Cable Car Ale
The Lost Abbey in San Marcos, California, United States 🇺🇸
Sour / Wild Beer Rotating|
Score
8.05
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You’ve made it to 547 Haight Street. This destination is more San Francisco than Rice A Roni, Chinatown, and Lombard Street combined. Welcome to Broadway for brewers everywhere. Everyone who is anyone has poured their kegs here. For the last 20 years, this place has launched careers, confirmed legacies, and since 1987 the only name you need to know is David Keene.
Take a seat. Tip Strong. Nod appreciatively and don’t ask stupid questions. Welcome to Big Daddy’s House known to most simply as "The T-Room." Here the bartenders are fluent in English, German, Flemish, French, Waloon and Czech. But they’re most known for their American Lip Service. Watch it. The lady with the jet black hair behind the bar eats idiots for lunch.
At 547 Haight Street, you won’t find any Cable Cars except for this one. But if you’re standing outside the Dutch Doors of the World Famous Toranado, you surely found the most interesting place in all San Francisco. Its’ about RESPECT. Dave you continue to have ours. Here’s to 20 more years of punishing livers everywhere.
Take a seat. Tip Strong. Nod appreciatively and don’t ask stupid questions. Welcome to Big Daddy’s House known to most simply as "The T-Room." Here the bartenders are fluent in English, German, Flemish, French, Waloon and Czech. But they’re most known for their American Lip Service. Watch it. The lady with the jet black hair behind the bar eats idiots for lunch.
At 547 Haight Street, you won’t find any Cable Cars except for this one. But if you’re standing outside the Dutch Doors of the World Famous Toranado, you surely found the most interesting place in all San Francisco. Its’ about RESPECT. Dave you continue to have ours. Here’s to 20 more years of punishing livers everywhere.
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8.3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 9
2007 vintage bottle shared. Pours cloudy orange with a ring off white head. Aroma of citrus, light barnyard, soft funk, peaches, light woody. Flavour is light moderate acidic, surely softened with age. Medium bodied with soft carbonation. Overall, it’s really good but this is surely very much softened with age in every way.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Nov 2014
at 09:06
8.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle @ 14.000th Tasting. Thanks to Hallinghansen (Tha Man) for sharing. Pours cloudy deep golden with a white head. Fruit, funk, peach, manuer and mild almond. Nose is a tad better - really deep and complex. Georgeous stuff!
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Oct 2014
at 13:32
8.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9.5
2008 bottle thanks to Diego! Pours a cloudy orange with paperthin white head that diminishes to nothing. The aroma is strong funk, oak, lemon, and yeast. Thin mouthfeel with light sourness, oak, with lingering tart finish. Held up very well, so impressive.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Mar 2014
at 12:24
8.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 10
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
2010 bottle generously shared by AdamJackson on 3/15/14
Walked in to the tasting and this bottle was already open, waiting patiently for me and definitely beckoning. How’s that for the first beer of the tasting? Save the best for first! And as far as I was concerned, this was the best of show (though I got too drunk and had to leave before Duck Duck was opened, so who knows).
Anyhow, the aroma was a pretty quickly decided 10, for me. I started with not even an inch of glorious, clear, ruby liquid but even that yielded a bountiful, rich, very strong aroma of perfectly wedded sour acids. Acetic acid was gentle at this point and only added enough vinegar-like notes to punctuate the style while the malo-lactic portion was soft, rich and divine. Smelled like it had cherries jumping out of the glass. Tons of black pepper, cherry pit and very light vanilla. Bone dry tartness lingering. Wow, if this stuff smells this much like cherry, I wonder what the actual Kriek version is like...
Beautifully flavorful, as well, with a very dry, light body, leaving only traces of candied prunes and light caramel while the lactic acid and black pepper phenols do all the work. Hints of light base malt sweetness provides excellent balance and the beer seems neither overly/obnoxiously sour, nor lacking in any sour character. Really, really good and well worth the 3 to 4 hundred dollar price tag that I didnt have to pay ;) Thanks Adam! What a guy!
Walked in to the tasting and this bottle was already open, waiting patiently for me and definitely beckoning. How’s that for the first beer of the tasting? Save the best for first! And as far as I was concerned, this was the best of show (though I got too drunk and had to leave before Duck Duck was opened, so who knows).
