De Ranke XX Bitter

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

Bottled, Piper’s End. What a snout. leafy, sappy, geranium-ganja-mandarin-hoppy. Witbier hazy with fluffy suds and lace clinging to the glass. They say this is the bitterest beer in Belgium, and they’re not lying. Grapefruit-like units of bitterness, but aromatically fruity with it, and nicely balanced by a creamy malt softness lurking somewhere in the background. Have had this van t’vat in Erasmus in Brugge, but this is more complex and outrageously hoppy still. Beer of The Evening, hands down. (re-rate, 26/08/07) 750ml bottle. Big, silky, citrussy and coniferous. Like drinking the neat cordial a really good Pilsner is made from. Not as shockingly hoppy as it once seemed, but still a corker.

Bottle. Pours a hazy golden yellow with a small creamy white head. Aroma is very nice. Butter, yeast, alcohol, oak and very leafy, woody hops. Oily and full mouthfeel - feels as if it never actually touches your tongue... just sliding along less than a mm above it. Flavour is very powerful hoppy. Flowers, grass, some fruitiness and yeast.

330ml brown botlle. Pours lemony-golden, hazy with an exceptionaly creamy large head. Left light lacing. Earthy aroma with hints of leather and lemon with some floral sweetness. Good balanced flavour, noticable hops lend a little herbal flavour and medium bitterness, malts are crisp and pils like, there is a definate brett note. The finish is dry, hoppy, grapefruity. Medium body, light carbonation. Kind of reminded me of a mix of Orval and an earthy IPA. Excellent.

Pours a slightly hazy golden orange with a large foamy/rocky white head that left lots of lacing. Aroma of had lots of perfumey hops, bready malt, earthy and floral. Hints of citrus yeast and some spiciness. Flavor is kind of vegetal, spicy, bitter but not as bitter as some aggressively hopped american beers. Has some lingering hop flavor mostly on the floral earthy side. Hints of citrus. Bitterness kind of lingers and brings forth some grapefruit and pine charateristics. Slightly tart and bitter. As this one airs out and my tongue got adjusted it grew on me the the vegetal flavors kind of diminished.

Bottle: Poured a golden amber with white head. The aroma is floral and perfume. Taste was tart and hoppy. Not as bitter as I expected from the name and description.

Golden Belgian Ale with bold bitterness for the style. Hops are not the dominate flavor, yeast, malts and bitterness are well blended. Grassy, citrus flavors in this medium bodied ale. Consumed @ Monks in Philadelphia for $7.70 a pint. I was a bit peeved that Monk’s adds 10% tax to beer’s listed price AFTER you purchase it. I liked the beer though, and I bet Monk’s is one of the few places its served in Philadelphia.

(Bottle) Pours hazy yellow. Malty and fruity aroma with alot of aromatic hop tones. Light spicy, earthy, flowery/floral with notes of roses. Very hoppy flavour with a nice malty body and a balaced, pleasant bitterness. Earthy and dry-ish. Medium body. Very nice.

33cl bottle. Cloudy light orange (full hard pour) with a thin white head. Aroma of bready malt with orange, banana and peach. Biscuity malt flavor laced with a sharp citrusy hop bitterness. Spicy and peppery. Medium to full bodied with lively carbonation. Seems like a Belgian interpretation of an especially hoppy American IPA. I generally like it, though the price is a deterrent ($5 per 33 cl. bottle).