De Ranke XX Bitter

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

Once the cork is removed the bottle reeks of hops, yeast, and little else. The modest head is not especialy hoppy but displays a fine, even methode champagnoise carbonation. Medium pale malt body, pronounced yeast, and pronounced Tettnanger dry hops carry the palate, but the flavors do not quite synergize. This beer does not resemble Orval as much as a ultra-hopped saison. Even though we Americans produce many hoppy ales, XX Bitter has a hop character unlike anything else.

Good god. My first taste and the hps spacked the sense into me!!! Bitter is an understatement, is there any beer in this beer. Aroma is very faint with all the hop bitterness I expected more. Nice white head from the pour, but short lasting with Belgian Lace. Very dry beer almost like dust. Very low maltiness, with the hop overpowering all other flavors. Flavors came out very faint after swishing it around in my mouth. Very effervescent in the glass with a little cloudiness. This beer has been hooked up to a hop AMP!!! I loved it even thought I gave it a low score.

De Ranke XX Bitter is billed as "The Hoppiest Beer of Belgium" and after one 750ml bottle, I must concur. I’ve never come across a beer from Belgium that I could say was hoppier. This beer is a Belgian Golden Ale, coming in at 6.2% abv, and is hopped with massive amounts of Brewers Gold and Hallertau hop varieties. My guess is, this beer is well over 100 IBU(bitterness units) and its percieved bitterness is off the charts. This beer is so bitter, it almost tastes like poision, but in a good way if you can believe that. De Ranke XX Bitter bottles are wrapped in paper, and what a gift a hop head recieves, after un-wrapping and popping the corked bottle. De Ranke XX Bitter pours to a beautiful, hazy, very pale golden color with a thick, creamy, dense, bright white head, and a lively carbonation. This beer is sedimented with yeast, so a secondary fermentation is taking place in the bottle, also producing lots of natural carbonation. The nose on this beer is a virtual hop assault of your nostrils. Massive waves of very flowery, herbal, and citric hop aromas flood the nostrils, with just a hint of yeastiness and pale malt fighting for your attention as well. You could hold this beer a foot away, and you could still literally, smell the hop aromas, they are that intense. The palate is firm with good pale malt flavors, a backdrop of yeasty flavor, and lots of herbal and lemon peel hop flavors on the tongue. De Ranke XX Bitter finishes with a extreme, intense, brutal, flowery, citric, and herbal hop bitterness that lingers and will make your face wince it is so bitter. I image this is what hemlock tastes like going down. Clearly this beer is not for everyone, and is geared for beer lovers who love extreme tastes. Most beer drinkers would not enjoy this beer. This beer is brewed for the hard core beer lover, and will even give the most seasoned hop head pause. If you love bitter beers, this is one, that just has to be experienced. I loved this beer the second I tried it. And for a beer that is so unique and brewed in such small batches, it is very well priced. I only paid $9 for a 750ml bottle, and it was well worth it for me. De Ranke XX Bitter can be found in select markets in the US, and is a beer well worth seeking out. This is the ultimate aperitif beer, and would slice right though the richest of dishes, such dense and buttery cheeses, prime rib au jus, a nutty terrine, or lamb shanks. This one floored me.

Bottle. Pours cloudy yellow with a sizeable head. Yeasts dominate with citric hops and peppery spices in the background. There is a mild sourness that lingers throughout but is not objectionable. Seemed like a cross between a pilsner and a wit. Alright.

Bottle.Golden in colour,medium fluffy head,aroma of citric fruit,hops and spices,taste is hoppy and dry with yeast and spices,bitter finish.

My bottle was only a year old. The malt is somewhat overwhelmed by the huge citrus hop character. But what’s the point of malt? Isn’t it just sugar that didn’t ferment? I taste a bit of apricot. The bitterness persists. And persists. Makes the super hoppy American ales seem hopped with oils rather than fresh hops. It’s really great.

On Tap: Light Gold Coloring with White Frothy Head. Fruity, and Lightly Sweet Aroma. Initial Notes of Banana, and Plenty of Them, Belgian Yeast, Light Spices. Finishing with a Healthy Helping of Hops and Hints of Pepper. Very Nice.

Tap at Concordia Ale House. Colden colored with a decent white head. Great lacing is left behind. Funky belgian aroma with earthy hops thrown in. Lighter bodied with pleasant carbonation. Full of hops in taste. Sharp, spicey, somewhat acidic. Slight balance with malt bill. Interesting, decently done.