Cuvee De Tomme (2005) (Black Label)
The Lost Abbey - The Tasting Room

Tomme Arthur, head brewer of Pizza Port/Lost Abbey and the namesake of this rare beer, first brewed Cuvee de Tomme in 2000. Categorically, Cuvee is a mosaic of extreme beer styles: a bourbon-barrel aged Belgian-style Quadrupel, fermented with wild yeast and added sour cherries. Though Arthur had been making Cuvee for years prior to the 2005 “Black Label” version, he only packaged it in 2003 and 2004, and even then in very small quantities.

This vintage Cuvee was commissioned by the Michael Jackson Rare Beer Club in 2004, and in order to meet the production level needed Arthur turned to his fellow brewer Vinnie Cilurzo at Russian River for some help. Russian River’s larger capacity allowed Arthur to continue operating his own brewery while allowing Cilurzo’s skilled hands to brew the largest batch of Cuvee de Tomme at that point. Though the “Black Label” recipe is exactly the same as every other batch of Cuvee, the barrels used to age the beer were not. The 2005 vintage displayed more bourbon character due to its aging in first-use bourbon barrels, but this quality has seemed to diminish in recent tastings, leaving more of the chocolate and cherry cordial notes to express themselves.