De Ranke XX Bitter
Brouwerij Brasserie De Ranke

 

 

I “inherited” this from someone else’s cellar; my guess is that the bottle is 14 years old;

A: hazy; deep gold in color; a 2 finger finely pored ivory head that receded to a wispy cap with a moderate tight collar; very little lacing;

S: not especially aromatic; what’s there is earthy;

T: earthy and grassy from start to finish; moderate bitterness at the end that increases to high in the aftertaste; the bitterness is long lasting;

M: medium bodied; highly carbonated; moderately dry finish - the bitterness gives the impression of even more dryness;

O: I’m guessing that the age of the bottle had a negative impact on the hop character; I was surprised that the bitterness held up this well;

From a single bottle into a tulip, pours a dense, thick but not exactly hazy caramel-amber, with a finger of pill white tight little bubbles that recede fast to just a crown. I love the color. Nose is bready pilsner malt, medicinal/herbal hops with just a little spice, as well as some citrus, but not the bright kind...also a little funky yeast. Everything in the nose gets really dialed up in taste. In some American attempts (which are too rare) at a Belgian PA or IPA, I sometimes get this herbal but aggressively bitter profile, and I kind of like it, and here its very much present but done better. underneath the bitterness, which kicks in in a very focused way 2/3 of the way through, there's a kind of oily and soft mouthful and full body. Carbonation is low to middling. I like this a lot.

 

 

Copenhagen 29/9 2019. 33 cl bottle from Voldby Købmandsgaard. Pretty stylized label centered on the two big X'es and some Hop flowers.

Pours unclear, golden yellow with a big foamy, white head. Settles as 0,3 cm thick layer of foam covering the surface of the beer and crawling up the sides of the glass. Massive lacing.

Aroma is intense, fruity sweet, metallic and with a dry hoppy intensity. Fermented sweetish fruity odor, metallic alcohol and light notes of Citrus and Grape fruit.

Light carbonation. Medium thick, smooth, soft, kind of flat texture.

Flavor is lightly sweet followed by a strong, harsh bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter with a citric tang. Finish is dry.

A quite bitter and dry brew. But it certainly lives up to its name.

 

RB transfer

 

 

 

Bottle 0.33L.
Hazy, golden body with average, creamy, white head, mostly lasting with nice lacing; average density of tiny bubbles.
Heavy hoppy (citrus, grass, flowers), moderate malty (bread) and yeasty (cheese) aroma.
Moderate-to-heavy bitter and moderate sweet flavour; average duration.
Medium body with oily texture; soft carbonation.
Satisfactory.

Hazy yellow color , medium white head. The aroma of malt, citrus fruits, yeast, and a bit of honey. Bitter, hoppy taste with a strong hoppy bitterness in after the finish.

De Ranke XX Bitter at 50 F decanted into a glass, avoiding the yeast. Good pale ale with touch of Belgian character. Body is golden with modest heft. Hops are dominant, with assertive bitterness and background flavor. The bitter aftertaste is inviting. Good beer all around. Thanks to son for the gift.

Cloudy gold with a huge, suddsy head. Smells of clove, cooked sugar, sweet malt, maybe banana. The taste is (of course) quite bitter, but retains a distinctly Belgian flavour, not unlike a dubbel or triple (sweet molasses, cloves, toasted cereal). Very dry finish.

 

 

Poured from a 33 CL bottle dated 6/24/2022 into a shaker pint glass.
L - Pours a cloudy orange color with an incredibly frothy head.
S - Smells floral with some spiciness.
T - Has the taste of a Belgian beer, with the addition of citrus with some bitterness.
F - Medium body and carbonation.
O - Really tasty Belgian IPA.