Pizza Port Cuvee de Tomme

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

75cl bottle thanks to Guy411. Working my way through the LA sours, and a pattern emerges: they take a hefty base beer and decimate it with brett and whatever bacteria they are using. Oh, and I’m still 100% on carbonated bottles from Port/Lost Abbey, with this being my 28th rating for them, so there. Brown-red color with a small tan head. Lots of sour cherry in the aroma, with some barrel, light bourbon, and clean sour that isn’t coming from the cherries. The flavor has a rich malty base that is toppled by a dry cherry tartness. Alcohol is present but light for a beer this big. Then, sourness. Lots of it, and that is impressive considering the base beer was a pretty malty quad. Lots of cherry flavor, but there is so much going on that the balance seems about right. Full bodied with a medium carbonation level and smooth texture. A huge sour, but very well balanced. Great beer.

2008 vintage. 350ml bottle thanks to Doubleo. Pours dark murky reddish brown with very small head. Aroma is strong with tart cherries, wood, brett, and some faint chocolate. Flavor is tart cherries, dark fruits, chocolate, brett, and wood. Has a real nice tartness. While there was little head the carbonation is near perfect for this beer. Palate is smooth and creamy. I like has it is sour up front but finishes with a smooth sweetness. Really nice brew. Alcohol is well hidden. Aging has probably helped mellow this brew. Cheers to Tomme and Doubleo who hooked me up with this awesome brew.

Bottle from hellbilly. Pours a very dark brown with dissipating head. Nose is strongly Brett. Acidic/vinegary. Sherry and cherries. Rich. Funky and dirty and earthy. On taste it is tart, lots of cherries and a rich molasses/roast tinge that lets you know what the base beer is. Very earthy and big. Full bodied, slick mouthfeel. Rich Rich Rich. This is a big beer that could benefit from a couple more years, I think. Still, Pretty big and a pleasure.

Dark brown with a tight beige head. Aroma is oak and cherries, earthy bretty and slightly "brown malty". Flavour is suprisingly tart and refreshing for the abv with strong brett, acidic candy (vingummi..) and lots of cherries. Very dry and easy to drink with a long aftertaste with notes of hai, cherry pits and wood.

2009 375 bottle Very strong flavors and hints of sour. Fruity aroma. Pours very dark. Considering the alcohol content it is very smooth. Not a strong alcohol taste.

12th July 2008. Sour cherry beer. This really needs to be not over cold as a little warmth brings a mellowness to it. Sour cherries reasonably well balanced by woody tones. A dry beer. Okay but not quite the cherrry nirvana I was hoping for.

A somewhat flat looking 3 gets a nice bump to a four due to the good lacing. Dark brown and murky pour. Scent is sour cherry, quite appetizing. A little bit of wood in the background, but not much else. Taste is a little odd and difficult to describe. The sour character from the scent is certainly there but this one goes through three or four transformations across the palate. Sour first, wood second, sweet cherry and leather turning back into sour. Very good. This one is stopped from being an out of this world brew by a slightly lower than optimal carbonation level.

Dark, dark brown, with a beige head that quickly dissipates, leaving no head. Aroma is of sour cherries, funk, wood, plum, skin of peach. Flavour is massive, a fresh, puckering tangy sourness. Obvious cherry and fruit notes, chocolate, wood, a slight vanilla note, some alcohol, quite vinous, quite like a red wine. Some tobacco. Very juicy, surprisingly not especially dry. Carbonation is very sparse. A complex, surprising brew, not what I was expecting at all. Enjoyed it a lot.