De Ranke XX Bitter

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

Draught: Aroma of alcohol, citrus, hops, grass, and apples. Poured a golden yellow color with a tiny white head. Very hazy. Opaque. "Looks like cloudy piss." Bitter, metallic alcohol flavor. Like sucking on a penny. Medium body. Smooth creamy texture. Soft carbonation. Metallic finish. Overall, not very good.

750 ml bottle. Hazed then murky gold with a foamy white head. Nose is a mix of fresh fruits: pineapple, lemon, orange and mango. Soft, with a little perfume. A slight funk with later pours. Sharp, tiny carb work the tongue before giving way to a creamy hop truffle. Lemon and lime pith with bits of caramel. Dry bready aftertaste. You know its a Belgian but hops seem to balance the yeast. A most interesting brew that continued to change with each glass over an hour.

I’ve tasted it both on tap and in bottle. Bottled version deserve some point less...Little hop aroma, nice appearance, harsh mouthfeel. Too resinous. A nice appetizers though.

American IPA meets Belgian ale? No, it’s not a double IPA, but it is a very nice extra hopped Belgian beer. Fine malty base, great grassy hoppiness. About time we had some big hoppy beers from the big Belgian players.

750mL bottle. Pours a murky golden brown color; fluffy, textured white head with great retention and lacing that coats the glass. No brett to speak of in the aroma, predominantly dry yeast and a pronounced barnyard funk; no hops; very reminiscent of Fantome funk, but quite reserved. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: plenty of funk and dry yeast character and very well integrated Belgian sugar; but, honestly, this comes off as more than a bit musty, cobwebby and stale; there’s a slight jolt of citrus or piney hops, and a miniscule show of brett; very well-made, but a somewhat flabby and boring Belgian ale; plenty of green apple and resolved sugar coming through mid-palate. Still, musty. Medium, green apple and Belgian sugar finish; very dry and yeasty.

The commercial description states, “does not want for balancing maltiness.” Nothing is truer. Hop heads rejoice, there is a Belgian beer worthy for your collective palate. Pours a great fluffy white head, and super bitterness hits your nose – like Victory’s Hop Wallop for Belgian beer fans. Overall, not that bad – actually very enjoyable, the yeast strain they use is real workhorse of the brew, anything less this beer might be rather bad.

Sampled at the Odds and Ends Tasting II on 10/19/07: Hazy honey color with a medium bone white head that diminishes steadily. Spotty lacing on the glass. Yeast and hops in the nose, with bits of malt. Medium-bodied and moderately bitter with grassy hops and yeast flavors, as well as some malt in the background. The finish is dry and hoppy with a yeast/hay aftertaste. De Ranke has chosen an interesting characteristic on which to differentiate this beer from its Belgian bretheren. All in all it is a worthwhile effort.

Gold with a thick, bubbly white head. Aroma is metallic and hoppy. Perhaps a touch of yeast. Rounded fruity taste with sour plums and greengages. Sweet malt and the yeast continues. Sharp bitter finish.