Anyhow, the aroma was a pretty quickly decided 10, for me. I started with not even an inch of glorious, clear, ruby liquid but even that yielded a bountiful, rich, very strong aroma of perfectly wedded sour acids. Acetic acid was gentle at this point and only added enough vinegar-like notes to punctuate the style while the malo-lactic portion was soft, rich and divine. Smelled like it had cherries jumping out of the glass. Tons of black pepper, cherry pit and very light vanilla. Bone dry tartness lingering. Wow, if this stuff smells this much like cherry, I wonder what the actual Kriek version is like...
Beautifully flavorful, as well, with a very dry, light body, leaving only traces of candied prunes and light caramel while the lactic acid and black pepper phenols do all the work. Hints of light base malt sweetness provides excellent balance and the beer seems neither overly/obnoxiously sour, nor lacking in any sour character. Really, really good and well worth the 3 to 4 hundred dollar price tag that I didnt have to pay ;) Thanks Adam! What a guy!
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Mar 2014
at 07:40
7.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle shared by Adam Jackson during the RBNG. Hazy pale yellow color, still good carbonation level. Aroma of tart lemons, moldy oak, sour grapes.
Flavor is much the same as the nose with a sharp acidic sensation in the back of the taste buds. Very dry texture. I guess everybody goes nuts over this because of the rarity. It’s a great sour if you’re into that sort of thing.
Flavor is much the same as the nose with a sharp acidic sensation in the back of the taste buds. Very dry texture. I guess everybody goes nuts over this because of the rarity. It’s a great sour if you’re into that sort of thing.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Mar 2014
at 13:04
8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 10
Overall 8
2010 Bottle, 750 ML split a stupid amount of ways.
A - Straw yellow appearance. Small whisp of the head and leaves a nice 1 finger head that fades fast.
S - The nose is huge! A very acidic, lots of grape skin, hay, rope and leather. Super funky with lemon as well.
T - Taste is even better. I get a hint of butter but really, it’s a lemon lime funk bomb, a lot of rope, minor fecal taste (yes seriously) and I get a really great grapefruit rind, ropey and sweet.
M - Insanely dry, super bright carbonation and mouthfeel. Really excellent. This makes the beer amazing.
O - Well, I didn’t hype this one up too long or sit on it forever. I traded for it to enjoy on my 2,000th beer rating and BOOM enjoying it with some nice friends from RateBeer. Excited to have this with you all. Thanks!
A - Straw yellow appearance. Small whisp of the head and leaves a nice 1 finger head that fades fast.
S - The nose is huge! A very acidic, lots of grape skin, hay, rope and leather. Super funky with lemon as well.
T - Taste is even better. I get a hint of butter but really, it’s a lemon lime funk bomb, a lot of rope, minor fecal taste (yes seriously) and I get a really great grapefruit rind, ropey and sweet.
M - Insanely dry, super bright carbonation and mouthfeel. Really excellent. This makes the beer amazing.
O - Well, I didn’t hype this one up too long or sit on it forever. I traded for it to enjoy on my 2,000th beer rating and BOOM enjoying it with some nice friends from RateBeer. Excited to have this with you all. Thanks!
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Mar 2014
at 18:24
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
2013 Vintage. Bottle at Toronado, pours a hazy golden with a small white head. Aroma brings out complex oak barrels, some funkiness, and dried light fruits (subtle apricots). Flavour is very complex, with oak barrels, a mixture of dry light fruits, and low-to-medium tartness. Very elegant, with all flavours working harmoniously. Finishes on slightly vinegary notes, as well as light fruits and oak. Definitely overrated, but certainly a delicious beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Nov 2013
at 17:09
7.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
2012 bottle. Thanks BoBoChamp! Hazy golden beer with a small white head. Fruity aroma with notable yeast, and hints of caramel and oak. Fruity flavour with acidic tartness and vinegar notes, and a hint of yeast in the finish. A tad simple in character
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Jun 2013
at 08:02
8.3/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
shared with travlr and bobochamps, traded with bill. thnx dude ! pours blonde, as good as no foam. smells grainy, sour, apples. sour, good carbo, dry, realy sharp carbo, sourness, very nice !
Tried
on 30 Apr 2013
at 16:59
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle shared at Bruce’s 30th Birthday Bash - CBC Clerkenwell, London. Thanks to Bruce! Pours cloudy gold with a light, white foam head. Lemony tang in the aroma. Light to medium sweet flavor with lots of lemon, big tang, some orange. Light to medium bodied with average carbonation. Rich, sour finish, quite citric and acidic. Quenching and fresh. Lots of lemony bite. Great stuff.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Apr 2013
at 13:49