Ranger - New Belgium Brewing

bret27

California

2.78/5  rDev -27%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

S: Earthy, cat pee vs swampy?, Piney, resinous, tangerine as it warms

A: Dark yellow, clear, off white fluffy head that fades quickly.

T: Swamp? hops, oily and woody, (tastes like a wet-hop pale ale a bit) bitter resiny finish.

m/D: Thin and oily, little dry finish. Drinkability is pretty good, but only because it's thin, dry, and not overpowering in any flavor.

Overall: Very Odd flavors. They don't really meld well. The bitterness and malt flavor is balanced, but the hop flavors are very strange. I seems to me the "Rangers" whoever they are would be dissapointed.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2010 04:53:45 | More by bret27

TGZ32

Michigan

2.8/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A:Pours a thick 2 finger head that retains nicely.. also leaves plenty of lace.
S: Grapefruit and pine
T: Grapefruit and dry pine taste.... Citrus flavor
M: Balanced all around.. nothing special here.. Not too bitter on the tongue, a balanced and approachable feel.
O: better IPAs out there.. this one is pretty typical all around. A good IPA for someone whos never had one before.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 00:29:46 | More by TGZ32

bonsreeb85

Colorado

2.83/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

My New Belgium snifter is filled 3/4 with golden colored brew with noticable active carbonation and a nice 2 finger foamy head that fills the other 1/4 of the glass. It eventually reduces to a sticky layer of film that rests on top.

The nose is that of citrus/piney and floral hops with a lot of biscuity malt. Also very noticable is the spicy 'vegetable like' smell that I despise.It always reminds me of celery or veggie soup stock. gross!

Too bicuity for my likeing. Pine and citrus hops are strong but this beer lacks character.

Medium light body, neither sticky or oily.

Middle of the road beer, nothing impessive about this one. Way too many other good IPAs to go back to this one. Sorry New Belgium.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2010 02:13:08 | More by bonsreeb85

Domingo

Colorado

2.83/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

My fears came true with this beer. The flavor profile for Mighty Arrow that changed when the beer went to retail has seemingly resurfaced.
Pours a nice golden color with a fluffy white head that doesn't need an aggressive pour to bring out. Lacing? Yup - got that covered. Looks pretty much perfect to be honest.
The smell is of the wild hops I've seen hiking. I think that's the Simcoe hops or the house yeast that adds its own barnyard character to things. I honestly don't like it.
The flavor's the same. Little to no malt or grain flavors, just that wild citric, funky hop/yeast character over and over in each sip.
The body's fine and I do like the texture, but after ½ bottle of this I'd had more than enough.
This beer tastes very much like the first batch of Mighty Arrow that I got from the brewery a couple years ago. I like their Belgian beers, but I don't care for this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2010 14:50:16 | More by Domingo

SShelly

California

2.83/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours blonde with crystal clarity, good white poofy head.

Aroma is citrus and light, pretty nice.

Flavor start out nice for about half a second and switches into this weird dirty hop flavor, aftertaste is just not good, dirty old hop flavors stick, in the mouth. For such a promising start this thing really falls off a cliff.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2010 02:44:54 | More by SShelly

tr4nc3d

Kansas

2.88/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12fl oz bottle poured into my pint glass

Pours a very light copper color with a frothy two inch slightly off-white head. Great head retention that subsides slowly but always leaving a nice layer on top afloat of the beer. Sticky lacing clings to the sides of my glass.

Smell consisted of light citrus fruits that of peaches, grapefruit, apricots, and some floral earth type smells. Malts can be smelled behind the hops.

The hops must have been for aroma, cause it barely showed up in the taste. I barely get any citrus flavor at all, but the pine needle bitterness really shows. This leads to some toffee like malts. Pretty one dimensional with just bitterness and malts.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied(bordering thin though, kinda watery)with high carbonation tickling your tongue. Bitterness follows through after you have taken your sip.

