365 different beers from 365 different breweries in 365 days with random musings on beer, food, music, sports, dogs and anything else interesting along the way
In my mind, Petrus equates to Petrus Aged Pale. Kind of the same way that to many folks on the East Coast, Yuengling means lager--despite Yuengling offering many solid alternatives to the lager.
So imagine the loop my tastebuds were thrown for when I tried the Petrus Winterbier! This is decidedly not the Petrus I know, but it is a Petrus that I grew to love.
It poured a lovely mahogany color with a loose tan head. It's full of rich pie spices: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. It reminds me a bit of whiskey. There's honey and malt in there too. It drinks with a lot of body and has a dry finish.
Beer stats
Style: Belgian dark ale
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Good
Beer #348 Petrus Aged Pale Ale / Brouwerij Bavik, Harebeke-Bavikhove, Belgium Beers to go: 18
Winding down a glorious Thanksgiving Day, and hopefully your day was as good as mine. I will tell anyone who listens that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and nothing else is even close. There's no pressure of shopping or gift giving, just relaxing time spent with family, delicious food, and some football. I'm a simple man at heart, and this holiday has everything I need. In the spirit of the day, I do feel I should stop and make mention of things I'm thankful for:
1. A great family; big thanks to my brother-in-law and sister for hosting everyone today and doing a huge portion of the cooking. Somehow, me showing up with a pie and some wine while you guys cranked out a fantastic turkey and mountains of sides doesn't seem fair. Your hospitality is a huge part of why Thanksgiving is such an awesome holiday. So thank you.
2. A wonderful wife who shares hobbies with me. Particularly crazy adventures involving craft beer.
3. A great group of friends. My only wish is that I saw them more often, as it's always an adventure when we manage to get together and hang out. So get a babysitter, and call me. I'm free.
4. Bill O'Brien. It may be odd to be thankful for a guy I haven't yet met, but his leadership of the Penn State football team has been really fun to watch this year. I look forward to seeing what he does in the years to come to help restore the good name of PSU.
5. You, the reader of this blog. In a universe filled with things to distract us and occupy our time, I appreciate you stopping by to read my rambling thoughts on life and beer. Maybe you don't read every day (you should, but whatever), but the fact you spend some time here makes me feel good. Thanks!
Let's wrap up this awesome holiday with a beer: specifically, a Petrus Aged Pale from Brouwerij Bavik in Belgium. This Oud bruin shows off a beautiful clear gold hue with a thin white head. As you get close to the glass, you find an intoxicating, tart, sour apple aroma. When you take a sip, there are notes of oak, tart vinegar, apple, and some faint sweet notes. Absolutely, positively a beer that must be tried by people who appreciate a complex beer. Petrus is an all time favorite of mine, and earns a coveted spot in my Top 25 beers for the year. Hooray!
Sweet chalice for a killer beer
Brouwerij Bavik has been operating since 1894, and Google translates this gem from their website:
Today the fourth generation of this brewer sex through this website take a look behind the scenes of Bavik Brewery.
Wait, what? Um, you all see the sentence about brewer sex through this website, right? I'm not sure if I'm horrified or proud that this has been happening for four generations. Ah, those crazy Belgians!
Thing to Think About Today:
I could just drop in some Adam Sandler here singing The Thanksgiving Song, but you come here to be fascinated and think differently. Therefore, in memory of the delightful turkey I devoured today, let's spend a second being thankful for poultry. Songs about poultry, you ask? Well, that means The Trashmen singing the always unusual Surfing Bird. Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good night!
Tonight's beer is Petrus Aged Pale, a Flanders Oud Bruin from Brouwerij Bavik in Belgium. This is an exceptional beer. So exceptional that I knew it was going in my top 25 the moment we started this blog.
The photo is courtesy of my Blackberry -- a la it is craptastic. Sorry. Petrus pours a super bubbly golden color. It has a small white head that disappears quickly. The smell is indicative of the sourness that is to come with a hint of funk and barnyard. The taste is upfront -- tart and sour. It rounds out to a searingly dry finish. Flavors include lemon, green apple. I don't notice any strong hop or malt flavor -- the sourness overpowers them in a very good way.
This is a beer that I wish to sip for hours from a never-ending supply. I've drank it during the summer and thought it is perfect. I've had it during the fall and considered it appropriate. I had it in February in the dead of winter and loved it. I wish I had another one right now.
***
As I typed the title for this post, I realized that we've surpassed the 75 day mark. We are 20% of the way through this challenge. Wow. Another realization is that with the extra beers I've accidentally reviewed, I'll have had 370 beers during the 366 day challenge. I imagine at the rate I'm going accidentally drinking the same brewery twice, I'm going to hit 400 easily.
On that note, I bid you cheers for a happy weekend!
