

I thought Cable Car was a slightly above average American Wild but this is a completely different animal. The addition of cherries has given this beer a whole new dimension and makes it clearly one of the best in the style. Definitely worth the hype.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 16:46:27 | More by SpeedwayJim

spycow

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -2%

01-12-2013 00:54:25 | More by spycow

DaveJanssen

British Columbia (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev -2%

12-11-2012 07:24:57 | More by DaveJanssen

t0rin0

California

4.25/5  rDev -7.4%

12-11-2012 03:43:59 | More by t0rin0

HaveUSeenMyCellar

California

5/5  rDev +8.9%

11-25-2012 11:24:42 | More by HaveUSeenMyCellar

LockeSD

New York

4.5/5  rDev -2%

11-20-2012 20:47:28 | More by LockeSD

kojevergas

California

4.43/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Brown glass bottle served into a wine glass at the Toronado in San Diego. Paid out the ass for this (I think it around $50.00). If there's a beer to shell this much out for, certainly this is it. (Or at least one of them; see my Narke Kaggen Stormaktsporter review). Reviewed from notes taken in October 2012.

A: Pours a half finger delicate beige head of good lacing, nice thickness, and brief but appreciable retention. Colour is a pale peach-red. Nontransparent; non-opaque. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Has the appeal of a masterful red wine or bourbon. Classy and understated. I can't wait to try it.

Sm: Sourness, bacteria, attenuated yeast, sour cherry, lactic notes, some malty sweetness, tart cherry skin, and bright fruit. Exceptional and clean. Promises some serious puckerworthy sourness. A moderate strength aroma. No alcohol comes through.

T: Sour, with some serious bacterial notes on the back end. Incredibly crisp like fresh red apple yet outfitted with a wonderful solid cherry body. Refreshing and clean, yet lightly vinegary and even subtly wine-esque. I get the wood, but it's subtle and understated in the background. Rich and smcak-your-lips flavorful. Incredibly tasty stuff. Masterfully complex and balanced. No alcohol is detectable. So fresh and luscious. The lingering long aftertaste helps me enjoy it for longer. I get cherrywood as well as oak. Some pear. Green apple. It's got all the sourness I could ever want, but the perfect amount without feeling tamed. Not at all overdone. Clean malts lend it body but don't intrude, letting the sourness shine through. It has an incredible amount of body for a kriek, almost like a fine French cider. I'm blown away. Marvelously built. Nicely acidic, as well. Tartness is supreme.

Mf: Crisp, full, and of perfect thickness. Smack-your-lips delightful. Smooth and wet, letting the flavour speak for itself. Suits the flavour profile quite well.

Dr: An incredible kriek. Lives up to the hype, definitely. Worth the price for a special occasion. Another remarkable sour from Lost Abbey. I'd love to have this again (or the regular Cable Car, for that matter). The mouthfeel isn't perfect; it lacks the fragile delicacy I'd expect in a masterful sour - but it's still lovely. Few sours I've had have such presence and flavour. The depth of flavour and layers of mastery burgeon throughout. I detect at least five distinct acts in the structure: the sweet, clean open; the initial sour apple and hints of bacteria; the middling bacteria sourness blast; the fading cidery sharp climax with hints of lightly spicy yeast and cherry abound; and the lightly dry fruit cherry skin finnish. Remarkable. Wow.

High A

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 22:02:41 | More by kojevergas

LaChupacabra

California

4.75/5  rDev +3.5%

11-08-2012 05:40:08 | More by LaChupacabra

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Toronado for the 25th Anniversary Party. Pour is hazy grapefruit red with white head an pink hue. Nose is light acetic, sour cherry, hints of lacto, and faint cheese with light sawdust. Taste is brighter, cherry is decent but a bit pitty, nice cherry juice quality and fairly sour without being acetic. A touch dry with lighter carb and a prickly finish. Lacks funk of traditional lambic but not bad.

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2012 17:44:34 | More by cpetrone84

DovaliHops

California

4.7/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

SO EXCITED to try this beer. I walked into SD Toronado (the SUPERIOR Toronado of the two) while I was on my birthday vacation and was shocked to see this sitting in the cooler. Yes, it was SITTING IN THE COOLER...for all to see. No asking the bartenders if they have it just to let them decide if they like you enough to serve it to you. This Toronado does it how it should be. Such great service, outstanding food, and great beer selection. Back to the Kriek,..it poured a lot less "pink" than I thought it would be. It was a clouded, light-red color with an off-white head. Scent is very cherry-forward with some definite barnyard and musty aromas. The smell is so darn inviting, I can't help but take few sips of this beer immediately. The cherry is so profound in this beer, more than I expected. A good amount of oak and funk. Not overly acidic whatsoever...in fact, not very acidic at all. Just a clean, funky, fruity, wild ale. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, almost puckering, with a juicy finish. Sour and juicy equals amazing in my book. Drinkability is VERY HIGH. Overall, this beer was worth every penny I spent on it. I went into the night willing to spend $80 on the bottle, just to find out it was $55. So worth it. A phenomenal wild ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 05:28:47 | More by DovaliHops

Wowcoolman

California

5/5  rDev +8.9%

09-02-2012 04:30:06 | More by Wowcoolman