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. Read the rest of this entry »

Petrus Oud Bruin (Old Dark), 5.5% ABV, Belgium

For the salt and vinegar potato chip loving, malt vinegar French fry craving, sour apple candy enthusiasts, imagine a deeper, darker version of that tart, tangy goodness, served in a tulip glass.

Enter Petrus Oud Bruin, an ale crafted in the Flemish tradition by Belgian brewery Bavic de Brabander. Flemish ales are characterized by a mild to extreme sourness attributable to the presence of atypical brewing yeasts or lactic aids from barrel aging. In the case of Petrus Oud Bruin, it’s a little of both. After the initial fermentation process, the brew is aged in oak casks for 20 months, blended in a manner similar to Scotch, and then treated to a secondary fermentation in the bottle.

When poured, the opaque brown body shimmers Read the rest of this entry »