De Ranke Guldenberg

Brewed by Brouwerij De Ranke
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Dottignies/Dottenijs, Belgium

Hazy, unfilteres appearance from the tap. White head, golden in color. Light, clean flavor w/good hop level. balanced and tasty.

Bottle from Cracked Kettle. Orange creamy colour. Tall head. Citrusy flavour. Also oranges. Very hoppy, prickly. Nice mouthfeel. Fruity and spicy combination. Very enjoyable.

On tap @ Le Poechenellekelder, Brusells. Really liked this beer. Thanks to the waiter for the reccomendation. Sweet, cloudy, yeasty. Slight bitterness followed by fruityness. Nice mouthfeel. One of my favorite I had inEurope.

Bottle. High fluffy but long lasting white head. Hazy light yellow body. Sweet and malty aroma with a good deal of alcohol as well. Far more pleasant and smooth and round than expected. Mild and fruity with just a hint of the alcohol. Pleasant surprise. Low carbonation and a long and dry hoppy aftertaste.

Pours a clouded gold amber with a minimal white head. Nose is sugary sweet with some hops and citrus. Flavor starts off as fairly bitter but smooths out as it goes on. Though as you go on there seems to be a more bitter aftertaste that hits you in the back of the mouth. Feel is very smooth. Nice silky texture with a good level of bubble to back it up. Drinkable, yes. I can’t classify this as a stellar brew, but it is still good. De Ranke does another good job here and I am glad to try it.

Draft at Redlight. Cloudy burnt orange color. Fluffy white head that settles to a thin film after a few minutes. Nice, delicate lace noted all the way down the glass. Aroma was of citrus hops, banana, honey, and flowers. Very unique smell for the style, and quite unexpected. Likewise, the flavor isn’t your typical tripel by any means. I picked up alot of citrus and honey, with ample hoppy bitterness and some toasted caramel. I honestly mistook this beer for a bitter, as that is what its characteristics most resemble, in my opinion. Still, I can see how it is considered to be a tripel, with the sweet fruity foreground. Smooth, medium body with a clean finish. The alcohol is undetectable at 8.5%. Very nice beer, and a unique blend of two very distinct styles.

Cloudy amber but nice brussels lace. A mostly malty brew with an indirect hoppiness and alcohol finish; although pretty smooth. It looks like an Abbey, but it tastes more like an ESB. I probably wouldn’t try it again because of its price.

From a paper wrapped 750 ml. capped corked green bottle, a short blurb and best before date (04.2011) on the paper wrapper, also states that bottling date is five years prior to the best before date, sampled in a tulip glass. Sediment is visible in the bottle. A cloudy orange hued golden appearance, frothy, rocky white head that slowly settled into a thin sudsy lacing, small amount of laced sticking. The carbonation is very active, plentiful supply of tiny micro bubbles. Different smelling from most tripel ales I’ve tried, honey covered grains, mellow spices, hints of woody herbs, a light tropical fruitiness, different, but appealing. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel, crisp, dry and delicious tasting, sour citrus and sweet tropical fruits, dry spices and clove, the alcohol meshes with the malts for a low temperature warmth in the palate, dry spicy, herbal hops that have a soft bitterness near the end, dry spicy, fruity finish. Dry, dry, dry, I think this is easily the driest tripel I’ve had the pleasure to try, it’s a smooth dryness that leaves your mouth watering, wanting more, a great Belgian tripel ale.