Petrus Aged Pale - Brouwerij Bavik

becktone

Ohio

1.1/5  rDev -72.8%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

From notes 11-17-08

Eye: Into a Duvel Tulip, the back of the label has 2003 printed on it: Pretty bad pour, no head formation and bad retention once on finally got going, if you would call it that. Lacing is just as poor. Color is a cloudy pale goldish light brown.

Nose: Funk, there is definitely some funk going on in here...smells much like a farmhouse-woody, musty...well your general funk character-Ah Ha! pinned down the aroma...Red cabbage/sourkraut, the way that the germans cook it. This is the predominant aroma in the entire brew, not so sure that this is a good thing.When first cracked oak was my first thought, closer to the nose hints of a sour cherry type of aroma make it through the kraut. The woody oaky character is there behind the kraut throughout the entire aroma giving it a dry almost stale type of aroma. This one's gone south. I can tell you right now that the way this smells is by no means appealing, I don't want to drink this beer based upon the way it smells.

Tongue: Really afraid what this will be like, especially after the aroma....well here it goes! Really sour, acedic and apple cider like, too bad that this has gone south, however this was the only sample I could find. Drain-pour. I'll be looking for another sample soon. This time I'll look on the back label for a date. Luckily I didn't buy this, it came in a sampler from Petrus that was given to me as a "sampler." I'd be pissed if I paid moeny for this.

Mouthfeel and Drinkability: Terrible and terrible. Until I can get a new sample it shall remain here. Seriously, any beer that is above 7% should be able to age for a couple of years, especially a Belgian!

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2009 22:19:41 | More by becktone

laynethiele

Michigan

1.11/5  rDev -72.6%
look: 1.25 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.25

Yikes! Hated this beer. Saw the barrel-aged ale on the label had myself ready for something delicous. I was sadly disappointed.

A: Looks like white grape juice.
S: Apples and grapes overwhelm
T: Sparkling sour white grape juice
M: Thin, sparkling
o: This stuff was so sour it gave me a stomach ache. Threw the last 1/4 of it out. I hated it that much. It tasted like sparkling grape juice that had gone bad. Paid $4 for a bottle would have rather thrown it in the street.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 22:55:45 | More by laynethiele

Joost

1.18/5  rDev -70.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

By far the most disgusting stuff I have ever tasted. I am a huge beer lover but even Roseanne Barr's urine is more tasty.

Bought this is a pub in Lyon, France. Hoping this new beer was going to be good. But it almost made me puke. I love Krriek beer and Rochefort 10. This, however... was crap

Do not buy this

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 20:04:48 | More by Joost

Hex92

Virginia

1.2/5  rDev -70.4%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

I'm a BIG fan of all things Belgian (beer that is). I received this as part of the Belgian Beer of the month club, and thought it was the most disgusting thing I have ever drank in my life (even worse than a Caribe Shandy). I can't believe that others have rated it so highly. The beer was so sour that I thought it had gone bad. Apparently I am not a fan of sour beers. I will definitely avoid any others I come across. The Petrus looked halfway decent in the glass, but thats the only positive thing I can say about it.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2003 11:07:32 | More by Hex92

BeerDonkey

California

1.27/5  rDev -68.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

another beer from the Christmas 6-pack. Overall the pack has been a pretty big disappointment. This one, hopefully the worst, will be poured out after a few sips.

A: 2 fingers of head soon dissipates into just a ring around the goblet. Cloudy, yellow amber liquid

S: apple cider vinegar, no hint of wood

T: Tart! Lemons, sour, but not in the way the brewer intended (even it were a Lambic or Sour Ale, which it is not), more the way you would feel if you drank some apple cider vinegar, yeah, it’s that good.

M: leaves your mouth feeling like you had sour apple dishwasher detergent in it.

Judging from the ratings others have given other people got some decent bottles. I didn’t. My guess is that air came into the barrel (although there is no hint that this has touched any wood) and turned the beer to vinegar.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2007 03:03:36 | More by BeerDonkey

Dithyramb

Maryland

1.33/5  rDev -67.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

My second offering from BIF18. I hadn't heard of Petrus before, so I thought I'd tear into this one.

