Daily Loaf

With the holidays approaching, the glorious bounty that is winter seasonal beer begins to descend upon the shelves of local bottle shops. One of my favorite seasonal offerings is the Petrus Key to Heaven gift pack, which features 6 unique brews from Belgian brewery Bavik-De Brabandere, many of which have been wood aged for at least two years. Among these fine examples of Belgian brewing are the sour lactobacillus joys Aged Pale and Oud Bruin, and the beefy, malty Dubbel Bruin.

A Blond Ale is also included in this cornucopia of Belgian funkiness. The bottle features a monk resembling pimp Santa on the label, proudly displaying his key to heaven and goblet – no doubt full of high-quality beer. Since Santa is down with snow, the North Pole, reindeer, and all that, Petrus Blond is best served cold, unlike many Belgian ales whose flavor characteristics are at their finest around cellar temperatures.

When decanted into a tulip glass, the cloudy golden orange brew shows no signs of sediment, another rare attribute for a Belgian ale. Very little head is generated by the healthy pour, yet a thin layer of chunky, bubbly film lingers to the last sips.

Aromas are very faint — grainy and grassy, with traces of citrus and pear.

On the palate, Petrus Blond is very much like the nose — mild and light. It’s a pleasant flavor, yet exceptionally understated. A low level of carbonation makes the experience like a non-boozy champagne without the fizz. This subdued bubbly-esque quality is the perfect match for a bowl of fresh strawberries.

As it warms to room temperature, the clean, honey-sweet finish turns medicinally bitter with hints of oakiness, a playful flavor switcheroo that shows the brew has a little more personality than initially expected.

Petrus Blond is a Belgian blond ale with training wheels. It goes down, perhaps, a little too easily for its 6.6% ABV. If I wasn’t a professional and didn’t know better, this beer’s smooth drinking factor could get me in a fair amount of trouble if consumed too quickly.

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