De Ranke XX Bitter

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

Hazy golden-yellow in colour, large long lasting white coloured head, fluffy, excellent lacing, vigorous visible carbonation. The aroma is bretty, yeasty and musty, lots of citrus, white pepper, spicy with some floral hops thrown in as well. The flavour is quite hoppy, excellent bitterness, floral and grassy, good citrus bite, spice, herbal, yeasty. Rather bitter mouthfeel, medium body, high carbonation. Finishes quite long, bitter, quite dry as well. Really good stuff, a spicier Orval for sure (if that’s even possible). I’d get more of this if it wasn’t so expensive.

750ml bottle from <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/new-york target=blank>Beers Of The World in Rochester, New York for $13.69.
Purchased on June 30, 2006 and opened on June 14, 2007.
Best before June 2010.

there was a guy dressed as capatin morgan, his buddy had a plastic duck strapped on his left shoulder. they had swords that made cool noises that lit up. there was a large breasted drunk girl being very loud as she tried to get her hands on the captains sword, she settled for the pistol. i watched, sniffed this dry gem and talked to a guy that was sucking down coors light like it had an answer in it. nice dry funk with a stale (in a good way) hop scent. amazingly balanced beer finished very dry and had me searching for another. light fruit notes, white grape, some lemon too. the brett character is not overwhelming, and i kept thinking this was an amazing balance of flavors as i watched the scene around me unfold. a perfect beer to start the night off with.

pours a hazy golden color with bit frothy head. very hoppy aroma of fresh greeness with some citrus coming through. mouthful is very hoppy and bitter with crispness to the finish and a little lingering bitter as well. this is a very nice hoppy belgian...

Bottiglia da 33cl al Pub del Duca; colore chiaro, schiuma poco persistente. Aroma luppolosissimo, così come il sapore: una birra volutamente ’esagerata’ ma comunque eccezionale. Finale amarissimo.

750ml bottle, date not marked on label but most likely from 07
Consumed August 2007
This beer pours a hazy glowing orange and yellow color with a perfectly-built foamed soap head, lifting out of the top of the glass and sitting firm for quite some time. The aromas wafting out of my tulip can be smelled from across the table. Stick your nose in and you get a potent nose of blue cheese funk, grassy, dry and crisp hops, a light touch of orange and melon fruitiness, and an exceptional spiced farmhouse brett scent that mingles perfectly with the grassiness of the hops. Texture is smooth, mellow, and soft up front, with only a light amount of frothy fizz over the middle. Flavors run circles around my head, I can’t even describe them properly… the grassiness and funkiness blend perfectly together, and the orange and melon flavors are more pronounced than in the nose. Lightly tart and moderately grassy, with the crispness of Saaz but the dryness of Amarillo hops, that’s how my tongue interprets this beer. This is probably the best of the hoppy saisons/Belgian IPA style that’s coming out of Belgium more often these days.

330ml bottle at Plan B, Copenhagen. Good white creamy head retention, blanketing the glass. Clear amber body colour. Spicy aroma that includes clove and coriander plus citric hops. Rounded hop bitterness on a high level with some spice additions. Well bodied and rich in mouthfeel. Food friendly (a great tuna sandwich) (02.08.2007).

11.2oz Bottle $3.99 Binny’s Willowbrook Best before date: 4/10 XX Bitter pours a deep hazy golden. The gold absolutely glows in the light becoming more of a straw golden. Massive amounts of tiny carbonation bubbles rise to the surface creating a big three finger dense white creamy head and keeping it there for ages. As the head ever so slowly recedes I get sheet lacing so thick it’s impossible to see through it. This is one amazing looking brew. Aroma is big and juicy. Candi sugar and biscuity malts greet the nose up front. Grassy hops come along rather quickly and floral hop aromas show up on the finish. Dusty yeast is splashed around throughout always in the background but always there. Strong wafts of gritty pear and granny smith apple rise into the air as well. An excellent smelling ale. Flavor is right on par with the aroma. Biscuity malts create a solid background with a sprinkling of candi sugar sweetness. The dusty yeast shows up mid palate along with pear skins and granny smith apples. For being an older bottle the hops are still very apparant showing up on the finish with a very welcomed grassy, spicy nature. Excellent! The mouthfeel is absolutely alive. High natural carbonation tickles the tongue and gets it ready for the hoppy finish. Light body from the use of candi sugar. The swallow is dry and leaves you wanting another drink immediately. The drinkability is off the charts. This glass I poured myself is disappearing far too quickly. I find myself wanting to gulp it down. XX Bitter, in my opinion, is one outstanding ale. Absolutely delicious with a nice hop bitterness on the finish. I feel like running to the store and picking up more of these right now. Two thumbs up. I’m anxious to try others from De Ranke. 7/28/07

This beer is quite nice; the only thing I didn’t care for was the initial aroma of sour cherries. That was a bit odd. Otherwise, this is a slightly hoppy, slightly bitter, but fairly light beer with a lot of good character. I’d drink it again anytime, especially after having it on tap!