Whenever I stumble upon a beer that I really enjoy, by a brewer that I’m not all that familiar with, I make it a point to dig deeper into that brewer’s line up to see how they handle other beer styles. Since I really enjoyed the Petrus Aged Pale Ale, when I saw that Wineworks in Marlton, NJ carried other single serving sized bottles from the Petrus line-up, I couldn’t resist picking up this bottle of their Speciale Ale.
Here is what Bavik Brewery, the makers of this Belgian beer, have to say about the Petrus Special Ale:
Amber coloured top-fermented beer, brewed according to an old traditional recipe. A tasty beer, mellow in character that you can carry on drinking.
Let’s get on with my review…
- Appearance: Slightly cloudy, reddish brown color.
- Aroma: Very malty with hints of caramelized sugar, dried figs, and strawberry jam scents. Getting a touch of doughy yeast as well.
- Taste: Medium carbonation with a slightly watery mouthfeel. The flavors don’t change all that much on this one. Starts off with some caramelized sugar and dried fig sweetness and it pretty much ends the same way. No bitterness whatsoever. Very short finish.
- ABV: 5.5%
Not really sure how I feel about the Petrus Special Ale. While there is nothing glaringly wrong with it, there also isn’t anything all that special or compelling about it. The flavors are essentially one note, and that’s about all I can say about this beer. It was just ok.