Pretty disappointed with this one. Really weak IPA, I would barely consider this a Pale Ale if even.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2010 01:02:37 | More by tr4nc3d

MADhombrewer

Oregon

2.88/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance- Clear light orange color with a very white cloudy head. Lots of lacing left on the side of the glass. 4/5

Smell- Great, easy pine smell with a bit of tropical fruits. 4/5

Taste- Right up front here is a tanginess to it that I can't decided if it is pleasant or not. Grassy and piney hops with a small blast of malt in the end. 2.5/5

Mouthfeel- A little on the thin side (I can't believe I am saying that). 2.5/5

Overall- When this first came out I loved it to the point that I thought I found my one and only go-to beer and the one beer I would constantly keep in the fridge. No such luck any more. I would like to blame it on my palate, but... It still could very well be. I remember it having more of a malt backbone (more of a mouthfeel) and no tanginess. Sorry NB. I meant every word at the time I emailed you, though. 2.5/5

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 01:46:33 | More by MADhombrewer

Beaver13

Colorado

2.93/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

22 oz bottle, dated 7/9/10 (best by?). Pours a clear light yellow orange with a frothy white head that quickly goes to a thin film that leaves a little lacing.

The aroma is biscuity malts with some spicy piney fruity hops that are slightly stinky.

The flavor is some biscuity malts with a decent amount of hops - peppery, floral and slightly fruity. The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with low but sharp carbonation.

Overall, an OK IPA - it's nice to see one from NB. It's pretty mild in terms of alcohol and bitterness. I really don't care for the biscuit notes in many of New Belgium's beers. I'm not really digging the hop flavors either. More fruitiness or resin would be good for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2010 06:59:55 | More by Beaver13

demuzik

Oregon

2.93/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 4.5

Aroma is floral and mixed, flavor is balanced of course and decent amounts of hop and malt, head retention is not so great.

Mixed feelings about this one... the great folks at New Belgium sure don't specialize in the IPA field, IMHO.
It is very mild on both malt and hops for the style, coming in closer to the American Pale Ale category - barely an IPA by IBU's and malt amounts.

Nevertheless, its drinkable and definitely not BAD - its just not what most probably expect when they read "IPA".

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2010 19:27:09 | More by demuzik

brewdoc75

Minnesota

2.95/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured into a tulip pint glass.

A: Golden yellow and crystal clear. Nice, bright white head that dwindles to a lace. Great lacing down the sides.

S: Some fruitiness, faint tones of pine and citrus fruits. Light honey sweetness. Really not aromatic at all.

T: More of that fruitiness that blends well with the hop varieties. The hops are grapefruity with a hint of orange. Some piney bitterness in the end. The hop flavors are really very subdued, but the bitterness is pretty strong. Kind of odd. I would like some more hoppy flavor rather than bitterness. The bitterness is clean, but a bit heavy for the hoppy flavors. Malts add a light caramel sweetness with maybe a touch of bread.

M: Light bodied. Clean tasting. Great carbonation.

D: An average IPA at best. There is nothing glaringly bad about it, but it really lags behind many of the other great IPAs in flavor and aroma. I won't be buying this again, but wouldn't turn it away if I was offered one.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2010 01:26:24 | More by brewdoc75

SamN

Colorado

2.95/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 1.5

A- huge white foamy head. Crystal clear golden amber color. A satisfying looking beer. Just a huge head that leaves complex lacing all the way down.

S- Clean, floral hops nose. Very fresh and aromatic; citrusy sweetness, grapes, sticky pine resin, and something else I can't put my finger on. First thought is of rice or somesort of cheaper grain. Rotten grass or something. Strong aroma up the middle, falls off at the edges. Seriously, I smell something rotten or moldy

T- Rush of strong hops that gradually mellows out. Lots of hops tastes, resin, pine, acidic fruits. Some malt sweetness pokes it's head out in the middle, but this largely very hoppy and bitter. The aftertaste, while not sticky, is quite bitter as well. Not my cup of tea here.

M- Medium light body with a certain chewiness to it. Not much carbonation.

D- For me, I can't drink a whole one. Too too too much sticky bitterness, not for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2010 22:48:15 | More by SamN

industrialswill

Washington

2.95/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Amber color, off white head.
Smell is of some spice and freshly cut wood.
I taste too much "firewood" in this one. There is faint citrus, but I'm just tasting too much pine here. I give an average rating for taste because in spite of my criticisms, it still tastes better than your average swill.
The mouthfeel and drinkability follow suit. Now that I've tried it, I can say, BTDT. At $4 for a bomber, I won't be trying this one anytime soon. I still would grab this one in favor of many choices out there, but as an IPA it is not one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2010 21:39:55 | More by industrialswill

herman77

Minnesota

2.98/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Super clear gold color with a decent amount of white fluffy head. A little surprised that it is this light golden of a color. Lots of lacing. Tons of tiny little bubbles stuck to the sides.

