De Ranke Guldenberg - Brouwerij De Ranke

Bierman9

New Hampshire

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

Had forgotten I tried this years ago. Had a 0.33l bottle at Cafe Take One in Maastricht on 26SEP11, for €4.00.

Poured a cloudy, muted golden, with a creamy, short, fine white head which left nice lace. Aroma was fruity yet also hoppy and a touch rindy. Medium in body, and pretty smooth, overall.

Flavor has tropical fruit and some pithy, rindy hopping, being a touch bitter and dry in the finish. Seems, now anyway, more like a Belgian IPA than a Tripel. Regardless, a tasty offering. Prosit!!

4.03 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

*** *** ***

Original review of 08APR03:
This bier came in a plain, green 25.4 oz bottle, with no label. It was wrapped in a striped, light blue and white paper, with the name, brewer and assorted other info printed upon it. The label says "Belgian Abbey Beer" and lists it as being 8.0% abv. Best by date was June 2005. Topped with a bottle cap, and a hard-to-remove cork.

It poured into a goblet a hazy, glowing golden-orange color. Sitting atop the golden nectar was a whipped-cream like mound of white foam. It didn't last all too long in its large state, preferring to maintain a thin, creamy, fine layer. Lacing was exemplary!

The nose consisted of a melange of fruits, most noticably a peachy character. Beneath this was a slight spicy and peppery aroma.

Mouthfeel, in general, was about medium, or "good" in BA parlance. Body was medium at a minimum, yet could not quite push beyond that. A slight bit of carbonation made for a touch of prickliness on the tongue, yet overall it passed fairly smoothly down the hatch.

The flavor exhibited the same peachy quality found in the aroma. Other tropical-style fruits meld into the mix as well. As far as malt goes, there is a pinch of breadiness present, though not much. The fruit is the main player on this stage. As the contents of the bottle diminish, the resulting pour into the goblet turns the liquid a murky, dull, light bronze color. The yeasties have arrived!! This gives an ever-so-slight spiciness to the flavor, though the fruitiness still reigns supreme.

All-in-all, a fine offering. I would like perhaps a bit more spiciness and less fruitiness, but let's not quibble here. This is a tasty offering, one I'd not hesitate to have again! Zum Wohl!!

overall: 4.15
appearance: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | mouthfeel: 4 | drinkability: 4.5

529

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2003 14:57:24 | More by Bierman9

stcules

Italy

4.3/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A beautiful gold-yellow colour, with oranged reflexes. The smell is floreal and fruity, with some apricot, green apple, pear. At the taste you can feel the honey (sharp even in the flavour), with a good bitter. The bitter and the sweet (of honey and even pear) are very good balanced. The aftertatse is bitter with a good persistance. The body is medium - light.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2003 09:27:23 | More by stcules

Gusler

Arizona

4.15/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Oh yea baby this beer has more stuff floating around in it than the Salt River at flood stage? Not sure that’s a great description, but I personally like beers with a lot of dross. After its departure from the bottle it sets in the glass an amphibological yellowish-orange color, the head portly in size, frothy in texture and the resultant lace a nice covering of the glass. Yeast, sweet malt, hints of orange peel, and a real treat to the senses with a start that is ambrosial and loaded with malt, top is moderate in its feel to the palate. Finish has a desirous hop spicy bite, the acidity is spiteful and the aftertaste quite dry and lasts for a least a lustrum, and well worth a sample for the Belgiephiles in the audience.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2003 17:01:14 | More by Gusler

Jason

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Had this at The Moan & Dove (Amherst, MA) and served in the appropriate glass.

Dense rocky white head, lots of cling action. A touch hazed with a dull yellow golden hue. Real mellow aroma, lots of delicate honey-like malt and faint phenols as well as dried tropical fruit way in the back.

The smoothness is unsurpassed, such a rich mouth feel and delicately complex malty palate. Light on the hops, phenols and even the yeast is not too expressive as it melds with the long drawn-out maltiness. Alcoholic subtleties show only in a growing warmth, light fruitiness and a faint spicy bite in the end. A touch of residual sweetness in the finish.

So damn deceiving, flavours are mellow but run the range of a quality Belgian with out being flamboyant. Quite remarkable.

Serving type: on-tap

03-26-2003 12:54:33 | More by Jason

kunzbrew

Massachusetts

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

This brew pours a hazy wheat color with a monster head and tons of carbonation. The yeast floats all over the glass as the carbonation rises to the top. The light malty smell is arousing along with the hops makes this a very nice brew. For 2.99 a bottle that is not half bad either. The beer finishes strong with after taste that is bad. The lace on the side of the glass is very sexy as I drink this stellar brew.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2003 14:46:56 | More by kunzbrew

marc77

California

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

Formidably thick, creamy white head covers an effervescent golden hued brew w/ good clarity when decanted off the sediment. Fruity sweetness dominates the aroma w/ notes of ripe pear, juicy grape and mild citrus rind. Notes of yeast mustiness, bready malt and light clove are secondary. The flavor profile presents a similar fruitiness of the aroma, albeit in an unripe fashion. Unripe citrus fruit tartness initially is ceded by dry, sugared grape skin tannic sweetness and pleasantly mellow clove phenol. Light sweetness briefly resurfaces mid palate and takes on a fresh, raw honey character only to be offset by mild hop bitterness and mild green apple acetaldehyde. Moderately bodied for style, w/ a spritzy, lively mouthfeel that faciliates a deceiving lightness to this brew. When the yeast sediment is poured, a subtle nuttiness adds additional complexity. Finishes dry, crisp, lightly tart with quickly fading must. Guldenburg, although a touch understated in spicy profile for a Saison, possesses a myriad of flavors and is very complex, nonetheless. Superlative drinkability due to its facade of refreshing crispness. Delicious. Bottled 6 / 2000

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2002 18:06:16 | More by marc77