Pizza Port Cuvee de Tomme

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

NorCal Feb ’08 - Wow. Yeah, this beer is that good. It deserves a double Wow. Just incredible. Really had to put into words how delicate and tasty this beer is. I mean reading it doesn’t do it justice, you gotta taste it. An aroma of sour cherries, sitting in a chocolate rum/wine sauce. It really is decadent smelling like a fine dessert. Appearance is dark brown in color, opaque with a small white head with quick dissipation. Flavors are sour cherries, chocolate, raisins, dark rum, old leather....all wrapped up incredibly well. It’s like a damned epiphany when you taste something this good. I knew it was highly rated, but this is one of those beers that clearly deserves it. Mind blowingly good.

Bottle at the Laid Back Brussels Tasting (Feb 9, 2008)
Deep, brown body. No head whatsoever. Nice aroma of wood, fruit, peach, malts, wine, cognac. Moderately sweet, lightly bitter flavour. The bitterness disappears fastly, while the sweetness stays. Port like. Very nice, but not that much as beer. Anyway I don’t mind too much. One could say lambic is different from any other beer as well ...

Big thanks to metallitone1 for the bottle. Nice corked and caged bottle, pours totally still. Color is woody red. Aroma is complex with vanilla, fruit, and oak. The barrel-aging seems to contribute a spicy and toasty aroma. Cherry and raisiny fruit flavors abound in the taste. Vanilla, red wine, and bourbon weave a nice pattern throughout this beer. The wild yeast is smoothly integrated into the overall flavor profile. Full, coating mouthfeel. Drinkability is limited only by the extremely low availability.

Wanted to try this one for a very long time, thanks again to Brad. Pours a syrupy, dark red-brown... No head, just a few bubbles. Looks like port. Also smells like a port, sweet, fruity and boozy. Flavor is quite tart, fruity, oaky, goddamn that hits all my sweet spots. Mouthfeel is viscous, coating the tongue. Unique, interesting and delicious.

Bottle at Monk’s café – not sure of the vintage at the moment (it’s the one with the dark colored label and the big "C")This one pours a dark red with almost no head. Aroma is a huge and wonderful mix of strong, tart cherries, bretty-sweet sourness, bourbon and vanilla notes, Cabernet Sauvignon and some assorted funky scents. Flavor has a nice bretty funk and sourness with a strong sour cherry taste. Also some woody, oaky, bourbon, and quality red wine (Zin, Cab) thrown in here plus some alcohol hotness. Mouthfeel is thick with a nice pucker factor. The biggest drawback is the alcohol taste and overall heat – I’m guessing it needs more time. Points for originality and overall taste and presentation, but this doesn’t match the best brett beers I’ve had – namely Cuvee de Castleton and Supplication. Damn good! I will definitely lay away my bottles from Patron Sinners for a bit, as I think they will improve quite a bit with a little time. Re-rate of a 2008 bottle: Well, this does it - its prettier, heartier with a great oaky-vanilla-bourbon sweetness in aroma and flavor. Lots of vinous fruits and cherries in a blend that is nothing short of amazing. Awesome feel. Tomme took a really good beer and made it truly great. Wow.

Tasted many times over the years. Mind boggling and unique, but I’ve usually preferred the Mother of All Beers base beer. Copper brown color; aroma of big sour persimmon and other funky fruit, cherries, wine and bourbon wood flavors. Like taking a framboise and going off the deep end. Flavors of tongue twisting sour strange tropical fruit, persimmon...some versions without aging may be a tad syrupy, harsh, acidic, alcoholic, yet still intense, intriguing and fun. Not for the timid. The 05’ is a real standout right now.

Bottle, at various locations during the Zythos weekend, March 2006. Hazy chestnut red, moderate off white head and good condition. Oxidized woody metallic notes over sour cherry in the nose, everything up a notch in the mouth with some barnyard notes but without becoming overpowering, ling lingering tinny metallic and woody/earthy finish.

White label, gold foil: Bloody red pour with no head, no apparent carbonation. Fresh pressed cherries hit me first in the nose, with a healthy dose of oak and ether. The body is really tart, with loads of cherries - still fresh. Lots of fresh juice, oaky wood dry things out. A deeper layer reveals some jungle fruits and more lacto like sourness. Wow - complex and really nice.