The Fifth Beer of Christmas

For this fifth beer of Christmas we had many reasons to be thankful - new additions to the family, health, gifts under the tree...and one lump of coal. So, maybe a lump of coal is an extreme description for the Petrus Winter Ale but it was a disappointing brew given the date on the calendar.

The Winter Ale is crisp and fresh with a clean aftertaste. It pours with a tint of red, which is really quite beautiful for Christmas day. The head is quite thick and creamy - pour slowly. The aroma is fruity, something you expect from Belgian brews, but the flavor is lacking. Generally speaking, it's nothing special but still tasty. If you're looking for more you will not find it here.

To be honest, it went quite well with our Christmas feast. Because of the mild flavor and clean finish it didn't get in the way of dinner. We do give it props for a groovy logo and we love bottles that open like champagne. All in all we will call it a push - we had high expectations and while the Winter Ale didn't live up to them it still made for a nice brew to have with dinner. We're certainly not complaining but we probably wouldn't pick it up again either.