Pizza Port Cuvee de Tomme

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

Bottle. Pours a thick, chocolate color, with a white head and decent lacing. Funky caramel aromas, cherries, sweet hops. Flavor has caramel, cherries, distant vanilla, smooth bourbon with some tartness in the finish. Very smooth, and the bitterness combined with tartness in the finish is just about perfect.

2008 Bottle shared by mreusch. Pours a cloudy brown with a light tan head. On the nose are mildly funky, sour cherries, oak and a faint bourbon note. Uber-dry up-front, medium-bodied and tannic with a dry, woody finish. The flavor follows the funky cherry nose. It’s a tasty brew, but I wasn’t as blown away by this one as I’d hoped I would. Nevertheless, I’m very thankful to have had the opportunity to try this one. Thanks again, Matt!

2008, 375 ml bottle acquired from ironchefscott, thanks! Poured into RR glass. Brown color, very slight head. Smells sour, but not overly so. You get a decent sour in the taste, but also some of the bourbon barrel that this beer was aged in. Alcohol was decently hidden, but I felt the bourbon burn in my throat for a long time after. For me, it doesn’t get a lot better than this. A beer with sour elements aged in bourbon barrels. Love it. Really glad I got the opportunity to try it.

2008, 375ml bottle from Sinners. Pours a cloudy brown with ruby highlights and a thin tan head. Aroma is sour cherry, light oak, light bourbon and funk, and some general tartness. Flavor is more sour cherry, oak, and a bit of funk. There’s a nice, yet indiscernible finish on this that’s a bit of cherry skin maybe. This is a solid beer with nice aging potential, but a little "young" right now. I’m interested to see what the brett funk can do to compliment the sour cherry in a year or so...

Black label 05 bottle shared by miketd, thanks homie. Poured a murky brown color with reddish highlights and a thin beige head that diminished to a ring. Sour cherries dominate the aroma with some light oak and funky brett yeastiness. Moderately tart, sour cherry flavor with some funky, almost cheesy flavors and some more sour funk from the brett and some nice oak character on the finish. Nice mouthfeel with a good drying character on the finish. Thanks for sharing Mike, it will be nice to compare this too the new release.

Very good beer, but I had such high hopes for this one. Opened this right after taking the CFA as part of my reward. Pours brown, with a thin head. Nice aroma, I was actually thinking it would be a lot more sour. Hides the ABV very well. I really liked it more as the blend in the Veritas 003. Very good though.

Bottle at Noogfest Four-O. Pours cloudy red orange with beige head. Aroma is sourness, blackberry, and plenty of farm. The flavor is soft cheese, a nice mellow sourness, and distant berries. This here is delicious.

2008 sampling courtesy of BA Barleywinebrewer..Thanks! Pours brownish amber, almost opaque, with a crimson tinge on the edges. Zero head or lacework. Perfectly clear legs on the glass. Aromatics are intense and complex. Tart cherries, brandy, bourbon, vanilla, raisins, and a touch of balsamic. Plenty of boozy alcohol and sour fruit. Medium bodied, a bit syrupy and chewy. Pretty much flat with a hint of carbonation. A concentration of sour cherries, brandy, bourbon, and balsamic steeped raisins lead off the pallet. Warming and plenty of lingering sourness. A wine-like vineousity contrasts the boozy alcohol nicely. Dry and juicy, with plenty of oak and vanilla that struggle to follow through. Finishes with lingering balsamic, cherry stones, and warming booze. I don’t like to reference other beers when reviewing, but the intense balsamic sourness reminded me of Earthmonk. Add the Cherries and the bourbon/brandy character and this beer is in a class by itself. I think Tomme needs to work on the carbonation issues of his beers though. If this beer was carbonated the aromatics would have been more intense, and the pallet could use some liveliness.