De Ranke Guldenberg - Brouwerij De Ranke

goodbyeohio

Oregon

3.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

on tap @ the moan and dove

sparkling dandelion wine coloration and very clear, not much carbonation and a swirl of bubbles on the surface. crazy thin lacing dominates the inside surface area of the guldenberg tulip. aroma is all candy. sweet malts and candi sugar paired with mild hops and summery fruit salad. some alcohol-soaked peach and an array of light berries. flavor cuts that sweetness with a substantial hop conflict (not surprising from de ranke) and a licorice-laden alcohol burn. complex but light body and drinkable. great belgian for a hot summer day. handles a chill like a champ too, doesn't lose much flavor in the 40's.

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2005 08:05:44 | More by goodbyeohio

axisjones

California

4.13/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a baby blue striped paper wrapped bottle.

A murky orange tinted gold with a massive foamy white head. Excellent lacing and clingy all the way down. From the bottle to the last drop, this is a beer that excels in presentation.

A light aroma for a Tripel. Lighty spicy and fruity, with a chill funk to it.

The taste is spicy with a phenolic character. There is a subtle fruitiness to it and some cloves as well. There is also a citric quality that is well balanced by the clean spicy hops. All elements are present, the yeast, malt and hops all interplay and lend unique characteristics. Overall the taste is subdued.

The drinkability is super high considering the abv. Super smooth, clean and well balanced are all characteristics of this beer. That 8.5 will sneak up on you.
A mighty fine beer and a Tripel that has its place among the others. The Tripel style is interesting in that while some beers rank much higher, different Tripels are appropriate for different situations. In this regard, this is a smooth, lighter Tripel that is highly quaffable with an excellent flavor.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2005 08:52:29 | More by axisjones

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

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

Bottle: Poured a dark cloudy orangy color ale with a huge head with perfect retention. Aroma is quite funky with the yeast signature readily noticeable. Carbonation is good and body is quite full. Taste is dominated by the yeast at the beginning and then some spices, which are hard to distinguish with a funky finish. Another fine funky gem from de Ranke.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2005 20:38:04 | More by Phyl21ca

trancefishy

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled April 2003, purchased December 2004, consumed March 2005. No paper wrapper on this 11.2oz, despite the picture. served at cellar temp of 54 F.

Pours out a nice light straw yellow, witha big fluffy head that takes off after not too long.

aroma is delicious smelling, lots of malts and spices wafting around. indulgent. i can't pick out much, but it's tasty.

taste is quite dry and bright hops. almost makes me wonder if this bottle has been skunked a bit, but, i'm not sure. this is an interesting tripel, as in, i wouldn't have thought it was a tripel, maybe some belgian strong pale ale or something... lots of spiciness, and the hops are the real player here. some dry hops, with a little malt to complement. vanilla makes an appearance here, along with some rosebuds. interesting aftertaste, makes me feel like i'm in the brewery, and it beckons you to rewet your taste buds with more of it.

mouthfeel is good and smooth, nice there. good drinkability, it's yummy.

i didn't start to like this beer till about halfway through. it went form "whoa, this is skunked and metallic" to "hm, i can get through this" to "hey, i think this is how it's supposed to taste, and, i think i like it". i just love the spices in this, so well done.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2005 00:57:42 | More by trancefishy

Billolick

New York

4.35/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

large bottle shared at the Blind tiger in NYC. Corked and caged. This classy Belgian pours a zesty apricot shade of amber, cloudy, world class tiny bubble film beneth classic lacing. Nose of strong juniper, must and alcohol . Lively, tasty, complex brew. many layers of taste, yeasty, nutty, fruity, citric,biting hops, all flowing together in a smooth fashion. Soft mouthfeel. This is a very fine brew somewhere in that crazy criss-crossing Belgian wittte-saison-strong pale ale-tripel continuim. Get some and dig into it.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2005 02:51:36 | More by Billolick

marburg

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Sip 1: A bit cold. Hey, this is a good beer.

Sip 7: Wow, not bad. I forgot how much I loved these DeRanke guys.

Sip 16: Holy shit, this is awesome beer.

Big, fluffy gold beer with an equally fat head. Peering through the green bottle, one is struck by the fact that the stickiness of the head extends even back into the bottle, where a layer of ivory foam bubbled atop the beer. Lots of sweet, lemony, spicy, phenolic tripel flavor. Bouncy and vibrant, there's a good amount of mild citrus to match the yeasty qualities. Rounded off by a nice, organic bitterness. Reasonably dry despite its creamy tripel-ness. Amazingly drinkable. I shared a bit with some other BAs, but I could have had a few of the 750s before passing out with a big grin on my face.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2005 05:16:52 | More by marburg

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer poured in the chalice a crystal clear golden with a light white head that lasted well to lace the chalice.

