De Ranke XX Bitter - Brouwerij De Ranke

hustlesworth

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- pours a golden amber, cloudy from the yeast. Nice white head is bubbly and wrinkled. Spit bubble lace covers the glass.

S- lemony herbal hops and somewhat meaty. A little bit of yeasty band aid funk with notes of pineapple and banana. Lightly toasted grains.

T- pleasantly hoppy from start to finish with some cracker like malt character. Hop flavor is grassy lemon pith and earthy and lingering. Some rubbery band aid yeast flavor and very little sweetness.

MF- expansive feel and tight prickly carbonation. Nicely dry and refreshing.

D- what seem to be pils malt and noble hop creates a lot of similarity between this one and a pils. Yeast is understated and the beer isnt too ale fruity. Belgian ipa isnt my favorite style but this one is pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 03:36:39 | More by hustlesworth

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a cloudy light orange amber, two finger medium white head with nice lacing. Aroma of funky herbal hops, light sour fruit, interesting. Belgian yeast, light fruit; starts as a Belgian light ale, quickly followed by hop bitterness that has a strong floral component. Finish is semi-sweet malt and hop bitterness. Quite different and tasty. Mouthfeel is medium with a hint of creaminess. Nicely made and interesting.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 01:16:34 | More by LiquidAmber

billab914

Virginia

4.23/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle poured into my Allagash glass. It poured a hazy, golden amber color with a thick, bubbly, foamy white head to it. Very nice lacing as I drank it.

The aroma shows a lot of earthy, spicy, European hops to it. I get some Belgian yeast spice and a little zesty citrus coming through as well. It had a nice range of flavors to it and felt well balanced as well.

The taste also has a bold, earthy, spicy, hop profile to it. Some zesty citrus is there up front with it turning into more of a bitter orange flavor in the finish. Pale, bready malts and a little yeast spice round out the flavors. Easy drinking and well balanced.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with above average carbonation. Overall it was a very good beer. It had a nice hoppiness to it with the yeast spice and pale malts complimenting well. Very drinkable and enjoyable beer of the style overall.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 20:30:32 | More by billab914

jibbyvonjibb

California

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Cloudy. Light gold color.

S: Grassy, floral hops. Grain.

T: Refreshing acidity. Piney/grassy/citrusy hops still dominate, but balanced with some grainy sweetness.

M: Light body with plenty of carbonation. Dry in aftertaste.

O: A drinkable beer. The bitterness in the finish is a bit overdone. Also wished they would have used less earthy hops to bring more focus on fruity yeast flavors. Would drink again if readily available, but not worth going out of your way to obtain it.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 03:24:45 | More by jibbyvonjibb

Beertracker

Oklahoma

4.35/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

De Ranke XX Bitter pours up with poise & finnesse creating a voluptous foaming head that layers like icing on a cake above the bright sunglow-goldenrod colored body. The aroma is fruity (Bosc pear, Fuji apple, Costa Rican pineapple), snappy/spicy (lemon basil, tumeric, saffron) with some pleasant floral (chamomile, daisy) notes from the late hop additions that overlay a light-moderate graininess. The flavor starts of with a subtle graininess that develops some cracker-like waferness before being completely overtaken by a dominate, but pleasant bitterness that carries completely through to a clean, dry, biting finish. This light-moderate bodied Belgian specialty derives its complexity from its simplicity. I wouldn't expect anything less from the original Belgian IPA. It's always exciting to find this one on draught... three cheers for De Ranke!

CHEERS! Beertracker

Serving type: on-tap

02-07-2012 20:08:02 | More by Beertracker

dansmcd

Australia

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Cloudy dull pale amber with a thin film of bubbly head and no lace.

S - Sweet musty Belgian yeast, fresh bread, pineapple and brown sugar. Nice blend of enjoyable aromas.

T - The wild yeast is prominent but well supported by the pineapple, bread and bubblegum. Some heat coming through at the end.

M - Medium body, dry with moderate carbonation.

O - Seriously, this is a beauty. I have walked past this on the shelf so many times before giving it a shot. If you like Belgian flavours, do yourself a favour and pick one up at next opportunity.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 14:25:21 | More by dansmcd

smakawhat

Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass. Good till October 2015.

