Borough Wines & Beers has joined forces with Boutique Bar Brands, to host two beer blending masterclasses with Petrus Sour Beers at the independent bottle shop’s sites in Islington and Kensal Rise on Thursday 26th January.
The award-winning Petrus Sour Beers are blonde-based, high fermented, oak-aged ales with a distinctive sour taste from Belgian Brewery De Brabandere. The Petrus Aged Pale is a 100% foeder beer, aged over 24 months in 220 HL oak foeders, and forms the base of the Flemish red brown Petrus Oud Bruin and the sweet and sour Petrus Aged Red. As a result, the three beers can be mixed to create original flavours.
Attendees at the Petrus Sour Beers Blending Masterclasses will receive an inspiring welcome drink on arrival, in the form of the Brooklyn Brewery and Thornbridge Brewery collaboration – the barrel-aged Belgian golden ale Serpent. Following this, Boutique Bar Brands will guide attendees in a tasting of the full Petrus Sour Beers range, before each gets the chance to play brewmaster, by mixing the bitter sours to find their own favourite blend. The blends will then be judged, with the most successful earning its creator Petrus Sour Beers prizes.
The masterclasses will take place simultaneously at Borough Wines & Beers NW10 (30 Station Terrace, London NW10 5RP) and Borough Wines & Beers N1 (344A Essex Rd. London N1 3PD) at 7.30pm on Thursday 26th January 2017. Tickets cost £15 and include a welcome drink, nibbles, all beers and blending kit. They can be purchased online and in Borough Wines & Beers shops. There is a small allocation available for press attendees, please contact caroline@boroughwines.co.uk for details.
ENDS
For further information about Borough Wines & Beers or the Petrus Sour Beers blending events, please contact Caroline Doyle – caroline@boroughwines.co.uk / 07846 699200
For more information about Brewery De Brabandere or Petrus Sour Beers, please contact Philip Harding at Boutique Bar Brands (phil@boutiquebarbrands.com).
ABOUT PETRUS SOUR BEERS:
Petrus Aged Pale, the ‘Mother Beer’
7.3% ABV, 5/5 Petrus Sour Scale
A 100% foeder blonde beer, Petrus Aged Pale has won multiple gold medals in international beer competitions, including World’s Best Speciality Pale Ale and World’s Best Flavoured Wood Aged in the World Beer Awards. However, the De Berebandere family never intended for it to be bottled and traditionally it was used solely as a blending beer to give a fresh, slightly sour flavour and aroma. For this reason the blonde ale is known as the ‘Mother Beer’ and forms the base of the Flemish red brown Petrus Oud Bruin and the sweet and sour Petrus Aged Red.
It was by demand of internationally renowned beer expert Michael Jackson, who also named the beer, that Petrus Aged Pale became available in the late 1990s. During a visit to the brewery, he promised to buy an entire foeder, if the De Brabanderes agreed to release Petrus Aged Pale. Jackson was the first to market it in his beer clubs and later returned to claim 75 HL, the equivalent of 22,727 33cl bottles, of the ‘Mother Beer’.
Petrus Aged Pale has a markedly dry taste with the freshness of sour apples, sherry and fruit aromas. The distinctive sour flavour is popular in Belgium and contrasts well with the sweetness of shellfish, oily fish and soft cheese.
Petrus Oud Bruin
5.5% ABV, 3/5 Petrus Sour Scale
Petrus Oud Bruin is a traditional Flemish red brown beer, typical of the Kortrijk and Roeselare region. Aged in oak foeders for two years, it is a blend of 33% Petrus Aged Pale and 67% young, brown beer, accounting for the deep, dark red colour. Refreshing and relatively light, Petrus Oud Bruin is predominantly sour, but has aromas of dried fruit, cherry and peach, with scents of malt, butter and caramel. It is popular as an aperitif or served with mild cheese and seafood.
