De Ranke Père Noël - Brouwerij De Ranke

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml, wrapped in paper without a label on the bottle. The first pour from a long-standing 750ml bottle is surprisingly clear, and its amber body displays orange and gold highlights beneath a magnificent pillow of soft and creamy white foam. The second glass becomes murky with the lees, but the brilliant head remains and it holds exceptionally well, leaving some very nice rings of lace about the goblet. The nose is fresh, exciting, and enticing with a combination of lightly fruity, earthy, and mildly musty yeast; delicately sweet malt; and bright, grassy hops. In the mouth it's very fine-bubbled carbonation is not as effervescent as might be expected, but rather median; and it's medium body combines with it to leave it just lightly tingly and then velvety smooth across the palate. The flavor is not overwhelming... to the contrary, it slowly draws you in, bit by bit. Some light, juicy and subtly tart fruit appears up-front, immediately backed by a soft, delicately candyish malt that wraps it like a blanket as a pillow of grassy, lightly floral, and somewhat spicy hops appear. Or are they spicy? Bolder peppery notes appear almost at the same moment. And a flick of alcohol is present as well; so is the peppery spiciness coming from the alcohol, spices, hops or a combination of all three? Who knows? Who cares? It finishes dry with some lingering pepper and a combination of citrusy and dried-apricot-like fruitiness that leaves you only partially satiated and wanting more. Raspy, pine-like notes and a bolder bitterness develop at the back of the throat as you progress through the glass, almost begging you to go back to the supple, juciy and citrusy fruit found at the start. Wow! What an enticing beer! It's certainly not what one might expect of a holiday ale (think bolder & spicier), as it's so much more the seductress. Refined... elegant... regal, perhaps. A brilliant pale ale that should be available year-round, and welcome on the dinner table at any time. Very nicely done!

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2004 01:11:43 | More by NeroFiddled

GreenCard

Oregon

3.65/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Best before date: 11/2008

Appearance: reddish amber, quite hazy (though this might be chill haze... my fault), not much head developed even on a vigoruous pour, just a thin crown

Aroma: malt, hazelnuts, slight coffee, apples, minty hops, alcohol

Flavor: slightly sweet, pear-like fruitiness in the palate, an overlying peach-pit bitterness that builds with every sip, peppery finishes semi-sweet with a lingering bitterness and spice

Mouthfeel: medium body, crisp carbonation, alcohol warmth

Overall Impression: I guess I'm just not sure what makes a Christmas beer a Christmas beer. To me, it should be quite different from the norm: more flavor, more spice, more color, and some "archivability". This just seems like a usual Belgian beer. It's good though.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2004 18:58:19 | More by GreenCard

Shiredave

New York

4.33/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Expire date: 10/ 2006
Clear, orange / amber color , the off white head foams high above the rim. Spatters of lace speckle the glass.
Aroma is musty hay and flowers - spritzy like club soda with lemon.
Lush and fruity, creamy and nutty up front with lots of chewy grains and caramel flavors. Hot, peppery hop rushes in, flooding the mouth w/ fizzy carbonation that explodes in bitterness, sucking all the moisture from your mouth.
Very dry finish with lingering peach notes and puckering grapefruit.
I love the tongue clenching bitterness in back of the throat.
Hops still mellowing in this - I think another year wouldnt have hurt at all. 3 - 4 years in a bottle might be best for this Gem.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2004 22:43:09 | More by Shiredave

francisweizen

Australia

4.5/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A creamy peach-like orange-ish hue with a lovely creamy head of off-white bubbles. The aromas are of melon, different fruits, spicy alcohol, yeast, belgian candi sugar, and fresh floral, just cut hops! The flavor is very similar to the aromas and follows thorugh wonderfully. As Loren said, this stuff is a hop heads version of Duvel, that is definately a good way to sum this beer up. It tastes of candy coated hops, honey, different spices and flowers, belgian candy sugar, and yeast. The mouthfeel is creamy, smooth and light on the tongue and the drinkability is excellent as well. Another grand-slam-home-run from De Ranke!

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2004 00:43:47 | More by francisweizen

stcules

Italy

3.28/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Oranged colour.The foam is average in compactness and cream, beige color.
In the smell malty notes, and light fruitiness, yeast, and a grassy hop, quite fresh.
The taste starts with a good malty base, but aftert that, it is quite bitter, grassy, with peppery and spicy notes in the aftertaste.
Fresh, well hidden alcohol, pleasant. Some yeasty and fruity (pineapple) notes, but not cloying.
Average body, good drinkability.

