Pizza Port Cuvee de Tomme

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

Pizza Port. Solano Beach 3/05. 750 ml bottle. Hazey reddish brown with small tan head. Aroma intially sour with mustiness turning to a cherry whiskey aroma.Some sour cherry tast with an alcohol bite at the end similar to Three Philosophers. A little too much alcohol. will cellar the other two bottles for later use

Randomly came across a Black Label Version 750 ml bottle into a Tulip glass at Union downtown. THANK GOD!!! Here are my notes: Pours deep mahagony ruby red with brown tones, off white to tanned head with excellent retention sticking to the sides of the glass. Aroma: belgian sweet sugar, dark cherries, aged oak, small alcohol nose, bits of brown sugar, light whiskey, deep red wine tannins, retains scent throughout. Flavor: deep sweet malts, sour black fermented cherries, pungent fruits, whiskied oak, warming alcohol presence at the end into the nose, very port like, lambic like yeast notes, taste like a light whiskey red wine blend, red winey aftertaste. Overall: This one basically left me speechless. I can definitely see how some may encounter this and not dig it as much, but I instantly fell in love with this brew. Everything about it screams original and exciting. The aroma and flavors burst at the seams! If you see this: BUY IT!! Already one of my top beers for sure!!

Black label, courtesy of DarkElf. Poured a hazy dark mohagany with a fizzy tan head. Aroma of black cherries, dark fruit, brown sugar, bit of alcohol. Flavor is dry and mildly tart with the cherries presenting themselves first, followed by some maple syrup, dark fruit, yeast, and a bit of alcohol. Not as sour as I thought it would be... instead, the sourness is really more of a strong tartness. However, I’m left wondering if the sourness is supposed to be the lead flavor, a background player, or somewhere in between. A complex and dry beer, but prehaps a bit too yeasty and far removed from the more traditional Belgians I’m used to for me to consider it world class.

Black label, courtesy of hezron – thanks, Nathan! Translucent when put to light, otherwise, it’s scarlet chocolate in color with doily lace at the outskirts. Caramelized beets, broiled raisins, stewed prunes, rum almonde and an underlying bittersweet chocolate tingle of Frangelico liquor break the aromatic barrier. Full flavor onslaught kicks in with boiled chocolate and a tart, black licorice hint. Buttery then dry. Wholesome chocolate with bittersweet lactic intonations. Effervescence is dead-on while the chambord accents the body. Balanced yet ripe, with broiled cocoa and prunes meeting aged raisings, giving legs to the dark fruited nature herein. Tiny, dry and bittersweet sourness accents the unrefined cocoa at the outtake, finishing slightly ashen and altogether splendid. Goddamn delicious.

Milwaukee YeHA! 2006

Thanks to hezron for bringing this to the tasting. This started a string of several excellent beers that capped off the night. Unfortunately it also started to unsettle my stomach as well. I guess the average body is not designed to drink so much brett in a single sitting. Anyways, on to the show.

Aroma / Appearance - Cherry, oak, fruity esters and a sour nutty feel complete a very well balanced nose. Unlike some of the earlier beers which just seemed odd with brett, this one fit like a glove. The body poured a deep amber with no carbonation.

Flavor / Palate - A tart sour mouthfeel begins the pleasure. Vinous, it also dries out the mouth at the same time. The finish reminds me of a strong bourbon that warms the palate. It is a great sipping beer - I can’t imagine anyone finishing a whole 750 of this on their own. If so, I hope you have ready access to a stomach pump to deal with the consequences.

Black label bottle from cquiroga, thanks man. The aroma is fairly hot,...lots of bourbon a touch of cherries, sweet caramel/toffee and some oak vanilla tannins. Rich ruby red color with a thin head. Flavor is slightly boozy, but in a good way. Initially I taste buttery bourbon and then it changes to sweet, medicinal cherry and a dryish oak finish. Interesting, strong and crazy. Medium-light body, high carbonation. My only complaint is the medicinal/boozy thing.

Sampled at Dutch70’s "Tasting in the Woods, Part Deux". Dark, somewhat clear brown. Aroma of barnyard, acidity and cherries; quite prominent. Has a strong sour rush on the palate with notes of vinegar, barnyard, cherries, fruity acidity, berries, caramel and Sweettarts. Medium bodied with subtle carbonation.

Black label version. Very dusty, murky brown. Nose is very tart and vinegary, quite sour. Also herbal and weedy, some sour fruit, smells qutie intriguing. Flavor is agressively not pleasant, extremely acidic and tart, basically tastes like a big glass of balsamic vinegar. Add to that the fact it’s undercarbonated and this isn’t much fun. Very disappointing.