The aroma was fruity and spicy at first and then after the head died back deeply malty with light caramel and subtle pepper spice aromas. Slight alcohol aroma brings out the spicy phenols.

The flavor was slightly sour with an interesting bittering that was well done and a malt presence that only made the beer more interesting.

The finish was dry with lasting slight yet interesting sourness and bittering. The body was medium and well done. The alcohol only comes in the warming after consumption.

11.2 ounce bottle. A triple, I don't think so, more like a Belgian Pale Ale with a bit or sourness thrown in for complexity. The label had no distinct freshness dating but said date of bottling is 5 years before best before date shown and it almost appeared to have a notch at N and at 04, I wonder if I missed it by 2 months? A nice and interesting beer, but at $4 a bottle I will have to look for a fresher example to give the devil his due...

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2005 23:49:17 | More by GCBrewingCo

ngandhi

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Vintage June 2003.

The spicy, herbal hops are impressive as hell in this beer -- an archetype of Belgian brewing. The body is almost lush, considering the quaffable style, to the point where the weighty alcohol actually adds a creamy, peachy fullness to this beer that makes it seem sweet.

Unfortunately, that's really all this beer is is alcohol -- wafting up into the nose like a volatile cleaning agent and lingering smoky in the back of the mouth like (good) vodka. In fact, this might actually be quite good with a touch of lime (but I won't go that far). As it stands, there's too big of a clash here between the tight, crisp hops and the filling, sweet malt and alcohol.

Were it for a bit more malt support or a cleaner fermentation, this would be nothing short of classic. As it stands, however, the alcohol comes on too strong and selfishly knocks out almost everything good about this beer.

Relax, relax.
ng

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2004 01:06:10 | More by ngandhi

OldFrothingSlosh

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

There's nothing like a good-looking beer...and the Guldenberg really fits that mold. A bright and vibrant honey/gold/orange in color with a fizzy bright white head that just sits there, refusing to die off. Aromas are the requisite tripel with some bonus snappy hop notes. Flavor starts with all sorts of tripel flavors: yeasties, heavy malt sweetness, dark fruits, orange rinds. Finish sees a bit of warmth from the ABV and a sharper, hoppier/spicy finish. Lots of carbonation here. Another winner from De Ranke.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2004 23:00:38 | More by OldFrothingSlosh

twelvsies

Maine

4.55/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Very light color, but very thick in consistency, I can barely see my fingers on the other side of the glass. Very murky. Smell has lots of complex fruit and spice aromas as well as floral hop scent and buttery malt. Taste is nice a thick, apircot and other dried fruit flavors everywhere. Yeasty. Super super smooth and oily mouthfeel, fuller than it appears. Very easy beer to drink. A perfect example of the Belgian style.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2004 06:04:06 | More by twelvsies

waughbrew

Massachusetts

4.63/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pretty clear orangy gold with a small white head that is very creamy and sticky. Yeast chunks start to join the pour as you approach the last inch. Smell is dry roasted, lightly salted peanuts with great hop spiciness and slight swampy pungence. Flavor is a wave of changing flavors - toasty malt balanced by peppery hopping, apple and pear esters, hints of alcohol and white wine. Finish is drier than expected. Medium bodied. Yeast pour adds a sour citrusy twang and dirtiness to the finish.
This is more like a strong Belgian pale ale - too much malt presence and body to be a triple in my opinion, but whatever. The bottle describes it as an "abbey beer". I describe it as amazing. This brewery knows what the hell they are doing. So polished. So complex. Wow.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2004 02:43:30 | More by waughbrew

CharlesRiver

Connecticut

4.22/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The packaging of these beers are amazing, I love them. This one has a lable under the paper which I don't think the Kriek had. 750ml bottle capped and corked. Huge POP when I removed the cork.

Pours out almost honey colored with a small head that keeps building due to the stream of bubbles. The smell is sweet and bread like with hints of citrus. Crystal clear.

The first thing I notice about the taste is the full body. Sweet with citrus and caramel (?) coming through. Ending has a slight dryness coming through but not overpowering. I actually prefer the drier tripels that have more of a grassy finish. This is a very good beer. I especially love their Kriek.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2004 00:34:52 | More by CharlesRiver

BeerBuilder

Minnesota

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

Hazy copper-orange color with a thick white head that leaves good lacing. The aroma is yeasty, hebal, and peppery with a light malt background. The flavor is malty, spicy....peppery, with candi sugars and a light fruitiness. Alcohol is present in the flavor as well. It is full in body and warming with a drying finish. A decent Belgian brew, nice and warming.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2004 22:32:03 | More by BeerBuilder

