De Ranke XX Bitter

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

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).

Big puffy white head, cloudy yellow, lots of citrus notes on the nose. Light bubbly mouthfeel. Lemon, dried grass, and other lighter fruits on the tongue. Extremely hoppy. Now as much as I love hops, this just isn’t my bag for a Belgian ale.

Pours hazy light orange with a generous fluffy white head. The aroma has a boatload or two of spicy hops, some citrusy hops, earthy yeaste and clean malt. Medium body with lots of clean frothy carbonation. The taste is a literal hop bomb that is very spicy and earthy. There is some pilsner-like malt balancing out the hops. This is one of the hoppier brews I’ve had, but it is very drinkable. The finish has some nice funky Belgium yeast and the hops take on a bit earthier with some woody traits. Huge thumbs up for this world class beer.

Bottle. Hazy orange with huge creamy white head. Straw, citrus, spices, yeast and a bit of barn in aroma (I know - I’m a redneck farmboy). Lovely sweet malty flavour with a good amount of hoppiness to it along with fruit and yeast. Has a dry, bitter end and a wonderfully thick palate. I like this one. Reminds me of drinking tonic just with added taste...

Bottle. Cloudy yellow, white head. Citric, herbal hop, minerally yeast aroma. Dry light body, foamy mouthfel. Citrus fruit, a bit grass. Horse blanket dry finish. Quite fresh

Pours clear golden and sparkeling from the bottle...thick dense white head with some sticktuitiveness....some lacing after breathing. Aroma is mild, hoppy with a bit of grass and small dose of lemon possibly. Medium mouthfeel with plenty of carbonation; Deliciously hoppy...some pine resin on the tongue and definately the brettanomyces in the middle. Hoppy to the finish. Really a super yummy and drinkable beer.

Pale yellow & white headed, an unremarkable appearance. Very floral & citric on the nose, with some tartness, and heavy & large hop aromas. Refreshing, but with a certain earthy muskiness in the background. Lacks the complexity and depth of Orval (even though De Ranke markets this beer as ’Orval with everything turned up to 11’). Somewhat simple, yet well balanced.
The taste was bitter indeed, it lives up to its name. Strong hops & nice (yet subdued) bretty tartness. Typical bready Belgium-yeast in the background, which matches nicely with the dry-hopped taste. Medium/light mouthfeel, moderate carbonation. Nice beer, not as mouth-scorchingly hoppy as some of the more full-on IIPAs but it still delivers plenty in the hop-department. But, if de Ranke aims for strong hoppiness, they might as well go all the way and dial up the EBU’s even more.

Draft at Monk’s cafe 2/6/07. Golden, with a tall white head. Funky brett aroma, with a bit of hops. The hops are present up front in the flavor, then give way to sour brett character and some spices. Finishes fairly dry. I was very pleasantly surprised with this beer.