Poured a strawberry blonde color with lots of carbonation. The head died quickly and there was no lacing.

Sorry, but that is where the good times ended. The smell and flavor were sour, earthy, and animal in nature. It was painful to drink and I didn't finish it. I was making faces and gutteral noises like the losers on Fear Factor. Without a few grand sitting in the wings, I won't be tackling this brew again.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2005 20:21:00 | More by Dithyramb

DogFood11

California

1.65/5  rDev -59.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Poured into a tulip. My last offering in the gift style package from petrus. It has really aggressive carbonation and so you have to be gentle with this one. Golden body that is somewhat hazed up.

This is one tart son of a bitch. Pucker up for this one. First drink is a shock to the palate. After some thought trying to piece this together the predominant theme is green cherries. Very young cherries mixed with an ever fading kendling just slightly in the backdrop. Alot of similarities to a dry white wine. A fairly one dimensional beer from my vantage point.

Notes: I enjoy a tart brew. This is just overbearing and one dimensional.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2006 04:53:55 | More by DogFood11

potownbill

New York

1.83/5  rDev -54.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

This is my first review and I have sampled dozens of beers trying to develope a consistant feel for the taste, appearance, smell, and mouthfeel. Not having a sufficient number of tastes under my belt, I have not written any reviews, but I am compelled to review this beer.
Appearance: Nice golden yellow, slightly cloudy with a good off white head. Great first impression
Smell: Nail polish remover. Strong acidic smell.
Taste: Very tart. Is this lemonaid or beer?
Mouthfeel. Who cares. The taste killed the moment.
Summary: First beer I've dumped down the drain. This is the first of a 6 beer Petrus sampler box. I hope the rest are better, aka drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2007 00:09:03 | More by potownbill

JoanS

California

1.85/5  rDev -54.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I ordered this thinking is would be a more like my favorite Allagash Curieaux. I was shockingly disappointed. It was like drinking a tart lemonade. Not at all what I wanted tonight. I see the other reviews and i think maybe i was served the wrong beer at the Original Gravity Pub in San Jose. ??

It was a clear bright yellow, no head, tart beyond my liking. My dinner partner could not even swallow it.

Again, not sure if it was the beer or the pourer.

Serving type: on-tap

02-24-2013 07:28:22 | More by JoanS

freed

Oregon

2.1/5  rDev -48.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

This was a bargain belgian ale, which I've learned is not a good way to choose.

It pour a rather ravishing golden - almost a Sparkling Cider golden, with a rather curious amount of carbonation. It was pretty, but odd.

The aroma was purely apple. Beyond the point that it should.

The taste was a horridly strong apple. I'm sure there were supposed to be other flavors, it was an ale, after all. But I never found them. All I got was apple. Not the slight-windfall cidery apple you normally get in a Belgian, but a predominantly apple cider mix with a little bit of peary.

Poured the bulk of this one out.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2004 00:33:45 | More by freed

Lordquackingstic

New York

2.1/5  rDev -48.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: Lovely honey golden hue, two fingers of lively white head. So clear and crisp looking. To me, this is the best part of the beer.

S: Smells like vinegar. Strong vinegar. Slight sweetness. Can't really find anything else.

T: Wow. I almost coughed up my first sip it was so tart. It's like drinking a big juicy granny smith apple covered in vinegar. The more you drink it, the easier it gets to drink, but still intense.

M: Very light, but not pleasant in my opinion. Decent carbonation for an aged beer.

O: Holy cow. This stuff will put hair on your chest. This was my first sour, and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to venture into this realm. I was hoping to get hooked on sours since I'm getting sick of big stouts and hop bombs, but I guess not. I can see why people would like this, but it's not my cup of beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 23:57:13 | More by Lordquackingstic

