Petrus Oud Bruin

Brewed by Bavik-De Brabandere
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Harelbeke, Belgium

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

Bottle. Dark brown with thin tan head. Sweetish caramel-malty nose with very faint tart-fruit edge. Fairly sweet beer, lightly bitter, again a very subtle vinous tartness. Lively carbonation, a bit dry in the finish. Pretty flabby stuff, not much oomph.

A little lactic in the aroma. This is okay at best. Very smooth and light overall. Not nearly as sour as I expected. A bit of lactic.

(330 ml bottle from Bootleggers, part of a Petrus sampler pack) Something’s amiss...Pours very dark tobacco brown with about two fingers of sturdy tan head that recede to a thin lasting cap. Aroma surprisingly very muted, maybe some caramel malt sweetness but really not much. Mouthfeel nice and soft, quite smooth. Nice big weepy rings and curtains of lacing. Flavor is very washed out. Main element is a lightly fizzy sourness which could mean infection, but even beyond that I’m not picking out much for flavor, maybe some light chocolate nuttiness but it is faint. Surprising.

Hazy copper brown, moderate white head. Sour aroma with sugary undertones. Sweet malt with caramel becoming evident as one’s palate adjusts to the dominant tartness and acidity. Quite refreshing.

Pours a nice brown with a small off white head. Aroma of fruits, wood, malt, sourness. Flavor is sour fruits, with a sweetness to balance it out. Pretty decent brew.

First sip of sour and then the sourness becomes quaffable to a degree that I found surprising.

11.2oz bottle. Pours a dark, slightly oily cherry-cola color; light tan head with patchy retention and lacing. Mildly tart and overripe red fruits (strawberries, cherries), honey, apples, and cereal in the aroma; not a ton of tartness or depth, but reasonably clear nose. Relaxed carbonation. Medium mouthfeel: slight acidity, very mildly tart (cherries, watery strawberries); some oak toastiness and honey are present as well, but this is definitely lacking some depth, and any initial tartness and citric jolt at the front soon dissipates after the first few sips; pleasant, just not an exceptional example, and a very pronounced cereal note that isn’t quite what I’m looking for in a sour ale. Medium finish: lots of candy sugar, honey, and some red fruit maltiness.

Bottle and tap. Odd to me this doesn’t taste more like wood after a supposed 20 months. Fairly non-impressive on most accounts, thin and wishing for more.