Petrus Triple

Brewed By: Bavik-De Brabandere in Harelbeke, Belgium

Purchased: Single bottle (11.2oz) from a Petrus sampler bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2011

Style/ABV: Belgian Tripel, 7.5%

Alright, so tonight I am knocking out the last beer from the Petrus sampler. This is their Belgian Tripel, clocking in at a pretty reserved 7.5% ABV. After the solid Petrus Blond and the very average (and gushy) Petrus Dubbel Bruin, I'm not really sure what to expect. 

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This was another gusher! Thankfully, I had the foresight to open this beer above a sink. Upon cracking the cap, foam rushed out of the neck of the bottle spilling beer everywhere. The beer pours with a golden-yellow, slightly orange color. There is a ton of carbonation, and the beer is very effervescent. There is a ton of foam, and I got a 4-finger, super white, thick and creamy head. The head is leaving lacing as it settles down. The beer is pretty clear, but there is a good amount of yeast sediment floating around. If this was filtered, it was before bottle conditioning. 

Petrus Triple

There are pale malts on the nose, lemon tea, honey, light tropical fruits (pineapple, mango), herbal and perfume tea notes, grass, yeast, maybe a pull towards very light pepper or coriander. I also smell a lot of juice.

The taste is of honey, grain from the pale malts, apples and grass, touches of light lemon, overripe banana, and maybe a hint of the tropical fruit; pineapple. Kind of watery with some hints of spent bubblegum or bubblegum, and light dashes of clove or pepper; coriander Pretty juicy, Belgian-qualities, some bitterness in the center, but on the watery, thin, and non-complex side of a Tripel.

Light, refreshing, and not complex: The front is honey, apples and apple cider, grain, lemon-grass, and maybe a touch of doughy pale malt. The middle rolls into some touches of tropical fruits, mild bitterness, spent bubblegum, touches of clove; the back has some pulls towards pepper, bubblegum, and more malts on the finish. The 7.5% is virtually non-existent which is a good thing. There's a ton of carbonation, but the back end is not very dry. This is juicy and refreshing for what it is worth.

Rating: Below-Average

Score: 50%

This is riding the line between Below-Average and Average. The fact that it gushed everywhere probably tipped my opinion. This beer is juicy, honey, apples, apple cider. It doesn't have any candied notes, it's not very dry, and it seems to miss a lot of the typical marks you expect for the Tripel style.

This isn't disgusting or offensive, and in fact this is drinkable. So I wouldn't turn this beer down. But since I score beer according to the style category...I have to say that I would shop around for other Tripels before trying this. Just a touch too juicy and apple cider-y for the style.