MABZ

Nebraska

2.23/5  rDev -44.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

I was very highly disappointed with this beer. There is not really anything good that I can say about it. It poured to a clear strawberry blonde color with very little head that faded to absolutely nothing. The smell and taste were horrid, like drinking vinegar straight. I ended up pouring this out less than half way through. I never thought I would see the day where I wasn't even able to finish a beer. As bad as they are, I've always been able to finish a cheap macro lager, but not this, which was unfortunately rather costly as it is a belgian import. I would definitely not recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2005 04:54:15 | More by MABZ

tweeder263

Pennsylvania

2.33/5  rDev -42.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Pours out a hazy gold beer with a one finger head. Moderately carbonated.Sweet /yeasty smell,, different cant quite pinpoint it. WHOA,,the taste. Nothing like ive ever had before. Ive never had this style and i dont really like this taste. Very tart,,nothing i recognize. Dont rely on my opinion,,this could be a style you like,,but its not for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2009 02:35:25 | More by tweeder263

nach0king

Texas

2.33/5  rDev -42.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Was given a bottle of this as a present. I knew nothing at all about it beyond what was on the bottle.

S: Starting with smell because I sniffed it after opening it. Overpoweringly vinegary - so much so I thought there was something wrong with it, so of course I came here to check. Turns out it is, of course, a sour style. Nonetheless, it was very strong and not in a particularly pleasing way for me.

A: Looks can be deceiving - it could have been any anonymous pale ale but for the tiny yet persistent pieces of sediment dancing around the bubbles. Not unattractive at all.

T: I just couldn't get myself to enjoy it. I tried and tried, but where I looked for apple I found vinegar, and where I looked for sweetness I found just... sweet vinegar. Since it seems to be almost universally praised I can't say it tasted *bad*, just that it didn't taste good to me personally. If you like the style, chances are you'll like this one. But if (like me) you consider yourself a fan of sour foods and drinks it doesn't automatically mean you'll appreciate this.

M: Honestly, I barely remember, and I only tried it fifteen minutes ago. Not memorable in a good or bad way, but that's because I was so overpowered by the taste.

It may be felt that I'm being harsh with my rating but it needs to be taken into account that even fans of the style are calling this one amazingly sour, and that if it's sent to mass market with that level of acidity it's not going to appeal to everyone. I consider myself adventurous but this wasn't for me at all.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 01:26:53 | More by nach0king

oelergud

Virginia

2.38/5  rDev -41.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Clear sun golden body with good carbonation. The white head with a yellow tint doesn't stay long but does leave some decent lace.
Very sour grainy scent, just enough malt and bread to be noticed.
Vinegar comes to mind with the first sip of this beer, then sharp citrus which lasts into the aftertaste.
Medium body and somewhat dry and puckering.
Not what I understand a Belgian strong pale ale is supposed to be and not a repeat for me.

-Oelergud

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2007 19:32:46 | More by oelergud

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

2.4/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

A - this belgian pale ale is most definitely pale. it pours a BMC golden color, that kegstand pale yellow color, with a thin white head with rather good retention and plenty of carbonation

S - this beer smells very champagnesque, liek white muscat grapes, a bit like Midas Touch's grapes, then again, a deeper whiffs reveal lemon and ... vinegar

T - yup vinegar... way to sour, sure slightly champagnesque with some white grape hints, but it tastes more like apple cider vinegar, again, too sour for me, but i didnt pour it

M&D - lively and light on the tongue, but again, too sour to be even moderately drinkable, not a fan

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2007 05:16:06 | More by sinstaineddemon

Greywulfken

New York

2.45/5  rDev -39.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I couldn't finish this beer. But this was a random buy and this type of beer must simply not be my style because I see it has received favorable reviews for the most part.

It looked like a dark blonde pale ale, with notes of oak and citrus on the nose. When I tasted it, all I could think of was apple cider vinegar - I just couldn't get this out of my head (or off my palate) and it kinda killed it for me. It had a light body and high astringency.

I had never had a Flanders Oud Bruin - if this is a good example of that type of beer then I am probably just not a fan of the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 01:48:51 | More by Greywulfken

bdawe

California

2.58/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours Golden yellow into a tuplip glass

Good head, though rather quickly dissipating

tastes overwhelmingly sour to the exclusion of all else

i let it warm up some more for about 15 minutes,
the malt came out a little, but still far too unbalanced towards the sour with the kind of taste I would expect in fizzy lemon juice

this is not a beer I would buy again

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2010 01:21:08 | More by bdawe

