Petrus Sour Blackberry
De Brabandere

 

There's a safe and popular sentiment that says that you don't mess with the classics. But at the risk of complacency, De Brabandere takes that notion and smashes it with a generous blackberry addition to their classic sour Petrus ale.

Dark burgungy and with a deep weave of lavender, Petrus Sour Blackberry swirls gently with a broken creme. As its stature begins to fall still, the strong scent of dark red grapes overcome the senses with a piquantly sour bordeaux wine character. The first sip reveals secrets of hard candy, taffy and berry juices through its maltiness.

As the moderate sweetness wraps around the middle palate, its sweet candiness begins to fade and the sourness billows into a dry English cider, white wine, gooseberry, cranberry character of refinements and cleanliness. As the oak soaked flavors emerge later on the palate, hints of balsamic begin to rise as its faint bitterness assists a peppery finish for a berry accented red wine culmination overall.

Medium bodied, and perhaps a bit fuller for sour ale, a moderate amount of malt sweetness persists although the ale trends acetic and malty dry. The warmth of sangria soothes the throat as the blackberries add a robust character much in the same way that cherries do to Flanders style red ale.