A real nice rock foamy hard white head off the pour, body color seems very straw like in appearance out of the bottle then hits with a glowing peach orange and yellow hues along the sides. Orb character glow. Settles to a clumpy small collar and puck. Very nice looking beer.

Nose has a real dry grain, salty strangely. Arid, and dried out orange peel after some time. Citrus angle is a little burried. I love this dried out smell though.

Great tasty hop angle. Shallow bittering pine sense, mixes with a great arid dryness. Mouthfeel feels fairly solid, could use a tad more body and oomph thickness but it is not over carbonated and doesn't take anything away from the palate. Loaded hops come with more sips and taste, a very faint citrus orange is just dying to get out with a little sweetness.

Pretty fun beer, and nice to have a hoppy Belgian for a change. Really enjoy this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 22:12:29 | More by smakawhat

homebrewhawk

Kansas

3.8/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

11.2oz. bottle served in a Duvel Tulip. Poured a slightly hazy gold with a couple of fingers of white head. Plenty of carbonation. Bottle conditioned. Citrus hop aroma with an earthiness that seemed a little off IMO. Sweet malt up front with a fair amount of hop bitterness for a Belgian beer. A little Belgian yeast profile. Fairly drying finish from the hops.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 19:58:31 | More by homebrewhawk

BMoldy

New York

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Cloudy light golden brew with a large creamy white head that sticks around for about 2-3 minutes. Good, structured lacing.

S: Peppery/herbal hops top a strong pale malt aroma. Phenols are rather high and more on the bubblegum side of things. Smells rather saison-like.

T: Ah, well I guess it's not called XX Bitter for nothing. A strong, palate-clenching bitterness smacks the tongue right away and hangs in there almost all the way through the finish. It's only towards the end that you realize that there's quite a lot of malt behind the bitterness. A pleasantly mild herbal flavor from either the yeast or hops (or probably a combo of both) pervades from beginning to end as well.

M: Medium bodied, but feels lighter (in a good way). Great active carbonation.

O: Kind of one-dimensional thanks to the bitterness, but still delicious and very drinkable... thanks to the bitterness. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 15:26:30 | More by BMoldy

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out as a hazy looking golden color with a fluffy white head on top. The head left behind some good lacing. The smell of the beer had lots of Belgian hop aromas to it. The taste of the beer was earthy and very bitter. The mouthfeel was smooth but dries out the mouth really quick. Overall this brew is pretty good, I like that they are attempting "the hoppiest beer in Belgium". I think that's pretty cool.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 19:43:52 | More by Knapp85

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a 2" white head. Body is a clear light lemon color, kind of pretty. Smell and taste both bring the hops in clean fruity, sweet, bitter expressions. The label claims this is "The Hoppiest Beer of Belgium". Yeah, it's hoppy, but I'm not sure their claim would stand up. In the US this would be a more mid-range IPA.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2011 08:33:42 | More by MoreThanWine

spicelab

Australia

4.18/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle thanks to Adam@Platinum Liquor. Long time favourite that I'm finally getting round to reviewing.

Gusher! Manage to salvage a pour of sorts. Hazy straw honey with a rocky, porous white head that leaves little mark as it falls.

Seriously yeasty, with a vegetative rawness verges into lambic territory. Grapefruit pith, white pepper, floral spice, cut grass and a touch of honey sweetness.

Truckloads of mouth puckering bitter citrus pith and rind, predominantly grapefruit and lemon. Behind this is plenty of horse blanket funk, floral hops, thyme, parlsey and radicchio.

Medium mouthfeel with a bit of carbonation prickle and a conspicuously tart, dry finish.

For a 6.2% beer this is a behemoth. An uncompromising bitter, tart and slightly funky brew that lies somewhere in between a Saison and a Lambic.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 08:10:27 | More by spicelab

ccm414

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(From notes)

Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a 4 oz sampling glass.

A- Pale in color, almost looks silver towards the edges. Nice head retention while leaving a good uniform lace around the glass.

