Le Woody
Pizza Port Solana Beach

 

750 mL bottle poured into a snifter. Bottle #184.

Appearance - Pours without any head or bubbles. Deep golden body.

Smell - Sharp oak. Lends a light peppery aroma. White wine. Light citrus.

Taste - Significantly more white wine. Tart, but not all that sour. Kinda lemony. Gets very woody and lightly spicy. Pale malt builds in the back. Finishes oaky.

Mouthfeel - Medium low carbonation. Medium body.

Overall - Held up remarkably well for a beer so old. And a surprisingly complex sour from an American brewer.

 

 

 

 

Bottle #226

Pours a light layer of beige head. Color is a clear dark gold.

Aroma: Herbal notes with passion fruit. Light sour with a touch of booze. A bit of rubbing alcohol phenols. Odd.

Taste: Fruity again with passion fruits and watermelon. Plastic flavors and cherries. Odd booze notes. Then I get some limes.

Mouthfee: Sour and a bit hot. Lighter bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends dry, but clean.

Overall, I was a bit surprised with this one. Not what I was expecting. It had a lot of off putting flavors. However, at the end of the night there was a decent amount left in the bottle and I had some and it was actually good when it warmed. I dark lorded the rest of the bottle.

Thank you to Chris for sharing this very vintage Pizza Port beer.

A: The pour is a clear straw color with some hints of orange. There is pretty much no head on this beer.

S: Wow, not what I was expecting. Honey and grapes are here, and I enjoy that, but there's a bit alcohol and rubber cement note to it. I do get a lot of chardonnay out of it, though...

T: There's a really harsh alcohol flavor that comes through immediately. Maybe a little bit of plastic, too. There is a bit of watermelon and a lot of chardonnay, which is nice, but does not atone for the bad flavors.

M: The body is medium with a very low level of carbonation.

D: It's unfortunate that this beer was so off. I just really couldn't find much to enjoy here.

Huge thanks to Jerz for hosting an awesome tasting, and for so many generous beer connoisseurs who made the event possible.

Pours a light, hazy orange gold. Thin white crust. Some white bubbles. Woody (har dee har har), some light varnish remover sourness ... in a good way, a bit of a chardonnay (??? was this wine barrel aged???) aftertaste. Egads, there's a bit of a booze and banana liqueur aftertaste. Once I recognized it, all I could keep thinking was banana liquer. Some unripe peach strains, too. Nice mouthfeel.

Interesting. Well worth trying, as it's a pretty unique blonde/light grape sour, but pretty tough to find at this point. Despite the lack of real bubbling, refreshingly drinkable.

Thanks to Jeff for sharing both variants of Le Woody. Served in a tasting snifter. Bottle #216.

A - Pours with a quick-dissolving white foam that doesn't settle to anything - no ring, no lace, no film or haze. Looks like filtered apple juice with a transparent golden body.

S - Holy acetobacter Batman - this is verging on paint thinner and nail polish remover levels of acetone. Harsh and nostril-singing. As it warms up it mellows out a bit and reveals some coconut from the toasted oak.

T - Taste is significantly better - if you can avoid smelling the beer. Vinous white grapes, pale malts, toasted oak, and acetic sourness. Finish is a touch plastic, but there's a pretty good brew here.

M - Medium body, low carbonation, very dry with residual cottonmouth and tooth-coating candy sensations. Very unblended lambic in texture.

D - Took me a while to work through my 3oz pour, as the nose was just barbaric at first. This also causes some stomach-churning over time. Highly recommended for Overlord.

750ml bottle.

A - Pours a clear golden color, no head, lacing, or retention. Some very small bubbles rise from the bottle of the glass, but otherwise, not a whole lot going on here.

S - Acidic, hard to inhale, harsh. Some light oak, grapes, floral hints. Really though, the harshness is what you get from the start, which is obviously off-putting. Better as it warms.

T - A nice sour/tartness, oak, chard grapes, creamy and fruity. Kinda reminds me of a Sauvignon Blanc profile a bit. Very good.

M - Light, crisp, rich and dry finish.

D - If it wasn't for the off-putting nose to start with, it would be excellent. However, the nose dings the score a bit. I have no problems drinking this one again, but it's so f'n rare I doubt I'll get the chance.

