The De Brabandere Brouwerij, located in Bavikhove, Belgium is 120 years old. Founded by Aldophe De Brabandere in 1894 it continues to be a five generation family operation. They pride themselves on the passion, authenticity and innovation of traditional brewing. One of their brands, Petrus Sour Beers, was a topic on the agenda for this years EBBC in Belgium.
Form the moment I saw this session on the itinerary I couldn’t wait to learn more about them. Sour beers are a type of beer I’m only recently exploring, so for me this was a topic I wasn’t prepared to miss. After a short talk about how the beers are brewed we got to sample them. This is when the fun began.
The Aged Pale, Wayne’s Favourite is 100% beer from the foeders. This beer is 7.3% ABV and a whopping 5/5 on the sour scale. Definitely a taste bud teaser. It totally livens up the mouth.This beer has won numerous awards worldwide. Its a gorgeous clear golden colour with a lovely citrus aroma.
We got to try Oud Bruin, which is a blend of 33% Petrus Aged Pale and 67% young brown beer. Its then aged for 2 years in oak foeders. On pouring its a reddish brown colour with a light sweet but tart aroma. Its mildly sour with a malty caramel, fruity taste. ABV 5.5% and 3/5 on the sour scale.
The Aged Red is a blend of 15% Petrus Aged Ale and 85% dubble bruin with cherries, also aged for 2 years. Personally this one was my favourite of the three. I loved the gorgeous colour on pour, lovely rich red. The smell of cherries was mouth watering. The taste was sweet and fruity. At an ABV of 8.5% this beer was slightly sour 2/5 on the sour scale.
So after sampling all three of these beers, we got to blend our own. This was great fun. They suggested we try 50/50 so I did. I blended the oud bruin with the Aged Pale and thought it was ok. I personally preferred these on their own. Next I tried a 50% aged red with 50% aged pale and thought this was lovely. The sourness of the aged pale was really complimented by the cherry flavour of the red. But what worked even better for me was the Aged Pale with just a dash of the Aged Red.
For more info on these beers and the brewery check out their story
I really do hope we get to see these in Ireland. Especially the pack so I can recreate my memories at home and enjoy these gorgeous beers.
Irish Beer Snob 