S- Belgian yeast jumps right out in front, then BAM, gets hit by a car. It gives off an almost "raw" hop smell. It has some lighter fruit notes, I mainly got pear aromas.

T- Very dry and yeasty, not much like the smell at all. A bit bitter, but it doesn't overpower or linger very long. I was expecting a bit more bitterness to this one.

M- Light in body, a little creamy, but it seamed a bit over-carbonated.

D- A good beer, but not sure how often I would return to this one.

Cheers!
ccm414

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 20:05:56 | More by ccm414

wcintula

New York

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had a 330mL bottle at BXL. No freshness date notched on the label.

Poured into a Gouden Carolus goblet, the beer is a hazy honey color with a foamy white head. Nice hop aroma to it. The taste is hoppy as well, as the beer leans on the bitter side with a nice Belgian yeast flavor, while finishing dry. A good velvety feel to it, the carbonation assists the bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 22:54:17 | More by wcintula

Filosoof

Netherlands

4.15/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L: nice mountain of full foam; golden colour;
S: great, the smell of blossom-honey, citrus, a bit like Houblon Chouffe, alcohol;
T: lot of tartness and hoppiness, quite dry finish;
M: okay;
O: after the great looks and smells I hoped for a little bit more. I bit too hoppy for me. But can I blame the Ranke? The warning was XX-bitter!

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 21:25:29 | More by Filosoof

argock

Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 11.2oz brown bottle into a Duvel tulip. Best by May 2015 notched on bottom of label. Single purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA) for $4.25.

A: Pure gold with wispy white 1-finger head with good retention and several crooked bands of lace.

S: Bitter herbal hops with biscuity pale malt

T: Delicious biscuit maltiness off the top with a scathing bitterness throughout. The hops take on a grassy. herbal character overall. The beer brings a yeasty note with some earthy flavors that don't really come through in the aroma. It finishes slightly nutty with a bit of phenol and herbal.

M: Silky with average carbonation and a layered feel.

O: A really good beer that went down exceedingly quickly. I like the refined earthiness with nice herbal tones and a solid underlying bitterness on a biscuity malt foundation. I will be looking out for more of this without a doubt.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 02:42:27 | More by argock

evlu1441

Alberta (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is my first introduction to the hoppy Belgians or Belgian IPAs. I'm excited, as it should combine 2 of my favourite beer traditions.

It pours a hazy blonde colour with a centimeter of fluffy head on top and come nice lacing. It's pale compared to what I expected, but is similar to other Belgian pale ales.

The aroma is fantastic! Very spicy and fruity, with distinct apple and citrus aromas dominating. The hops lend a crisp spicy aspect too.

It's quite light on the mouth to start. The light fruitiness comes through very clearly to start with minimal maltiness. The hop aromas develop very clearly and lend a lot of grassy and aromatic qualities to the beer. The hop bite and bitterness comes through very clearly towards the finish. The carbonation is very fine, leading to a fairly smooth drink.

Overall, this is a style i could really get behind, but it lacks the intensity i was expecting. Perhaps I'm too used to American-style IIPAs. This one is quite easy to drink, while still having a very distinctive hop character and a fantastic aroma!

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 01:00:22 | More by evlu1441

FosterJM

California

3.25/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

756th Review on BA
Draft to snifter

@ Woodshop Classix

App- A lighter softer yellow with a little bubbly one finger head. A ring of bubbles around the edges as it fell. No cling, no legs.

Smell- A touch of bitter on the nose but much more lemony than expected. A little bit of dish soap as well.

Taste- Some of the nose follows the taste but not too much. Light, light bitter with some of that lemony flavors and a bit of yeast to me.

Mouth- Light bodied and a medium carbonation. A soapy bubbly lemon flavor remained.

Drink- It was a nice little beer to start the day, but the flavors just didnt work all that well for me.

Serving type: on-tap

08-29-2011 16:47:35 | More by FosterJM

BeerMaverick

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a 4 oz sampling glass at a beer tasting my friends and I had.

A - Large amount of frothy white head that resembles ice cream. This beer is extremely carbonated from bottle fermentation and there is plenty of lace to go around. The beer itself is a pale yellowish color with some burnt orange tones.

