Beer Review: Yellow Bus

Reviewing the infamous Yellow Bus , a "yellow sour" (American wild ale) with white peaches from The Lost Abbey out of San Marcos, California. Although unsigned, the bottle has been verified as authentic.

Score: 98

2008 vintage bottle served in a Lost Abbey teku and enjoyed on 07/27/14 alongside Veritas 010.

Appearance: The beer pours a cloudy yellow-orange peach color that is a darker hue than the Veritas 010, with a thin later of head that settles to a ring around the glass. Has a lovely fade with an orange-ish center (this is sadly not particularly apparent in my photo). No lacing or retention. 4.5/5

Smell: Peach/peach syrup, oak, tannins and vanilla. So lovely. A hint of must and stone fruit. Has a little zesty, mildly jammy character. Quite remarkable, though not quite the best sour peach nose I have encountered to date. Lovely mix of aromatics here. 5/5

Taste: Peach, peach, peach, mineral water, a hint of stone fruit and a kiss of oak. So lovely. It's 90% peach, with a little jellied sweetness, wine, oak and other faint underlying complexities that make you doubt this is Lost Abbey. Do not get me wrong, Tomme makes some delicious sours, but subtly has never been his calling card. Finishes with lasting peach flavor. Just a hint of vinegar. More acidity/sourness if you let it sit on the tongue more. 4.75

Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied, spot on carbonation. More "pop" from the cork than there was with Veritas 010. Soft tartness with a little sweetness. Virtually no acidity and has the delicateness of the best Belgian lambic, which is quite unlike Veritas 010. Excellent balance. 5/5

Overall: A remarkable ghost whale; one of the better white whales out there that I have sampled to date. It is not a unique beer so much as it is a masterfully brewed and balanced one. I would put this a half step above Fuzzy in quality, noting that it is six or so years old and thus likely faded from its peak. I personally would take a bottle like Black & Wild over this if given a choice, but this bottle did not disappoint.

Cost: Unknown (was never a bottle sold to the public).