Pizza Port Le Woody Brune

Formerly brewed at Pizza Port (Solana Beach)
Style: Sour Ale
Solana Beach, California USA

Bottled, thanks cquiroga! Pale brownish amber, no head. Acidic lighly oaky strawberry aroma. Dryish with soft malt and gently sparkling mouthfeel. Complex flavour of wild strawberries, vinegar, oak and blueberries. Vinous with near Cantillon-like acidity. An ultra superb beer that left me speechless.

Bottled. Amber colour, mediumsized white head. Aroma is brutally sour, fruity, woody and leafy. Flavour is very much the same in an excellent balance. Very complex, sour and lovely.

Date: 08/26/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Fest of 26

muddy brown, scant head, big sour oaky aroma with strong cherry pit essence, creamy body, big tart flavor, lots of woody cherry pit character,

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: **4
-------- /> I would like to rerate this beer.

Bottled
Hazy brown color, small off-white head. Sour, earthy aroma. Sourish .. cherry flavor is dominating. Smooth carbonation. Very stylish, balanced Rodenbach-like sour ale.

750ml bottle shared courtesy of egajdzis. Gusher warning - at least Eric did a great job of catching most of it before it erupted all over my bar! Poured a deep and cloudy reddish / amber color with a small sized off white head. Lots of small floaters. Aromas of cherries, vinous, light wood, yeast, berries and a light funkiness. Tastes of cherries and wood. Cherry pie all the way. Semi-tart finish. Lively and fizzy body that I didn’t particularly care for.

Hugely focused sour cherry nose might not be the most complex, but rings an aura of pleasure that is just undeniable. Juicy and tart flavours emanate from the muddy copper hue that barely wears a ring of off-white head. Upon further evaluation, discoveries of grape, kiwi and litchi undertones can be found underlying a vanilla essence. If its soul comes from the cherries, its strength radiates from the cask wood ammunition that procures it the necessary red wine tones to showcase its tartness among all its earthiness. A globally sweet example that knows what the important things in life are.

Bottle sampled on 8/26/06 thanks to cquiroga: Pours a slightly hazy muddy copper amber with a thin-lacing off-white head. Complex sweet caramel and earthy oak aroma has a touch of cinnamon and brown sugar with some tart fruit. Body starts with lively carbonation, slightly sweet biscuity malt and a nice balance of tart fruit and oak. A very nice Flemish sour. Thanks Chris!

Any first impressions?
-A ring of foam thrones above the dull dark red/brown.
-Cherries lean on the dry earth, as tart wilderness is foreshadowed.
-Proud tartness carries juicy cherries, still covered in wet earth.
-The prickly effervescence makes it all the more drinkable, as the lean body efficacious transports all flavors.

What if you dig deeper?
-Vinosity and a splash of citrus push tartness’s complexity to higher levels.
-A muddled finish though can’t do better than light dryness and cherry tomato fruitiness.
-This is a beautiful Flemish Sour Ale which strikingly lacks idiosyncracies, which is uncommon for Pizza Port Solana.

Bottle; no date.