100 Hits! Celebratory Beer = Petrus Oud Bruin!

That's right, after just over 2 weeks of being live, The Blog-O-Beer had its 100th hit today. Congratulations to my good friend, Seamus, for being the 100th visitor. For those who don't know Seamus, he's a meek fellow, who manages a small alpaca farm in southern Kentucky. Seamus was not only the 100th visitor, but also my first visitor, and for that he wins my undying gratitutde....and nothing more.

But now on to much more important matters: tonight's celebratory beer, the Petrus Oud Bruin from Brouwerij Bavik in the great beer nation of Belgium. It's only appropriate that I do some real tasting notes for this one, so I saved a little beer in my glass from dinner. Enough chit-chat...on to the review!

Aroma: A wonderfully complex aroma, with a heavy initial dose of milk chocolate laced with notes of dark and dried fruits. The nose continues with hints of vanilla and some definite oak character from the barrel aging. The beer has that "sour" smell, as expected, but is not overwhelming--the balance is impeccable. No noticeable hop aroma.

Appearance: Medium-brown with decent clarity. The head pours thick and slightly off-white with great retention. There is no apparent lacing.

Flavor: Dark fruits come to mind with some chocolate as in the aroma. The beer is definitely soured, but blended well to produce an easy-drinking product. Sweet at the introduction, but finishes rather dry with no hop flavor, though there is a mild bitterness in the background--the beer is definitely malt-balanced. The oak aging rounds out the flavor with some notes of wood and helps to smooth out the sourness.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium-light body with mild carbonation that coats the mouth and leaves a tingling sensation on the finish. There is a slight astringency that leaves you puckering a bit (maybe tannins picked up from the wood?).

Overall Impression: For those not familiar with the Flanders Oud Bruin (Old Brown) style, it's a soured Belgian brown ale that is generally aged warm in stainless steel (as opposed to Flanders Red Ale, which is usually aged in oak). So, while it may not be true to style, I think the oak aging lends a wonderful character to the beer and helps to round it out a bit. It's a surprisingly drinkable beer (one of my favorite beers is the Rodenbach Grand Cru, a Flanders Red Ale, and though I love it, you can't drink to much of it in a session--I guess I was expecting something similar). I think I'll definitely be buying this one again and I highly recommend it!