S - Very bitter esters with a funky musty aroma. Seems similar to a saison with respect to the farmhouse aromas. Belgian yeast is definitely there with some green apple, pear, and a peppery spiciness to tie everything together.

T - Slightly sweeter and more fruity than the aromas. Apples are more dominant, but the beer is still very bitter. Belgian spices and yeast are just as robust. This brew is lacking in malt character, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

M - Dry beer with a hoppy bitterness in the aftertaste. Light to medium-bodied with Belgian spices to give it a nice background.

O - In my opinion, this beer has the perfect amount of bitterness despite being named "XX Bitter". The bitterness is there, but it doesn't overpower any of the other unique facets such as the Belgian yeast strain, complex mix of spices (I won't even pretend that I know these), and overall funky saison-like character. According to my co-worker (who is friends with the Shelton Brothers), they both quit their jobs and starting importing Belgian beers after tasting De Ranke XX Bitter...thank you Sheltons!

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 17:24:16 | More by BeerMaverick

stevenstofen

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Notes from a beer tasting:

A - Pours a bright golden-yellow color. 2 finger head on top with lasting retention.

S - Belgian yeast are very prominent here. Also I get some floral hop aroma. Even some crab apple.

T - Fantastic! I was expecting it to be a bitter bomb because of the name - but it really is not that bitter! There was definitely more fruit in he nose than on the palate. Very pleasant.

MF - A very dry, light bodied brew. Definitely a good amount of carbonation and little to no alcohol burn.

O - I would absolutely have this beer again. It is the first I have had of the style and it sure wont be the last. Maybe I will stop practicing law and start importing beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 17:12:48 | More by stevenstofen

ggilman

Maine

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Ebenezer's Pub in Lovell, ME.

Hazy suspension, light honey yellow. Lemon color with tight white head. Very fruity yeasty nose. Musty, yet light and crisp. Apple-ish with an intense back of throat lingering bitterness. Herbal hops dominate. Light bodied with a very dry finish. Extreme bitterness lingers.

Haven't reviewed many Belgians, but this was a nice introduction to the style for an IPA drinker.

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2011 01:03:58 | More by ggilman

impending

California

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

La Trappe. Moderately hazy pale dull yellow, pure white dense head, ok lacing.

Hops dominate the light aroma, citrus and floral. Yeasty goodness lie beneath, minor light skinned fruits sit nearby.

The flavor too is of the hops but the bitterness while present is restrained. The strong hop flavor is earthy and floral. A peppery dry finish announces the trailing minor bitter aftertaste. Light bodied lively mouthfeel.

A belgian ipa more ipa than most.
cheers
jd

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2011 03:54:48 | More by impending

gfreed

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ah, the hoppy Belgian beer! How may ways do I love thee? You won't remove the enamel from my teeth; you won't make my hair fall out; you won't offend my wife; you won't send the cat scurrying into the basement. You are round and balanced; you have a yeasty aroma; you have a malty taste set back by a hoppy edge that knows its place.

An outstanding IPA mostly because of what it is *not*.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2011 12:02:38 | More by gfreed

Squelch

United Kingdom (England)

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

appearance: clear. slight head no lacing

smell: hops dominate. ever so slight malt aroma

taste: Again, hops dominate. Not good hops either. This IPA doesn't hold a candle to American IPA's. However, i give it a B for effort

Mouthfeel: Light and puckering.

Overall: See my notes on taste. If offered this vs an average american IPA, there's no question I'd choose an American IPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2011 21:26:07 | More by Squelch

metter98

New York

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is slightly hazy yellow in color and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation and a small amount of visible particles floating in suspension. It poured with a three finger high bright white head that has excellent retention properties and consistently left a finger high head covering the surface.
S: There are moderate aromas of yeast in the nose along with some notes of floral hops and spices. The spiciness particularly stands out in the finish.
T: Like the smell, flavors of peppery spices and yeast stand out in the overall taste, which has a moderate amount of bitterness.
M: It feels light- to medium bodied, clean and very dry on the palate with a high amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is very easy to drink for the style and the alcohol is well masked from the taste.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2011 17:29:46 | More by metter98