S: Grass. Hops. Smells very fresh.

T: Grass, hops, grass. Somewhat of a bitter twang near the end. No fruity or citrus hop flavor at all. Can't taste any malt. Decent dry finish though.

M: Light body. Pretty thin mouthfeel.

D: Its okay, I guess. Something about it makes me want to take another sip right away, but I can't really see drinking more than one or two in a sitting. Actually, the more I drink this beer, the less I want of it.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2010 02:49:31 | More by herman77

tykees88

Indiana

2.98/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- golden straw with a bronze undertone, one finger head with white lacing as she goes down.

S- smells of hops of course, sugar, and slight citrus, the pine is also a little there, but it's just very vague.

T- the taste is underwhelming, almost no pine taste, very small citrus taste, and it's mostly just hops bitter, and for an ipa it's just one characteristic not blended well with the others it should have.

M- it's light and carbonated, easy in the mouth to drink.

D- it's not too bad slightly more than average, but anymore i want an ipa more than others, for an ipa though i would choose something else.

Not impressed too much here.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2010 23:06:13 | More by tykees88

BucannonXC5

California

2.98/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Originally rated 4.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.0 and 3.0 on July 12, 2011.
Re-rated 4.0, 4.0, 2.5, 2.5 and 3.0 on Oct. 31, 2012.

It was basically your typical IPA. Nothing too exceptional, nothing too out of the ordinary. I had it after having the Mothership Wit, the Somersault and the Fat Tire Amber Ale and I think it was only better than the MW. The biggest plus would be that it tasted clean.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2011 05:23:49 | More by BucannonXC5

hwwty4

Missouri

3/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a double deuce into my Dogfish Head snifter. This beer pours an oily copper with just a slight head that leaves a soap scum like lacing down the sides of the glass. This isn't a very pretty beer. Looking down into the glass, it reminds me of extra virgin olive oil sitting on water. The nose is rather unhoppy for its 70 IBU's. Lemon rind, grapefruit and grassy hops come through with just slight bit of toast. Also at the very tail of the aroma is a smell that I can only describe as earthy. The flavor is a bit more hoppy then the aroma but is still toned down from what I expect from an American IPA. Lemon rind, grapefruit, just a bit of pine. White bread and just a little medicinal bitterness at the tail. The mouthfeel is very light and for as oily as its appearance is, it really doesn't coat the mouth in hop bitterness like many of the best American IPA's. The drinkability is about average. I would grab this at a bar that had a pretty crappy selection but if it was Ranger or Boulevard Singlewide, I would take the Singlewide any day.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2010 01:04:48 | More by hwwty4

ronniebruner

Arizona

3/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5

First off you will notice the extreme hops smell. I have never had a beer before that tasted like pure hops. The aroma is better than the taste. It is like drinking a bottle of hay and oats and unprocessed barley. Not an everyday beer, and definitely not fr everyone.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2010 05:32:59 | More by ronniebruner

kbutler1

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Draft. Clear golden orange color, slight white head. Aroma of subtle hops. Taste is slight bitterness not overly bitter. Very little lacing. Lingering on bitter. Decent but nothing spectacular. Decently balanced. Light/medium mouthfeel. A good choice if there is nothing else to be had on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2010 17:58:04 | More by kbutler1

Azurescens

Washington

3/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle with best by date of 7/17/11 poured into snifter, reviewed on 4/6/11

A: Pours a clear, pale golden color with whitish head that fades relatively quickly leaving decent lacing around glass.

S: Some floral hops, no real malt aroma to speak of. Smells alright but nothing too exciting going on here.

T: Nice hop bitterness up front that fades towards the finish letting some of the malt flavors come through. Hops are the main player in the taste of this one, it would be nice if there was some detectable malt sweetness to balance out the hops, but it just isn't there. Bitterness level is pretty good for an IPA but nothing outstanding.

M: Body is pretty thin with decent carbonation and clean finish.

O: Not bad but not great either, pretty standard IPA. Plenty of hop bitterness but it would be nice to have some more hop aroma and flavor. It would be significantly better if there was a greater malt presence to add some sweetness and body, or at least enough hops to mask the lack of malt.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2011 02:24:44 | More by Azurescens

PeprSprYoFace

California

3.03/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Ok I really thought this was going to be better than this but here it goes.

Pours a caramel clear redish golden color. Very thin head. No lacing.

