Aging beers can be a tricky thing. You have to know what beers you should age and what beers you shouldn't, and really you should want to know what you want out of the aging process. In my mind, the best candidates for aging are big beers with lots of yeast character or a very aggressive hoppiness; bottle conditioning really helps as well. Last year, it seemed to me that the bottle of Petrus Winter #9 Ale I picked up was a good candidate to lay down for a year or two.
Truth be told, I might have drunk at it last year had the fancy struck me, but you see I had more holiday beers than I could get through. I was tempted again in July, when I do my annual Christmas in July tippling of holiday brews, but again, I drank other beers instead. Here it is Christmas 2014, though, and I decided the time had come to pop the cork.
Global Beer, the American importer of Petrus beers, says this about Petrus Winter #9 Ale:
A beautiful medium bodied Belgian brown mixed with deep flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg. The contrasting yet complimentary tastes of caramel complete this bold brew. Finishes with a slight spiciness that reminds you of warm gingerbread cookies.
Petrus Winter #9 Ale is a product of the Bavik brewery of Belgium. The beer comes in 750 ML bottles and has a formidable alcohol content of 9% by volume. I paid $10.99 for my bottle which is I think about average for Belgian holiday ales these days. I would peg this as a Belgian strong ale, as that is where it seems to fit most closely.
Petrus Winter #9 Ale pours to a perfect ruby-mahogany color with a thick creamy head of tightly packed bubbles and a delightfully inviting nose of toasted nuts and sour plums. Taking a sip, I get delicious candied fruit and spice cake notes up front followed by mince pie, spicy funky yeast notes, perhaps clove and nutmeg, sour cherries, plump raisins, toasted nuts, and a drying spicy warm alcohol finish. I love the suggestions of candied and dark fruits in this one, and the very dry finish.
Just excellent, worth every penny of the $10.99 I paid for this exceedingly complex treat. The more you sip on it, the more you really appreciate the notes of bready malty and light chocolate. Luscious is really the best word for this beer, it’s just so full of spicy candied fruits, like a glass of fruit cake.
Be a Grinch and don’t share the bottle. It’s so good you’ll want it all for yourself.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft