De Ranke Noir De Dottignies

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

Bottle. Pours a dark brown color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty caramel aroma with some hints of chocolate. Fruity malty caramel flavor. Has a fruiy malty caramel finish.

Aroma is Belgian yeastiness and candi sugar. Some plummy fruit is also present. Taste is a bit funky, lots of sugar, somme alcohol, and plums. Finish is sweet, a bit alcoholic, and bitterness. I get a lot of brown ale characteristics from this.

750 ml bottle poured a clear reddish brown with a lasting tan head. Aromas of cola, plum, spice, toffee and burnt carmel. Palate was medium bodied and crisp with a smooth finish. Flavors of burnt carmel, toffee, light spice and a hint of fruittiness with a smooth malty finish.

Crimson rust. Tight voluminous foam adorns the glass with ornate lacework. Plum jam, red licorice, hops (earthy, tealike, lightly grassy), peach skin, molasses, chalky yeast, and toffee/nutty malt aromatics. Soft carbonation quickly swells as it hits the tongue. Initially sharp, perfumey and earthy with leafy hops, assorted citrus zest, and peppery esters. Vivacious phenols scrub the palate just as they link up with the pungent aniseed-tinged hops. The juiciness and complexity of the malt is mirrored by its immense depth as well as sparkling cleanness. Black cherry and plumlike notes temper the toffee while whispers of creamed coffee, chocolate and honey-drizzled biscuits lurk beneath the fruitier notes. Plasticlike phenols waver in and out amid the softer malt textures and crisper roast. Prominent yeast deposits delightful chalky dustiness but is also somewhat soapy which causes the bitterness to come off ever so slightly impure and overly leafy. Bitterness fades toward the finish as the fruit and nuanced malt continue to flourish. Really nice beer that would have perhaps been slightly improved had they chosen a more refined, flowery hop varietal (e.g. Styrian Goldings or Hallertau).

11.2 ounce bottle in Westmalle glass. Dark brown/black with dense flat head and lace. Roasted chocolate caramel woody port grainy yeasty chocolate chip cookie aroma. Smooth roasted chocolate and caramel with subdued dark fruit and medium roasted bitter coffee chocolate and spice finish. More like an export imperial stout than a Belgian strong dark. Very good.

Bottle @ RBESG 09 Shefield ...Hazy brown ... toffee malt nose ... again toffee ... sour and woody.

Pours brown with a beige head. Aroma is caramel and some bubblegum. Flavour is dark caramel and a good lasting aftertaste.

Bottle. Head is initially large, frothy, light brown, mostly lasting. Body is hazy dark brown, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (toasted grain/bread, cookie), moderately hoppy (herbs, flowers), lightly to moderately yeasty (cobwebs), with notes of pepper, wood, cinnamon, gum. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation, lightly to moderately alcoholic. Brightly aromatic, well-balanced, well hidden alcohol, etc. A delicious beer.