Petrus Aged Red
8.5% ABV, 2/5 Petrus Sour Scale
Unlike a traditional kriek, Petrus Aged Red is not based on a spontaneously-fermented lambic beer. This unique, dark fruit beer is an expertly crafted blend of 15% Petrus Aged Pale and 85% dubbel bruin with cherries matured for 24 months in oak foeders. The distinctive sour flavour of Petrus Aged Pale is sweetened by the mild, sweet, ruby-red cherries, resulting in a rich and fruity, yet surprisingly refreshing, slightly sour beer that compliments red meat, dark chocolate and blue cheese. All Petrus Sour Beers are best enjoyed in a tulip-shaped glass on a tall stem or large wine glass.
Since 1894, Petrus Sour Beers have been created using Saaz aroma hops, pale malt, water and house yeast, and aged for two years in 220 HL oak foeders. Over the past century, a unique, well-balanced ecosystem of wild yeast and bacteria has developed within the wooden walls. Unlike cask aging, the use of such large foeders limits exposure to the wood and subsequent oak flavour. Instead, the French oak acts a permeable wall for controlled oxidation and is the ideal breeding ground for the six micro-organisms to convert remaining sugars from the main fermentation into acid, higher alcohol content and esters. Over 24 months of aging, the microbiological flora in the wood reacts with the beer to produce its refreshing sour taste, complex fruity notes and distinctive aroma. Due to impeccable hygiene standards, the De Brabanderes are confident enough not to pasteurise any of their beers other than Petrus Sours. These are flash pasteursed, purely to ensure the intriguing, original flavour cannot be replicated.
For further information on Petrus Sour Beers, please visit www.petrussourbeer.com/en.
Brewery De Brabandere
The De Brabandere brewery has a rich history, but looks to the future with equal confidence. The dream that the founder Adolphe De Brabandere cherished at the end of the nineteenth century when he laid the foundations of his brewery in Bavikhove has become a reality in the successful company of today. With a rich assortment of beers that are enjoyed by connoisseurs far beyond their borders, brewing was, is and will continue to be an art at De Brabandere. Numerous characterful beers are made with traditional craftsmanship, authentic ingredients and passion. The creation of a unique taste sensation to share with friends, drives De Brabandere day in and day out, with no compromises. http://www.brouwerijdebrabandere.be/en
Borough Wines & Beers
Borough Wines began life as a stall on London’s Borough Market in 2002. It was founded by Muriel Chatel to make the wines from her family vineyard available to British wine drinkers. Fifteen years later, and with the help of Corinna Pyke – who came on board as Co-Owner and Marketing Director in 2012 – it has grown into a thriving independent drinks company, with eight Borough Wines and Borough Wines & Beers shops, a growing ecommerce site and successful wholesale operation.
Borough Wines works directly with small producers on the ground to source the majority of its range, which includes a large proportion of Organic wines, beers and spirits, as well as Biodynamic and Natural wines. The same producers supply the wines for the pioneering Borough Wines ‘From the Barrel’ wine refill system, which allows customers to fill reusable wine bottles in store from a changing selection of quality red, white and rosé wines, direct from kegs in store.
Borough Wines was named Independent Merchant of the Year (The Drinks Business Awards 2016), Green Retailer of the Year (The Drinks Business Green Awards 2016) and London Regional Merchant of the Year (The International Wine Challenge 2016).
www.Boroughwines.co.uk @BoroughWines
Boutique Bar Brands
Boutique Bar Brands is London’s forward-thinking premium drinks’ management agency founded by Phil Harding and Don Parkin, with over 30 years combined experience in the industry. Boutique Bar Brands manages brands which are being introduced to the competitive UK drinks market, advises on the best distribution network and develops sales and marketing strategy. With experience working with high quality imported beers from the USA, France and Italy, Boutique Bar Brands counts Fuller’s Frontier, SAB Miller’s St Stefanus and more recently Island Record’s Session IPA amongst their clients. They are also the team who created Harry Brompton’s, the UK’s first alcoholic iced tea, now available internationally. www.boutiquebarbrands.com