Petrus Trader Joe's Aged Pale - Foeder No. 222
De Brabandere

 

 

 

I am not a fan of sours so my rating should not be considered. I did not read the label when I purchased the bottle but decided to give it a try to see if my taste had changed. All I can say is that it was as bad as I expected but I am still not a sour fan.

 

De Brabandere " Trader Joe's Petrus Aged Pale - Foeder No. 222"
25.4 Fl. oz. brown glass bottle, corked and caged
$8.99 @ Trader Joe's #660, Virginia Beach, VA

Look: Slightly hazy golden body beneath a white head.

Smell: Mineralish, chalky, funky with leather and wet straw, and fruity with white grape and apple. Hints of lemon zest. It's eye opening! You want to know what it is before you drink it.

Taste: The flavor is not as harsh as the aroma suggests it will be. It's sharp but not biting. The label lists it as 5 out of 5 on a sour scale but I'd call it more like 7 out of 10, at least in comparison to some of the sour beers currently coming out of the United States. A golden, lightly sweetish and grainy malt balances it. It's very moderately bitter but that's not really needed anyway as the acidity does the job to dry it. It remains leathery, metallic, spicy, oaky, and fruity with apple and pear. As it warms it becomes more like apple cider. Dry, acidic finish with lingering notes of leather and fruit.

Feel: Light-medium in body and gently effervescent.

Overall: Fantastic! It's slightly challenging at first, and then remarkably interesting once you get into it, and then finally softer and more satiating towards the end of the glass. It's a classic for a reason, and this special offering from Trader Joe's is fantastic, and at a great price.

 

 

BOTTLE: 1 pint 9.4 fl oz format brown glass bottle. Wirecage over a cork. Cost was $8.99 USD @ Trader Joe's Chicago.

7.30% ABV. "Aged 24 months in Calvados Oak Foeders." "Ale aged in oak foeders."

HEAD: Off-white colour. Thin and weak. Recedes quickly, dying within 1.5 minutes. Leaves no lacing.

BODY: Clear yellow-copper of above average vibrance. Obviously filtered. No yeast/lees are visible within.

Looks typical of the style. Not uniquely good, but generally appealing.

AROMA: Sourness doesn't seem to be the 5/5 Petrus so boldly threw on the label...more a 5-6/10 in terms of intensity. Lactobacillus bacteria, some tartness, dampened white oak...barrelwise I'm not getting any overt Calvados, but that's fine by me. Belgian pale malt is neutral enough, bending to the whims of the dominant bacteria. Twangy lemon, microflora, faint floral hop aromatics, maybe pear.

Pleasant and inviting. Aromatic intensity is above average. Suggests a balanced and flavourful sour ale with plenty to offer the discerning drinkers.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Smooth, wet, twangy, well-carbonated, tart, and acidic. Sourness is moderate (~5/10) in terms of intensity. Twangy and lemon-emphatic, with some citrusy acid and acetic acid elevating the beer's perceived sourness.

The bacterial profile isn't horribly intricate; I don't think there's any pedio here...just lactobacillus. Belgian pale malt provides this drinkable ale's neutral backbone, letting the bacteria shine. Microfloral nuance is present to some extent.

Straw. Crabapple. Some faint barnyard flavour (hints of leather, cedar wood, damp hay).

I dig the interplay between sour bacteria and dampened wood, but it isn't the most complex sour ale out there. Aging in oak barrels instead of in foeders would be a good start, but I like that they committed to 24 months on wood.

Balanced and gestalt in build, with each constituent note serving the harmonious whole. Well built, but there is room for further subtlety and intricacy.

OVERALL: Calvados doesn't come through in this Calvados foedre-aged sour, but it'll please any fan of the style, and it's another worthwhile entry in Petrus' reliable lineup even if it isn't world-class. A highly drinkable expression of the style I'd recommend to anyone, and it won't break the bank in comparison to the prices of many Belgian imports of similar or lesser quality.

Low B (3.54) / GOOD

Oof, this one is quite tart. Pours a clear amber color with plenty of fine-grained foam in the Bacchus tumbler. Acidic, fruity aroma is actually rather nice. There is some sweetness and you could imagine there were some pears and pineapple in the mix. Dry finish with the distinct Belgian yeasty taste. Rather bitter aftertaste.

I guess this is tradition in a glass, but I like a blend of some fresh young beer with my aged Foeder, thanks. Still, it's a better introduction to sour beers than most of the American Wild Ales I've tasted. From the 750 ml corked bottle purchased at TJs in San Diego.

Bottle shared by RussianDragon. Thanks Dave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pale and fizzy appearance, after the massive feathery head dissipated. Easy to mistake it for something less spectacular by looks alone but as they say - don't judge a book by its cover.

Intensely sour fragrance - greenish - but with minimal complexity. Doesn't exactly jump out of the glass but it does promise something good. It's rare to find a sour beer that's so clean smelling.

Impressive flavor - the same acidic punch found in the smell is here in the taste as well. But once past the shock, I found it to mellow out into a earthy, woody/tannic, outstanding finish. The finish is the best aspect of the beer in my opinion. Sour for 10 seconds then morphs into the finish which lasts a minute at least. Extraordinarily clean.

Good mouthfeel - light and well carbonated. The packaging claimed "champagne-like" but that is not the case with my bottle. It's not problematic but the intense carbonation found in champagne isn't here. This is a normally carbonated light ale.

The price is unbeatable - $9 for a 750 mL bottle. A great sour at an even greater price.