Rating: 88

This week I have the pleasure of formally introduced the Tripel Ale to Benedictus Fructus. Specifically we have the Petrus Gouden Tripel Ale from Belgium. Tripel refers to the brewing process where up to three times the malts are added.  It also corresponds roughly to strength-  this one is 7.5% alcohol. Petrus is an abbey style ale, which refers to the style - which is a take on the Trappist monk style, but it is a commercial brewer.

With a name like Petrus, this one had to get on our tasting list.  Petrus refers to St. Peter. The label shows St. Peter holding the keys to heaven in one hand and a frothy pint in the other. Of course delights such as Beligian Tripels provide only a shadow of the joy in heaven. Which means heaven must be a pretty awesome place, given the pleasure in these treats.

Rating: 92

Hefeweissen is one of those elixirs that I have come to appreciate more and more, but this one I am quite happy to now be acquainted with and I am more than pleased to share it with you.

Franziskaner is German for Franciscan, and the bottle has a Franciscan friar on the label hoisting a tankard of brew.  The brew gets its name because when the brewery was founded it was located across the street from a Franciscan monastery in Munich. At least this is according the the earliest records found in 1363(!) where it was referred to as the "brewery next to the Franciscans."Several hundred years later, we are left with a delicious legacy.  Click here for more of the history of this brewery. On to the review of this worthwhile treat....

Rating: 83 Points

In walking through my favorite beverage store, I saw this beauty.  Looking at the bottle, there is no surprise why this India pale ale ended up in my basket.  A great big cross on the front, the brewery name is "Mission", and there is a Spanish galleon with the cross motif repeated.  A cross displayed so prominently, and such clear references to California history necessitated that your reviewer partake of the promising elixir.