Aroma is of some cascades and some noble hop. Not a very good combo IMO. It's ok.

Taste is not that great. I've had worse but not great. It has a weird grassy/plant bitterness. Not the citrusy piney bitterness of my favorite IPA's. I'm assuming they used some sort of noble hops in this beer. Not that good of a choice. Slight caramel malty sweetness.

Mouthfeel is higher carb for style.

Overall I probably won't buy this one again. I have access to way better IPA's so there will be no need to buy this one again.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2010 07:15:51 | More by PeprSprYoFace

maximum12

Minnesota

3.03/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Picked up two singles of this in a recent mixed six-pack raid on a local store. Had one during a beer-sharing with friends & it seemed pretty good amidst all the madness, but wanted a few minutes to sit down & have one in peace & quiet. Consumed while watching the first Twins-Sox game of 2010.

Pours a clear orange-amber. Light citrus mixed & crushed with a variety of herbs & a splash of orange zest.

Ranger IPA is heavy on the sweets for an IPA. Sweet malts set the pace, with a pine bath coming in a distant second. Another zing of orange in there. Heavy & viscous, especially for an IPA.

Well, I'm not having the best of beer evenings, yet. This is far too 'balanced' for me, I'd love to have a livelier hop presence in this brew. As is, the malts are more of the focus. Decent enough brew, but not my thing.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2010 02:00:56 | More by maximum12

mfnmbvp

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

1 pint 6 fl oz. bottle, with the date on the bottle that says November 25, 2012. I don't know if that's 'bottled on' or 'best by', so I might be a little late on this one but that bothers me not. I haven't had a Ranger in quite a while, but it's been one of my go-to IPA's especially being that it's only $3.99 a bottle around here. Poured into a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Pours a clear amber color with about a finger of fluffy white head. Significant lacing. Poured a giant three finger doughy head on my second pour.

S - Citrus and pine hop smells prevalent for sure. Maybe some faint malts relaxing in the background.

T - Extreme bitter hops for sure. Maybe some roasted nuttiness in the finish, along with a little bit of a sugary sweetness hanging out. Pretty well concocted taste with a nice 6.50% abv, well-balanced, but simple, and extremely bitter tasting. Definitely a beer to go for if you need your hop fix.

M - Very sticky bitter resinous feel. Not unpleasant, just pretty one dimensional.

Overall, in the realm of very bitter IPA's this beer is pretty spot on. However, it is simple and pretty basic tasting, and not a very complex brew. I think I enjoyed this beer much more before I was enlightened by the taste of highly complex IPA's, and before I appreciated stouts and other dark beers also. A decent beer, and I would have it again, but being one of New Belgium's landmark beers, it is slightly unimpressive, and they have released far better beers.

New Belgium Ranger IPA ---3/5.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 02:41:41 | More by mfnmbvp

hardy008

Minnesota

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Dark gold to light amber color with a two finger egg shell white head with good retention. The aroma is not very strong. It has some grapefruit and grapefruit peeling, with some pine.

The taste is much like the aroma, and also not very strong. Not much of a malt backbone is present, and nothing really grabs my attention. Some grapefruit, peeling, pine, and some biscuit like malt flavor are present. Not terrible, but not impressive either.

Light to medium bodied, decent carbonation, has a bitter aftertaste, and finishes dry. Not bad overall, but there is nothing which makes me want to try this again either.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2010 03:36:17 | More by hardy008

Andrew644

Idaho

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

A- A very nice golden color with a nice white foaming head that lingers.

S- The smell really got me excited to try this beer it was a very promising smell which was a little sweet but the floral smell from the hobs was amazing.

T- The taste was a little disappointing, I was expecting more. I would have liked the hop flavor to be a little better, the way it is now it leaves a bad aftertaste. This beer definately smells better than it tastes.

M- good carbonation that gives a refreshing feeling.

D- Overall I think the aftertaste really made the drinkability go down.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2010 02:49:52 | More by Andrew644

ChadQuest

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This is a good looking beer without a hazey tone to it and some large lingering bone white islands of head.
aroma is about average with it being kinda muted with more baked bread and light lemony yeast aromas.
I can tell this is a fresh bottle the lemon zest notes hit right up front. definently a citrus forward beer, there is just enough space for some biscuit and light earthyness.

An Average Ipa you could find anywhere and enjoy drinking, but if your at a big liquor store, there are better options.

Chad

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2010 20:33:17 | More by ChadQuest