Petrus Aged Pale
I have this fantasy that the editorials I write for Drink Philly help you, our loyal readers, discover new favorite beers and expand your horizons. I don't know how true that is, but if nothing else, every once in a while I get to expand my own horizons by drinking a beer unlike anything I've tasted before.
Take for example, a few months back, when my wife and I discovered the Flemish sour, an intensely acidic beer style as sharp as a razor blade on the tongue. Subtle is not a word you'd immediately think of to describe one of these brews - they're make-your-friend-drink-one-and-watch-the-look-on-his-face sour. But get past that initial wall of tang, and there are plenty of complexities to discover.
About Beer Geek Steve:
Steve spends as much time as his wife will let him tracking down rare beers and trying to analyze the intersection between quality beer, hype, and viral marketing. When he's not reviewing beer for Drink Philly, he writes about his adventures in chasing bottles and taps at his blog, Beer Geek Steve. You can also follow him on Twitter, where he tweets about happenings in the craft beer industry and often locates some of the best barrels in southeast PA.
An excellent specimen of the style that's currently making the Philly beer bar rounds for the summer is Petrus Aged Pale, a Flanders Oud Bruin. Don't confuse it for a hoppy pale ale - it's a clear, golden-glowing yellow, with a sour-apple aroma and a refreshing sour flavor. Months of aging in oak barrels dries out any thick malts from the brewing process, making this the ultimate summer palette-cleanser. Sip this for hours while the abv in upwards of 7% slowly improves your mood. While this style may not be for everyone, this is one serious outlier that every appreciator of good beer should try at least once.