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy brownish orange appearance, decent head that replenishes adequately but doesn't build much height. Laces very nicely. Aroma is fresh, candied cherry, orange slices in sugar, some alcoholic "cocktail" sense. Starts out well, balanced, bitters counter a doughy fruitcake flavor profile. Mouthfeel is medium, carbonation follows suit. Ends a little less satisfying, a little plastic and phenolic with a slightly seltzery diminished quality. Some bit of alcoholic warmth and prunes to the aftertaste and a little less dry than I expect in a Tripel's finish. Stands pretty well on its own merits, with a good start to the flavor impression.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2004 15:50:27 | More by ADR

Rastacouere

Quebec (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle at spuyten duyvil. This was immediately my first pick after seeing to my great sadness that they were out of BBB Babillard. Gentle light amber, small foamy white cover. Great enticing aroma, very flowery and spicy (rose petals, bubble gum, hay, grass, lemon, mango, sage, pepper). Saison-like (more in fact) refreshing citric acidity and bitterness. Citrusy hops, honey ish tender malt, absolutely rocking flavor balance. Incredibly soft body with studied throughout carbonation. Tasty art in a bottle. Okay, I’m a big fan of XX bitter and their kriek, so I love De Ranke and had high expectations from this one, but it is even better. De Ranke can do no wrong.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2004 21:47:03 | More by Rastacouere

crookedhalo

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

75 cl wrapped cork and capped bottle. Pours a clouded golden amber with a thick, rocky off-white head. Delicate hops collide with a saison-like spicy yeast funk and bready, caramel-like malt in the nose. Kind of an odd tripel; remarkable, though. Nice spicy, hoppy character throughout with a malty backbone and a fruity yeast character. Very well carbonated and drinkable. I'm in love with De Ranke's line of beers, I've tried each of them a couple of times, and each time I gain a higher appreciation for them. Worth doing the legwork to find.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2004 14:39:36 | More by crookedhalo

bultrey

New York

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I love this beer... I had it a few weeks ago from the bottle at Anam Cara in Boston, and I had it just last night on draft at Spuyten Duyvil in Brooklyn. It is one of the few Belgian beers I've had that tastes nearly the same in the bottle as on draft.
I was surprised to see this classified as a triple... it has more of a saison taste to me, and I seriously did not notice 8% alcohol. The aroma provides some white fruit -- maybe apple and pair -- mixed with some slight, but pleasant, skunkiness. The first sip is slightly mouth-puckering, like a lambic or saison, but is quickly joined by ginger, pear, citrus, all with a bit of astringency. The aftertaste reveals some faint malt characteristic that fades quickly to that same pleasant skunkiness and hops flavor. Mouthfeel is fantastic, as the carbonation is light, consistent, and pleasant. I could drink this aaalll night....

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2004 02:06:17 | More by bultrey

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.15/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Musty cork aromas waft from my glass as I pour this beer, it reminds me of a moist cellar. The beer is a hazy orange-gold color and it topped by a light tan head. The carbonation is moderate, neither over the top, nor anemic in quantity. As I stick my schnozz into my glass I get some notes of funky farmhouse cheese, as well as a hint of fruity pear aromas. Quite soft, tastes a bit like a Tripel. Some nice soft fruitiness, with pear being the most apparent. Quite a bit cleaner than I was expecting, I was hoping for a bit more complexity out of this brew. As it warms up a bit the fruitiness starts to come to the fore, along with the pear I also get notes of apple. Some slight spiciness is in the fore front of this beer as well; cinnamon, ginger, and clove, and a rather solid vanilla note in the finish. This beer is fairly light, and as it warms up the complexity that I was looking for starts to show up. I am really enjoying this beer right now, though it really needs to be warmed up to maximize its enjoyability.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2004 17:50:33 | More by Gueuzedude

jdhilt

New Hampshire

4.22/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a white, two finger-head that goes slowly leaving some lace, pour slowly. Some yeast left in bottle. Cloudy pale, amber color. Very good carbonation. Medium bodied. Nose is fruity and spicey. Starts smooth and sweet, finishes mellow, the high ABV is not noticeable. Mislabeled - 330ml and 8.5% Abv on label actually the paper wrap has 8.0% ABV and $8.80 for a 750ml bottle from Colonial Spirits, Acton, Ma.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2004 22:48:07 | More by jdhilt

Bourre

France

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Big bubbles fade quickly (with a nice noise) on a slightly hazy pale orange color body. The smell is very grassy, wildly grassy and flowery. Also some strawberries. The grassy hoppiness invades the mouth and leave a thick chewy aftertaste. A very grapefruit like aspect appears, together with a quick caramel note. The mouthfeel is light but very hoppy; not too much going on apart from the hops. THe level of cabonation was enjoyable. I'm starting to enjoy these Belgian hoppy beers.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2004 23:06:48 | More by Bourre