From 08/26/10 notes. Had at a local DC tasting, thanks Brad.

a - Pours an amber color with no carbonation evident.

s - Smells of sour fruits, citrus, lots of funk. Hint of oak, and some spices or pepper.

t - Tastes of sour fruits, tart apples, funk, and spices.

m - Light to medium body and no carbonation.

d - A very nice sour. The smell and taste were both definitely funky and I enjoyed it a lot. Would like to try again.

RBSG09 '04 vintage on the bus courtesy of cquiroga. Pours orange with an amber tinge. Watery white head leaves smattered lacing. Big crabapple and lemon aroma with an obvious woodiness. Flavor is similar with the sour acidic fruits. Not all that sour but rather very tart. Woody dryness in the finish.

Originally reviewed on May 20, 2006. 2006 750 mL. Fired clear pour of crimson and flame, edged with fringes of tanned gold, a core of tinted rose. Atop, perched delecately a fast fading sparse head of soapy bubbling perfusive white oak. Aroma has the musk of the deep south pine woods, with fragrant rising odors of detritus and hard beech. Rainier cherries in a freshly baked crumble, backed with Cassia and Tahitian vanilla. This is drizzled with a syrup of Thai coconut syrup and the bottom of a can of pineapple slices. Succulent. Woody has a ubiquitous nature of dancing on my tounge with slippers of cloying fruits and wild cranberry tang. That delectable long sweet coconut and pineapple, with shredded kaffir lime leaves in a stew of mild fruits, fresh and juicy is back and delighting me. A touch of currants and light attic harmonize with a strong backend of dried cedar shavings and rich toasted caramels. What I appreciate most in this beer is the extra dimension added by the noticable level of word sorrel inflected caramel malt flavor at the end. At first, it’s a typical wild beer, but the sugars that glow in the background really add a world to the beer. The palate is refreshingly pleasent, with a delectable equilizing presence, almost of a palate cleanser, dry, fresh, but tinged with lemony sweetness. Ready for the next swallow. Nice balance. Great stuff!

thanks to hopdog for this...
Appears a mild haze of ogld with a small white head that fades into a collar.
Smell is of mild, rubbery sour cherries with some bold brett standing out.
Taste is of sour fruit and tons of tartness. Lots of wild brett present in this brew.
Mouthfeel has a bit of an alcohol kick behind it with a vinous tartness that reflects the oak chardonnay aging.

In bottle at the Monk's Pizza Port / Russian River dinner. The beer poured a nice golden copper color with an off white head. The beer was described as having cherry in it and boy were they correct. The aroma was very fruity, with others besides the cherry. I liken this beer to the New Belgian Transatlantic Kreik for its deep rich cherry, earthy flavors. I had a few glasses of this last night and could have used a few more.

Dark fleshy citrus-coloured with a small ring of white bubbles. Carbonation seems lacking, but I think this is the point and can be expected since this is a pseudo American straight lambic. Aromas are all funky gueuze-like notes of farmhouse things like horseblanket, and cobwebs. taste bretty and lemony, acidic as all get out and complex as a mo-fo. What did you expect? Finish is dry, acidic and funky, mouthfeel is a bit thin, but not horribly so. Drinkability is off the charts for a lambic-head like me. Killer rendition of the American Wild Ale style that is just so emerging. An American lambic to reckon with. Thanks Tomme.

Bottle# 165.


This beer is almost clear. Shimmering gold/orange appearance. Slight bone white head. Soon, just a collar of white bubbles is left. Lace is adequate. Beautiful nose. It's like vinegar, tart apples, lemonade and brown sugar all rolled into one. First impressions are: tannic bite, sharp acidic tones and green apple. As I progress, however, and as the beer warms, I note that the "sharpness" and "bite" I perceived to begin with really diminish and make this one incredibly fucking drinkable lambic. There's a nice little "sweet" contrast to the tart, acidic tones. And it has quite a dry finish to it that just begs sip after sip after sip... This beer was gone before I knew it. Quite thirst quenching. Quite good.

Thanks go out to my favorite Bum of the best Port around...

