Beer #16 – January 16, 2010: Petrus Aged Pale
Beer: Petrus Aged Pale
Brewery: Brouwerij Bavik, Bavikhove, Belgium
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin
Serving Type: Bottle
Price: Unknown – part of a mixed gift pack
Availability: Year-round
Glassware: Brandy snifter
Strength: 7.3% ABV (alcohol by volume)
Drinkability: A surprisingly tart, complex and unusual beer. Honestly, a few years ago, I may have poured this down the drain after a sip or two, believing this was a beer that went bad without really giving it a chance. The initial suprising tart and sour flavors mellow as I drink, and I realize this is just totally different from other beers, and the sweet / sour contrast is intriguing and enjoyable. I may make some beer snobs cringe when I write this, but it’s a similar concept to putting a lime in a Corona, but taken to a whole other level.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Pours a hazy medium brown toffee color with a fizzy white head that dissipates quickly.
Aroma: Red wine, tart raspberry, hint of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Moderate tiny bubbles of carbonation lead to a medium-full mouthfeel.
Taste: Initial flavors of sweet tea and caramel lead into a fruity and earthy middle of mineral water, red grape, raising and under-ripe tart raspberries. The finish has flavors of lemon juice, grapefruit rind, and Chianti tannins.
Pairing: I imagine this would pair quite nicely with sausages, where the sweet, sour & vinegary flavors would contrast the fatty sausage just like a good grainy mustard.
Trivia: While West Flanders is known for their Flanders Red Ale (like the Ichtegem’s Grand Cru I tried a couple of days ago), East Flanders is known for their Oud Bruin Ale. Both are tart and sour indigenous Belgian ales fermented by wild yeasts and bacterial strains, but the Oud Bruin not only appears browner, but has a greater malt presence in the flavor. Both styles are truly unlike any other style of beer I have tried, and have flavors and characteristics more analagous to wine than beer. They may be an acquired taste, but they are worth acquiring a taste for.
A Year of Beer 
Wow, Where do you find these giftpacks? Your entries always makes me so thirsty…
Jarhett,
My wife purchased a three-month subscription the the Belgian Beer of the Month Club from Half Time Beverage in Pougkeepsie, NY (http://www.halftimebeverage.com/). They ship 12 different & very interesting Belgian beers to my door each month. I’ve always known them as one of the best retail stores for beer both in terms of sheer numbers of different beers they carry and in terms of their well-stocked, well-organized and fresh selection. However, they also have one of the best Beer of the Month subscriptions I’ve had so far.
Thanks for your questions and comments!
Cheers!
– Keirh
Wow, that sounds good! Thanks!