Petrus Winterbier

Brewed by Bavik-De Brabandere
Style: Belgian Ale
Harelbeke, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

On tap at Frisco Grille and Cantina. Pretty cherry cola colored pour with a small head. Aroma holds tart cherry, cranberry, sweet candied sugars- sort of like a combination of Rodenbach and a lighter Belgian ale. Flavor is holds mostly dark fruit, raisin, plum, and sweet malt. Wish it was more sour. Not great.

Pour is a murky brown with a small white head. Aroma is some candi sugar with some fruity tartness. Flavor is a little brown sugar and raisin. A little dusty barnyard follows. The aroma and flavor are some what light with a nice earthy malt base. Good for a sample.

Dezent fruchtiger Antrunk, dann kommt direkt eine starke würzige Note auf, die sich später noch stark steigert. Im Mittelteil sind neben der stärker werdenden Würzigkeit, zu der in der selben Stärke auch ein Malzaroma zählt, Kräutertöne zu erkennen, ein hopfiger Ton rundet das Ganze ab. Im Nachgeschmack steht der Kräuterton vorerst im Vordergrund, als dieser schwächer wird, tritt ein dunkles Malzaroma an diese Stelle, welches dann angenehm ausklingt. Gelungen, keine Frage! Test vom 10.10.2007, Gebinde: Glasflasche Noten: 12,12,12,12,12,12 - 12,00

Labeled as Petrus Winter Ale. 750 ml corked, caged, and gold foiled brown bottle. I don’t know what vintage it is. Pours a pretty clear brownish read with an active white head that recedes quickly to some okay lacing. The smell is estery, fruity, and alcoholic, but it smells great, definitely a winter beer, though im enjoying it in the summer. The taste is fruit to the max. There is hints of grape and toffee as well, but overall it is smooth and decadent. The mouthfeel is a bit overcarbonated and watery though, it happens in Petrus beers. This is a great beer that paired well with Jamaican beef brisket, fontina/garganzola cheese veggie pizza, and spicy rum black beans. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 08-03-2010 22:24:23

Brownish red in color with a finger thick white bubbly head. Aroma is quite spicy and sweet - caramel, sugar, cloves, nutmeg. Flavor is pretty heavy on the sweetness followed by a nutmeg and spice finish. Sweetness kind of overpowers, but it isn’t bad.

On tap at Holy Grale. Aroma of some spice, not heavy, but also with a background of what you’d expect from a bruin (but more subtle). Taste starts slightly estery-sweet, followed by the winter spices which persist through the aftertaste but never overwhelm. The underlying body of this beer could be more assertive. The taste ends with little to moderate cloying, a mix of bitterness, malt, and the spice. This beer definitely improves with a little warming. Do not serve too cold.

On tap at Wildeman. Dark brown with thin head. Nose of sugar, malts. Taste is way, sweet. Pretty good. Nice Christmas beer, to be sure.

Bottle. A - Glowing apricot color with a large, rocky, foamy, frothy white head. Decent retention but only sparse patchy lace left. S - Strong tart fruit and spice (clove, cinnamon, all spice, etc.) aroma with a faint alcohol and maybe phenol aroma. Hints of caramel and bready malt. T - Like the nose, there is plenty of tart fruit. Green apple and sour/tart cherry are strongest. Some lemon zest as well. Spice also quite strong throughout with christmasy cooking spices. A little bit of sweet maltiness in the background. Alcohol is much more present than the 6.5% would suggest. M - Lighter side of medium body with a bit above average carbonation. A touch too thin. Zesty feel. D - A little too much spice and tartness compared to the maltiness for me given the style. Enjoyable in small doses. Notes: Decent winter brew, but I wasn’t getting as much BSDA flavors as I hoped. Tart fruit and cooking spice dominates with a good amount of alcohol heat. Nice in small doses for a winter night, but not something I necessarily crave.