Bottle #87, purchased in late-ish 2004. The bottle says it could be aged for years but, come on, who's got the willpower for that?

Aged in chardonnay barrels, and the appearance of the beer is actually fairly chardonnay-like itself. Crytsal clear, and light-copper with tinges of orange in color. A scant array of bubbles struggle for a few seconds after the pour to form a head, but the battle as lost quickly, leaving the beer with scarcely any top at all.

Grape-skin like, fairly sharp tannic aroma. Quite winey.

The flavor is ... wow ... puckery! More grape skin flavors and the brettanomyces really make themselves felt throughout the whole sip. I was doubting the bottle's proclamation that there could be anything "coconutty" about this beer, but surprisingly enough, there is a bit of coconut to the finish, and it does indeed develop a somewhat toasted character as the beer warms. The aftertaste starts off with a pleasant bit of funk, but this too develops as the beer sits, taking on a nice woodiness.

Moderate in mouthfeel and sharp in acidity. But the complexity of flavors here is what really makes this beer a knockout. Take your time with this one -- it's fun to experience it develop. And *now* I'm wishing I could see what a bit of age would do to it! Pizza Port scores again. Who's surprised?

Presentation: A surprise, but nonetheless, very welcome present from Sir BigDog himself when I attended the recent Sierra Nevada Festival at Lucky Baldwin’s in Pasadena. The latest creation from Solana Beach arrives in a green 750ml flat bottomed bottle that has one white background label that almost wraps around the whole body of the bottle. Below the words Port Brewing, which are in purple, a similar colored 50’s looking American wooden clad station wagon with a black & white hooped French dude at the wheel drives from right to left. Three Wooden Barrels are atop the Voiture and the words ‘Aged in French Oak Wooden Barrels’ in blue text complete the front of the label.

Stated as 'Hand Bottles #125', it is listed at 6.5% Alcohol by Volume. The back portion of the label goes on to explain that is another limited run in a series of (dare I say Artisanale) creations from PP exploring barrel aging & wild yeast fermentation. This particular example was aged for 9 months in French Oak Barrels once used in the production of California Chardonnay.

Appearance: A pellucid amorphous body evacuates the bottle. A complex tone that is not one color but more a collage of a pale orange-gold, tangerine, light brass and fluorescent flashes of copper. A Bubbly head forms with the release of residual dissolved carbonation during the pour. But just looking at its massive aerated bubbles which form you know it will not last long. Sure enough, very soon the head completely disappears. Finishes with a Brandy cum 2-year Lambic appearance. A light swirl induces some dissolved carbonation to form tame streamers. Slight haze forms during top-ups as the contents reach the base of the bottle.

Nose: Acidic nose, tart and pungently sharp like a good Malt Vinegar it tingles the nasal hairs. Lambic-land odors are omnipotent and fill the concave bell at the top of my Duvel glass. Sheer bliss – oh this is good. As it warms I do actually get hints of wood, mixed with some sour-come-sharp apple and grape skins.

Taste: Dry English Scrumpy (traditional Cider) entrance. The middle builds, white grape skins, white wine Chardonale astringency, mild yeasty feel, Hydrochloric saliva vaporizing effect on the tongue and cheeks leaves a short anhydrous gasp after each swallow. Hydrophobic finish has a lingering grainy woody finish. Dare I say that this is like a slightly tamed version of a traditional 2 year (straight) lambic? Very Good!!!

Mouthfeel: Low carbonation throughout, but this will not be a distraction for straight lambic lovers. The mouthfeel is dry, woody and grapey but wholesome.

Drinkability: Lambic-licious. I so wish I had a Case of this stuff, why is it that the limited releases from Pizza Port as so f’ing hard to get hold of? Their availability is inversely proportional to their Drinkability.

Overall: Lambic like libation, looks lambic and licks the tongue and cheeks like one. I wish PP would brew and/or release some more of this!! SUPERB!

Even considering the overwhelming massive generosity of Lord xlperro and the fantastic beer sharing brotherhood of BA that I have come to love, this still must have been a very tough bottle to part with. A massive “Thanks Mate!” to San Diego’s finest. Highly Recommended, especially for lambic lovers.