(edit 13/01/11)

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2003 11:30:23 | More by stcules

Gusler

Arizona

4.13/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

size, creamy in consistency and the color an off white with the lace a silk like curtain to cover the glass. Fruit laden nose, to me an over ripe peach, also somewhat musk like or musty like an old wine cellar, not bad mind you just quite different some malt tones at the back with the start sweet, nicely malted, tart and somewhat vinous, top is light but rich in feel. Meekly carbonated finish, bitter, hops understated, alum dry aftertaste, different from what I would normally drink, so it takes a lot of contemplation to be accurate in my judgment, drinkable, but something I'd not want to sample on a regular basis, but after some serious decanting I found it to be a bit more pleasing to my palate, so if your not into the sediment at the bottom of the bottle, even if it means pouring a bit of the beer back into the bottle you may make a serious misjudgment of taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2003 01:43:23 | More by Gusler

PatandDavid

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at Redbones...made me sing Father Christmas the rest of the evening. Anyway...Pour was a dark gold color, no head. Very clean aroma, I didn't pick up much action. I found this to be pretty darn smooth, and even though I knew it had some punch, alcohol wise, I really couldn't tell when drinking it. Definitely some candi sweetness in the finish. While good, and definitely well blended, there wasn't so much going on with this one. Might be a good choice for a novice, no off notes detected with this one. pat

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2003 22:52:37 | More by PatandDavid

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.75/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy amber color. It is highly carbonated and creates a dense off white head. As I pour I get immediate notes of cider in the aroma. As I put my nose further in I get musty as well as fruity aromas.

It tastes like a lively funky Saison with a deeper rich caramel note to it. Lightly sweet, lightly tart. Has a slight peppery finish, as well as some dry slightly astringent notes. There are definite flavors of apple cider here. This beer also has a sweet spice type note as well (perhaps a bit of cinnamon).

This beer is damn good. So far De Ranke has really impressed me. This is a really good mix of flavors, very well balanced. Walks a wonderful line between sweet on the one hand and dry on the other.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2003 20:52:56 | More by Gueuzedude

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Amber orange cloudy with an effervescent bubbly carbonation, this one was done in small batches reminscient of some hard to find farmhouse ales lacing is excellent fine Belgian webbed patterns. Aroma: A bouquet of floral Hallertau blended with a piney honey tinged tone with a streak of spicing to bring holiday cheers. Taste: I absolutely fell in love with this Belgian rarity, possibly up there on my all time favorite Belgian ales as well as Christmas beers I've tasted. Fruity tones accented and surrounded by the rush of pine cone like hops, so excellent this kind of hopping with the lucious malt backbone this is the Ruination of Belgian bier just a step below Properings Hommel in my opinion. Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with a champagne like carbonation this one is hard to beat. Drinkability: My lord I indulged in this beer at the Sharp Edge on a Thursday by Saturday this beer was sold out there they moved two cases like nothing. Found it at D's Sixpack and picked up their last two bottles just excellent for a dinner brew or just if chilling around and the snow's coming down crack one of these babies it will put a smile on your face.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2003 16:26:09 | More by WVbeergeek

crookedhalo

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +22%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a magnificent cloudy burnt sienna-orange color with a fluffy off white head. Strange aroma, can discern some hops and a bit of peppermint, malt and possibly some other spices, but subdued. Taste is most unique, unlike anything else I've tried. I recommend that if you find a bottle, buy it; can't miss the pale green wrapper on it. Mouthfeel is most excellent, effervescent and crisp. A lingering astringent aftertaste of lightly zesty hops and dull peppermint leaves. Totally unique for a Christmas beer. Floored by it.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2003 06:16:25 | More by crookedhalo

moulefrite

Massachusetts

4.72/5  rDev +23.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Man this is good!! Awesome deep honeyed/tan color with plenty of mouthwatering sticky beige head to welcome one, and very adequate lace that leaves a patch of web throughout. On the nose malty sweetness meets beeswax scented hop. The smell of the candy sugar is also evident, as is a very inviting while subtle fruitiness. In the mouth the beer hits all the buds! sweetness can be found on the roof of the mouth, while bitter teases the tip of the tongue and literally attacks the sides of the tongue. This is a great strong pale ale, and reminds me of a saison on roids! This is a big, hoppy brew that is oh so refreshing and clean! The finish with its bitter hop, and grapefruit zest like burn goes on, and on, and on! This is one of my favorite winter seasonals this year no question. Get as much as you can of this beaut!!

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2003 01:59:32 | More by moulefrite

beergeek279

Pennsylvania

4.83/5  rDev +26.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Served in the 750 mL bottle. The color was copper, with a nice, foamy white head. The smell is of hops. The taste was remarkably hoppy, a rare treat in a Belgian, especially in a Christmas ale, and was complimented by just the faintest hint of cherry. Mouthfeel was quite smooth. Drinkability-wise, could have as many of these as I could afford!