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Small brown 11.2oz brown bottle. Generous Best Before date of Sept. 08.
It pours a foggy caramel amber with a medium-sized off-white head and a few wisps of lace.
A healthy barn-like smell blends with an aroma of dried malt and hint of alcohol.
The body, while substantial, is lighter than I expected. A dried malt and cut dry hay taste is noticeable a lightly sweetened caramel taste is in the background.
A sharp, edgy tart bitterness and lemon sourness are seasoned with a peppery spice. A slight phenol piney taste lingers in the background, while a mild vodka-like alcohol fuminess adds a bit of warmth. This brew improves throughout.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2004 02:46:42 | More by BeerResearcher

taez555

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this beer on tap at Anam Cara 4/20/04

It poured a translucent yellow/orange body with a huge thick foamy white head.

The nose was a very mellowed phenols, wheat and malt. A lovely tropical fruitiness really comes out.

The taste was medium bodied and very smooth. Wheat, malt, phenols, slight farmhouse touch, with an overall bitterness. Very mild earthy hop taste compliments the farmy, phenol flavors. What really seems to dominate the taste though is this subtle fruit tone. Not your typical apple or pears in a triple. It actually borders more on a tart lambic, but still is so far in the background you’d never mistake it for one. It finishes clean with a soft lingering bitterness.

Simple another great beer from de ranke. I’m not as crazy about this one as the XX bitter. But de ranke just has this classic belgian flavor with some other added touches that really make their beers something unique. Great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

04-22-2004 07:12:12 | More by taez555

moulefrite

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nearly day-glo orange in color the beer pours out of the very attractive package and the emphasis is immediately driven from the good but not overwhelming appearance, to the aromas. Hoppy yes, but extremely fruit driven-loads of juicy peach apricot, and some tangy mandarin orange comes to mind. The mouthfeel is thick and round yet the zippy hop nature keeps things in check, producing a very well made, complex, deep and quite drinkable triple. I find this a bit more in the strong pale ale vein, yet as I drink it its mildly sweet fruitiness takes a sure lead role,, and I can identify with the triple-esc-ness. I love what comes out of this brewery, and will continue to spread the good word, and continue to buy these brews! Thanks Again Shelton!

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2004 02:41:49 | More by moulefrite

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.33/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

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

It arrives in 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 Guldenberg wrapper has equally spaced light blue and white vertical stripes with the word Guldenberg in dark blue above a small picture. Corked. Unfiltered & Unpasteurized.

Appearance: A lovely bright amber color that turned to a hazy brown as the 750ml was shared around the Table and the yeast made its way out of the bottle into the last glass or two. A crusty, rocky head, off-white, looks like you would need Crampons to climb it. Nice appearance and classic Belgium looks when poured into a Goblet.

Nose: Not exactly the aromas that you would expect from a Tripel. Moreover, they are more fruity than usual, not exactly complex, but more akin to a bowl of fresh fruits – merged odors. Definitely some furry skinned stone-fruits, I remember Apricots & Peaches. Hops & Malts are there also, maybe biased towards the former. A rather subdued nose, strength-wise, but very inviting.

Taste: This is a really a very good beer. Malty beginnings, with a rather hoppy finish. The middle is fruity, a smooth peach presence, and some lights spices come through also. Some yeast adds smoothness and a bready aspect to the beer. A nice dry, hop-bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: The 8.5% gives the beer plenty of body. Carbonation lends itself to a spritzy feel on the tongue at times.

Drinkability: For an 8.5% Tripel, this was extraordinarily easy to drink. In fact I began to wonder what made this so damn quaffable. Maybe the hops towards the end perhaps, the spicy fruity middle, or just the fact that it is so well-balanced with plenty of character. Dangerously drinkable.

Overall: A lightly spiced, astringent, well-balanced Tripel, which exudes quality. Another excellent offering from De Ranke. Note: I believe that De Ranke beer is now being imported by Shelton Brothers.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2003 20:25:02 | More by TheLongBeachBum

Jon

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Deep, honeyed amber. White head leaves trails of lace behind. Decent head retention. Peach, apricot, yeast, floral hops are all evident in the inviting nose. Taste is features an array of flavors including honey, peach, and yeast accenuated by an earthy, bitter hop finish. Some sweetness is present and the alcohol is extremely well-hidden. Smooth, elegant mouthfeel. Carbonation is done nearly perfectly. Wonderful Belgian tripel. Though quite hoppy, the interplay of flavors makes this beer highly drinkable and certainly a favorite. Awesome stuff.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2003 04:06:06 | More by Jon