Pizza Port Cuvee de Tomme

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

Sampled at Hellbilly’s Hellraiser II. 375ml bottle of the new batch (2008) courtesy of Rustychiles paired with a 750ml 2005 bottle courtesy of Footy. 2008: pours an opaque brown with minimal head sans for a ring around the glass. Nose is cherries, wood and subtle bourbon. Palate is cherries, oak and alcohol – very wine like. 2005: pours a clear brown with zero head. Nose is all bourbon and brandy. Palate has much more bourbon upfront than the 2008 and it overpowers the cherry flavor. Both versions have a medium mouth feel and dry finish. Both great in their own way but very different. Thanks to Rusty and Rudy for sharing.

2008 Version, 375mL bottle: Color is very dark red with a beige colored head that recedes to a ring around the glass. Smell of acetic acid, cherries, caramel, oak, dark fruits, and brown sugar. Taste is sour with cherry pits, maple, bourbon, dark fruit, and caramel sweetness. Medium carbonation with medium body. Good stuff, I look forward to trying it with a bit more age on it.

2005 and 2008 vintage Sampled at Hellbillys Hellraiser II. Thanks to Footy for the 05. 2008 Pours a cloudy brown with a bit of carbonation. Aroma of cherries, wood, sour, rasins. Flavor is cherry, wood, rasisns, sour, funk, yeast. I really enjoyed this one. 2005 Pours a cloudy brown with a little carbonation. Aroma of whiskey, cherries, wood, rasins, sourness. Flavor is whiskey barrel, cherry, rasins, sour. Quite a bit different than the 2008 but still wonderful.

Picked this one up at Lost Abbey/Port 2nd anniversary. Poured into a tulip, dark brown, active carbonation and no head. Immediate nose of cherries and wine. Tart cherry flavor with hints of wine-like alcohol. Absolutely amazing and unique aftertaste with bourbon and bready notes. This is the second bottle i have tried (the first was last years release after aging for 1 year) and have to say that i prefer it fresh.

Rating # 750: 375ml bottle from 2008 purchased at the brewery. Wow, where to start. Pours a dark dirty water brown with virtually no head or carbonation. Big aromas of sour cherries, red wine, oak and prunes. Very nice tart cherry flavor with a light tingle on the palate.

dark brown color with a cherry smell. it tastes like cherries and alcohol and perfume. not a fan.

Lost Abbey bottling. Huge thanks to BDR for sharing this! Murky brown/red color with a medium head. Solid aroma of oak and slightly sour cherries. The taste is quite the mix of flavors... The sour and slightly tart cherries fade into a sweet, raisiny malt, all rounded out by light vanilla, oak and bourbon. The bourbon is very moderate; enough to say hello, but not enough to bash you over the head. Wicked good.

Pours a very dark brown, slight crimson tinge to it, and a small bubbly tan head that sticks around a while. Upon smelling this, I wonder if there’s anything other than sourness and cherries. I was prepared for something less tart. Eventually, the sourness and cherries give way to a lot of wood, old books, slight bourbon, raisins, and the faintest hint of toasty brown sugar malt. Tastes as tart as the aroma suggest, but not as fruity. There’s a HUGE tannin drying sensation on the tongue. Beyond that, there’s some wood flavor, over-steeped tea. Finishes with lingering hints of vinegar, wood, toast, and red wiine. Strong flavors no doubt, but it’s just so woody dry and a lot more tart than I wanted. Creamy texture medium/full bodied and soft carbonation make this much chewier than any sour ale out there. It’s complex, but I could not get any malt flavors or balancing sweetness from this, so I’m left unsatisfied. Pass me some Judgement Day instead.

Wow, what a difference a different bottling makes! I’ll write more later, but the ’09 bottling is SO much nicer than before. The bourbon, base beer, wild yeast, and sour cherries all exist harmoniously without one dominant characteristic. Score = bumped.