The surprise of the holiday season so far, and probably will be for the whole season! Simply fantastic, and an excellent use of hops, and certainly one I will have again, if I ever find it again! Thanks to WVbeergeek for splitting this one with me....a pleasure to share a fine beer with a fine BA!

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2003 23:50:11 | More by beergeek279

TheLongBeachBum

California

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: Sampled during the BA Social held at Lucky Baldwin’s in Pasadena on Saturday 12th October, 2003. The last in a trilogy of De Ranke beers, which we all shared.

It arrives in an unlabelled green glass bottle, the 750ml curved sided affair with the dimpled bottom, so typically used by Cantillon, Fantôme, etc. The whole bottle is wrapped in an inviting paper wrap. The De Ranke Père Noël wrapper was white, with light green decoration & red colored writing. Has a very Xmas Present look - Corked. Unfiltered & Unpasteurized.

Experiences of both clear & sedimented samples form this Review.

Appearance: A heavily sedimented orange-rusty brown color, murky from the start, but I had the last pour from 750ml as it was shared around the Table. The yeast turbidity looked unappealing. I tried some of fellow BA Seagoats; a clear pour that had a radiant amber color with copper hints. Off-white head, that left some nice lacing. Looked great.

Nose: Fruity nose, reminded me of English Boiled Candy called ‘Yorkshire Mixtures’. The strong yeast odors appear towards the end of the pour. In both cases, spicy hops are in the back-end.

Taste: A Xmas beer, Seasonally released once a year. As such, I expected much more alcohol. I was surprised at the low (for Belgium) alcohol level. I am not sure if it was the heavy sediment, or just the thick yeasty character that suppressed all but a bitter character in this offering from my sample. Seagoats sample was much more appealing. Fruity, spicy hops, herbs & other fauna, grainy malts & some yeast tinges. Light pear drop tastes at the back of the throat. Dry bitter hops in the ending – short lived but welcomed.

Mouthfeel: A creamy mouthfeel, smooth alcohol. Once the yeast enters the fray, the mouthfeel is chalk and the grainy malts break through. Above average body for a 7.0% Xmas Beer.

Drinkability: I got to try two samples; Seagoats – a very moor-ish warming drink. Mine was sedimented and much less appealing in the long term. I prefer this without the heavy sediment.

Overall: After the XX Bitter & Guldenberg, both of which I have tried before, the Père Noël was a new beer for me. After the quality of De Ranke’s other beers, I found this to be better without the sediment. With the sediment it is a rather average tasting offering. Nevertheless, if I see this one (& it’s on my list of try to find whilst in Belgium next Easter) I will most certainly give it a whirl again for sure.
Another sample is needed I feel to improve this Review.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2003 21:32:48 | More by TheLongBeachBum

mickeymac

California

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another beautifully paper-wrapped bottle from de Ranke. It's copper with a nice white head. Fruity tartness dominates the smell, but the hops are more pronounced than they are in most Belgians. Granny Smith apples and grapefruit flavors make for a nice slightly mouth-puckering taste. Alcohol smell and taste did seem fairly pronounced for a 7% abv beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2003 16:38:34 | More by mickeymac

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Really nice murky orange stuff. kind of like a cross between an IPA and a belgian, it works well. Slightly residual mouthfeel, with some earthy orangey notes, finish is bitter, citric and hoppy, has a nice spicyness aswell. De ranke have done it again!!!

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2003 00:40:28 | More by rastaman

mzwolinski

California

4.38/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2002 edition: Paper-wrapped bottle pours a beer which is clear bronze in color, topped by a medium-thick white head which quickly settles. Aroma is mild in its maltiness and hops, though accented by a lightly tart fruitiness – green apple, perhaps, or hints of grape. The flavor is led by a full, toffee-like maltiness, which yields gently to a floral, spicy dry finish. The aftertaste is of brown sugar. A really surprising beer for me, and a nice example of a Belgian Holiday ale!

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2003 16:08:03 | More by mzwolinski

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.6/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Turbid looking brown tone with orange highlights. A nice beige head recedes to a thin fillm that sticks around nicely. Lace is clingy and sporadic. Nose is perfumey, floral and spicy alltogether. Also fruity and orange-like. Even a little candyish. Very nice. The palate tells my this is one tasty beverage. Nice hop traits: dryness, hebalness, a recognizable, but understated bitterness, spiciness. Pretty cool. Some bready yeast undertones. Orange comes into play midway through. Some slight grainy malt tones surface every now and then. Slight musty/farmyard character adds even more depth to this complex brew. A light-medium body with just the right amount of spritzy carbonation makes this one drinkable (and enjoyable) beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2002 19:20:48 | More by Bighuge