De Ranke Père Noël

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

Bottle from Capone’s. Turbid dull deep gold pour with 2-finger head. Aroma is funky spicy dry yeast, citrus, hops, fruit. The flavor is malty, with hopcitrus and funky spicy yeast notes throughout.

33 cl. bottle with no wrapping. Bottled January 2005. Pours a nice hazy deep amber colour with a medium mostly diminishing beige creamish head leaving a nice creamy lacing. Aroma of spices and yeast with toasted malt, some caramel and slight citrus. Good mouthfeel. Nice soft caramel and spiced flavour with yeast, toasted malt, fruits, hops, alcohol and bit woody. Dry softly spiced toasty alco finish.

Bottle, 33 cl. Cloudy amber-orange color, with a medium creamy white head that leaves a sticky lacing in the glass. Aroma yeasts, flowery, and fruity. Medium body. Taste hops, fruity, (pear, citrus) a bit spicy (pepper). Dry and bitter finish. GOOD !

Bottle from 2006. Hazy, pale amber with a nice off-white head. Lots of spicy and fruity tones. Malt, hops and lots of spice. Medium body with a bitter aftertaste.

Amber of color with a nice white head. A pretty fresh aroma, notes of wood, apples, hops and spice. A flavor of spice, hops, bitter and a dry finish.

Pours a cloudy golden orange with decent head that receeds at a quicker pace. If you pour the sediment in, it is a dark golden brown. Nose is slightly yeasty with the same level (or less) of citrus and overall that Belgian beer nose you come to expect. What an...odd...flavor. Lots of things going on here, but nothing that stands alone. Sweet like honey at first, and then a strike of spices comes over your tongue. Then there is an almost metallic tone that hits the roof of your mouth and takes over- but I think it is from spices, not any metallic influence on the bottle. If you pour the sediment in, it seems to be smoother with a more balanced profile. Feel is standard and heavy with carbonation, but not overdone. Very drinkable, though not highly so because it is such an enigma on the palate. Overall worth trying I would say. But not because of any particular thing. It is just a very mysterious beer. Here, there, but nowhere. I suggest trying to mix up the sediment in the beer as it seemed to provide a more even and smooth experience.

Name: Pere Noel
Date: June 24, 2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, RBSG 2007
Appearance: hazy orange, fine white head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet fruity aroma with lots of spicy character
Flavor: rich fruity malt flavor, lots of spicy character, only a hint of sweetness, light bitterness keeps it too dry
Overall: rbsg frequent flyer finally gets opened after trips to montreal, dc, and minneapolis

Name: Pere Noel
Date: November 30, 2008
Mode: draft
Source: brick store
Appearance: hazy orange, big dense off white head, thick lace
Aroma: dry fruity aroma with lots of spicyness, earthy
Flavor: big fruity flavor, lots of earthy bitterness from heavy spices
Overall: no real difference from the frequent flyer bottle

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.7/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: *4

colore oro bevuta il giorno di natale forse un po’ troppo giovane molto speziata