De Ranke Guldenberg

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

Bottled (BB 05/2009)
Hazy dark orangy color, small but steady creamy head, some lace. Aroma has peach, cardboard, toffee and some underlying woody hops. Medium to full bodied. Yeasty, grassy hoppy but same time a bit spicey with hints of plum. Alcohol picks up in the aftertaste. Complex but propably needs some aging, now quite yeasty.

Beer is hazy, light orange-amber. Head is off-white, large, frothy/creamy, mostly lasting head. Nice lacing.<P>The aroma is malty with moderately toasted grain, light shortbread; Moderate herbal, light resinous hop, lemon zest; Yeasty with light notes of barnyard, moderate damp basement; Light miscellaneous notes of orange peel, spicy alcohol.<P> The flavor is moderately sweet, light/moderately bitter and lightly acidic with a long, moderately acidic, lightly bittersweet, moderately warm finish.<P> The body is medium, the texture is velvety and the carbonation is velvety. Pretty luxurious and drinkable.

on tap at richos gravity head 2006. clear orange with big fluffy white head. nice aromas of spices nutmeg clove a surprising amount of hops and some apricot and orange. great balanced sweet spicy hoppy flavor. very long finish. medium body. i might have scored this a bit lower had i known that this is supposed to be a begian strong. seems more like a belgian ipa. i enjoyed this beer immensely nonetheless.

(Draft. Bottles. 03/2006) I liked this better than the XX. Dark, slightly hazy amber. Spritzy. Big, lasting head. Citrus hops aromas. Bitter on the back-end. A slightly acidic note plays with the sweet ethanol notes evident in the background. Maltiness is completely subdued. Big, citrus bitterness on the back-end with notes of pine and grapefruit. Medium body, smooth palate, dry finish. Tasty.

On draft at Rich O’s for Gravity Head 2006. brassy color, bubbly head. notes of banana, roasted pineapple in the aroma. hints of cigar tobacco on the mouth, mildly bitter and surprisingly light bodied.

smell a bit like pineapple and a bit spicy at the taste not bad very timid on the alcool for a 8,5

Superb hazy opague golden color. Upon opening it overflowed from the throat of the bottle ceaselessly with pillowy foam. Excellent example of Belgian cheesy sharp yeast. Strong character. Excellent flower notes in nose and smooth on the alchohol at 8.5% Excellent all around.

Pours a light orange straw color. The nose is of orange and clove. Up front sweet malt dominates. On the finish, slightly sour orange gives way to woody hoppiness and orange blossom. The finish is what makes this strong ale, which is otherwise average.