De Ranke XX Bitter

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

Draft at Brick Store Pub. Pours a cloudy light gold/yellow with a medium-sized white head that is persistent and leaves lace on the glass. The aroma is grassy from hops with some subtle yeast and bread character. The aroma belies what comes next: a crazy bitter hop-bomb. The flavor starts bready and a crackery and then the grassy hops begin to grow. By mid-palate, the tongue is assaulted by a huge tidal wave of the green cones. Amazing and unexpected. The hops are definitely grassy and earthy with a dusty character to the malt in the middle (must be the brett that the description mentions?). The finish is dry and funky - but mostly hoppy and bitter. Despite the big surprise of hop bitterness, it only takes the palate a few sips to acclimate to the hoppiness. After that, it really doesn’t taste so bitter - but dry and quaffable. The mouthfeel is medium in body and in carbonation. Overall, an impressive ale - a total delight.

Bottle courtesy of bhensonb. Thanks a heap for this one Bill. Poured a cloudy orange with a good sized white head. Very nice nose of malts and hops and a great clean mouthfeel. My bottle was three years old. Flavor is dominated by the citrus hops. Wonderful bitter finish with ripe fruit mixed with the bitterness of the hops. Simply wonderful stuff.

Bottle at Ølkonsortiet. Thanks Svend. I was very surprised as I expected af sweet belgian ale type and the got this hopmonster, that blows away the most IIPAs. Cloudy yellow with huge white head. Hoppy aroma with notes of grass and citrus. Taste extremely hoppy like eating hopps. Very dry finish. The bitterness goes on and on.

murky yellowish color with yeast in, with a white head. Sweet tar, delicious hops. fresh and a bit bitter. dweet buttery finish

Pour is cloudy orange with a big white head. Nice lacing in the glass. Aroma of earthy hops, and light citrus. Flavor is pretty bitter and clean. The finish is pretty dry. Good beer.

2008-09-27. Deep hazy pastel yellow, large white head fades a bit. (3+) Modest aroma of grassy hops, light florals, yeast and occasional alcohol notes. (6+) Flavour is similar, grassy hops, moderate bitterness throughout is nice, touch of lemon zest and yeast. Quite refreshing. Average plus palate suits the beer. The bottle has a good year, perhaps more, of age on it but you wouldn’t know it. May be just slightly muted? Mild but zesty flavour. Quite decent. Bottle from Mabel’s Florida Trip

Pours pale yellow in color with an average white head. Aromas of hops and yeast with a bit of sweetness. Flavor is dominated by hops but has a hint of honey. Medium bodied, easy to drink, with a nice crisp finish. Bitter, but not a typical IPA bitterness.

On tap at Trappeze. Pours a hazy pale gold with a moderate white head. Aroma of spicy hops, yeast, faint citrus. Taste is heavily bitter and somewhat fruity. Body is moderate, and beer drinks nicely. Finish is bitter. Overall, a solid brew.