De Ranke XX Bitter

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

(07.29.06) One pint 9.4 oz green bottle from Firkin’s, Libertyville, IL. Best by 12.20.06. Spicy malty aroma. Poured hazy orange with giant creamy white head. No discernable carbonation. Light-to-medium bodied Belgium golden ale that starts dry with light malt and hop flavor. Finished dry with light hop bitterness. On the thin side – could use some more malt to support the hops. Clean and refreshing, this is an excellent dry hoppy Belgium beer.

Outstanding Belgian! As I always say, bittter is better! The huge bottle made me feel like I was drinking something other than beer, but the delicious hoppy taste with the almost citrusy ending reminded me that, yes...this was beer and an outstanding one at that. This is the first beer I ever had that required a corkscrew...most elegant. I felt like I should be having tea and crumpets with the Queen of England.

golden pale yellow...goood subtle head,is there though...a quality bitter, a belgium bitter ..how very intresting...cloudy...balanced and beutiful, quality!

Foggy, amberish color with a nice off white foam. Fine aroma’s of hops and fresh herbs. Some touches of cigare box and honey without the sweetness. The tatse is quit dry and has a delisious dry maltyness with a refreshing bitterness of hops. A very tastefull Belgian bitter.

Bottle. Cloudy, orangey yellow and a big white head. Hoppy and spicy coriander nose. Initial spicy sweetness quickly outweighed by heavy bitterness, leaving the mouth very dry. The Orval connection is there also. Good carbonation. A great craft beer.

On tap, which is much better then from the bottle. Such a delicious blend of floral and citrusy hop flavors over a light crisp and bretty belgian golden. The carbonation really brightens up the hops and makes this such an aromatic brew.

330 mL bottle. Clear straw color with thick white head that settles. Good lacing. Aroma is a sweet yeastiness with a citrusy hop aroma in the background. Mouthfeel is creamy. Taste is a pleasing meld of belgian yeastiness and hoppiness that ends bitter and dry. A refreshing, attractive-looking brew.

From a paper wrapped 750 ml. capped cork green bottle, with a blurb, lot number and best before date on the paper wrapping, lot #000018, 12/08. Sampled at a cooler cellar temperature in a chalice. Poured a cloudy orangey golden with a foamy, creamy, bubbly topped white head that slowly settled into a thin sudsy lacing, a small amount of laced sticking. Aromas of wild, barnyard yeast, spicy, softly herbal hops, a light lemon citric, mineral and sweet pale malts. Good, bubbly carbonation and a crisp, dry, creamy smooth, carbonated medium-light bodied mouthfeel. Nice dry, crisp taste, wild yeastiness, mineral, lemon citric fruitiness, spicy and herbal, a nice brisk bitterness that lingers in the palate, and a dry yeasty, herbal and fruity malt finish. An excellent, yeasty, hopped up Belgian, very drinkable and highly quaffable, a must try.