ElGordo

Oregon

2.63/5  rDev -35.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Pours a pale golden hue with a light foamy head. Smells like it tastes: very acidic, with some citrusy notes. Very gueuze-like. Best served somewhere between room and fridge temperature, the flavor blooms as it warms. I don't know, I'm not really a fan of this one. It did pair well with some fresh mozzerella, with the acidity contrasting nicely with the softness of the cheese. Still, there's not much there, just a mouthfull of bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2003 01:39:22 | More by ElGordo

techdiver

Pennsylvania

2.63/5  rDev -35.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a light gold color with a head that builds and dissipates quickly. Has a sour smell that is a surprise upon tasting. I wasn't prepared for this, taste is almost wine-like. Has nice carbonation and it sort of grows on you. Yet I don't think this will be the one beer to have when I'm having more than one.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2006 17:31:31 | More by techdiver

botecario

California

2.63/5  rDev -35.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

While this beer looks very good, I did not enjoy the taste nor smell. Granted, I generally do not like sour beers, and had I known that this was one, I probably wouldn't have purchased it.

This beer poured a pale golden color, with very little head. The smell is funky - wild yeast apparent.

It's quite sour on the tongue, enough so that the oak is more of an after thought. Hop taste is muted. Sour definitely characterizes the overall taste. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2007 01:12:40 | More by botecario

prosper

Alberta (Canada)

2.65/5  rDev -34.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clear-ish gold with a small white head.

Smells of a non-descript acidity, and some fruitiness - apple. Maybe like a cider. It's a familiar smell, but I just can't quite pin it down.

Taste - wow, sour. I can feel my teeth melting. Bright, fruity. Again, I'm thinking cider. Burns on the way down, like drinking vinegar. Not my thing. No hops, or malt; not really much complexity there.

Mouthfeel is bright and effervescent. Very dry. Thin. The acid is strong, burning.

Actually, I do think this would be a moderately refreshing drink, it's clean and bright.

I've got two bottles of this. the second one, I think, might be a good candidate for cooking. The bright acidity and slight fruitiness might really add some nice character to a stew, tomato sauce, or something else.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2009 23:41:44 | More by prosper

GreenCard

Oregon

2.68/5  rDev -33.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Tasted at 2003 Kempisch Bierfestival in Geel, Belgium...

Appearance: light amber, sudsy white foam (a thin layer), OK retention

Aroma: berry-like tartness, slightly yoghurty, a bit woody, worcestershire sauce

Flavor: citricly sour, slightly gueuze-like, some hints of that horsey Brett character, a bit harsh in the dry finish

Mouthfeel: light body, champagne-like carbonation, acidic

Overall Impression: A neutral beer Petrus makes to blend with their regional offerings. It is also intended for export to the US, though it is not for sale here commercially. That's OK because I'd rather spend my time with a good gueuze instead of this stuff. I ordered this one based on my server's recommendation, but I wished that I had disregarded him instead.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2003 17:55:58 | More by GreenCard

mike24

Ontario (Canada)

2.68/5  rDev -33.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

This beer tasted essentially like an extremely tart white wine. I don't know if my bottle was improperly stored or what but I could barely finish this. All I could taste was sour acid, all traces of 'pale ale' i guess were overtaken by the ageing process.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2008 05:23:51 | More by mike24

Zorro

California

2.7/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A clear apricot colored ale with a notable amount of chill haze. A medium sized white head forms and then disappears.

The smell is sweet and sour with a little boozy edge much like a diluted Jack Daniel’s whiskey. There is the clear and sharp scent of acetic acid to this and this makes it a little Lambic like. I should mention that in general I am not a fan of sour beers. Once past the vinegar smell there is vanilla, oak, and a little cinnamon in the scent.

The taste starts as sweet and sour and fairly similar to a sweeter and less harsh version of a lambic ale. The sourness however isn't nausea inducing and I do not get the sensation of drinking a glass of vinegar like many Lambics do. This is a definite bug beer for those who like the funk. Not harshly sour this is like a Berliner Weiss without syrup. In the end all I can taste is sweet and sour and oak.

The mouthfeel is OK.

If you do not like sour beers then you will not like this. If I had known that this was a sour beer I would not have bought it so buyer beware. This is basically a training lambic for those that wish to develop a taste for them. I will not be buying this beer again I did not like it.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2007 04:56:48 | More by Zorro