De Ranke H.O.P. Flower Power
Brouwerij Brasserie De Ranke

 

 

 

 

Sample: 1 bottle 2009

A: Copper-orange in color, pours a medium white head that evolves into heavy lacing, strong internal carbonation, cloudy throughout

S: Moderately fragrant, elements of citrus, pine, yeast, and dried fruits, touch of alcohol, a bit tropical

T: Strong flavor, heavy citrus and tangy fruits, mild herbal elements as well, perfect balance, just the right amount of bitterness

M: Quite smooth and drinkable, mild citrus aftertaste, not lingering or overpowering on the palate, no alcohol presence

O: A smooth and complex experience, aging seems to have rounded out the flavor, certainly worth a try, a unique take on the style

 

A- Beautiful beer, thick haze, you can't see anything through it but light. Golden with some rich orange peel hues. Thick foam head that dissipates into a layer that hangs on.

S- Nice farmy aroma. Like hay bales, horses and the stuff that comes with it. Some floral stuff going on here too. Even some hops here in the background.

T- I am pleasantly surprised. Very citrusy, a lot of clementine with a little tart to keep it from being overly sweet. Dirt, grass and then a little hops that finish with the marmalade making it very balanced.

M- I wish it were a bit more carbonated, but the mouthfeel isn't bad. Even a little tongue burn from a Saison makes me happy.

O- Just kind of an experimental purchase, a lot of beers out there I would rather buy for 15$ but I am glad I tried it. Really tasty.

This beer poured out as a murky looking golden color with a white fluffy head on top. The smell of the beer was hoppy and earthy, there wasn't too much of a liveliness on the nose here. The taste of the beer was an interesting blend of Belgian IPA with Saison. The flavors were moderately funky, with some earthy hops or cover it up. The mouthfeel was pretty light, plenty of carbonation to it. Overall this beer wasn't too bad but I didn't really get into it too much, Not sure if I'd revisit it or not.

 

 

 

 

Last day of NFL regular season and I am stoked for the playoffs...This ale pours a cloudy, spritzy amber with straw-colored highlights. A nice, soapy head builds slowly and persists, leaving excellent lacing. Lots of sediment in this ale, but that's typical for a farmhouse ale. Very interesting nose on this: Lots of citrus, a nice Belgian yeast quality just behind the fruit, and a curious, spicy undertone - like a cinnamon, but way in the back. Unique. I also get a floral note - like lavendar. Very cool and unique. Flavor is a huge lemonade burst, delicious actually. I'm not a huge fan of citrusy ales, but this is fantastic. 6% ABV so very sessionable, but at $14.49/750ml bottle it's super expensive. Flavor evolves into a spicy character, given a certain effervescence by the carbonation. I once described a beer as "dsning on your tongue like sunshine". This beer is exactly the same way - it feel like Springtime sun dancing on your tongue. There is a nice hop finish to this which is atypical for the style. Nice, long and dry with a bunch of excellent hop bitterness. This is easily the best Farmhouse ale I've had and is an elite ale. Even at the high price point, this is so good it's tough to find fault.

What I like most: The unique, delicious and highly drinkable Springtime sunshine flavor profile.

What I like least: the super-high price.

Verdict: One of the World's finest ales, must find even at the high price-point. Absolutely wonderful.

2009 Hop Harvest, September 2009 bottling date, best by 04/09/2015; Sampled July 2010 at Chez Moeder Lambic Fontainas
The beer pours with a lightly hazed, amber tinged, gold body that is topped by a dense, creamy, one-finger thick head that leaves a fair amount of lacing on the sides of my glass. The beer smells herbal and fruity in the nose with the hop character contributing notes of Meyer lemon, orange zest and a grassy / pine like note. There are some grain derived notes of crackers, freshly threshed wheat as well as freshly crushed pale malt notes that adds a subtle touch underneath the more dominant hop character.

The beer has a spritzy carbonation and is off dry, which makes for a quaffable brew. The texture makes this nice and quaffable, though it is not so light that it isn't able to accentuate the hop focus; put another way the body is not so light that it accentuates a harsh hop character. There is a nice, big, herbal bitterness that cuts through each sip from beginning to end. Herbal orange oil flavors, light lychee notes and some grapefruit flavors make for a very aromatic and hoppy flavored brew.

This has a really nice mix of hop character that is backed by supporting malt. It is not actually nearly as hopped up as an over-the-top American IPA; while the hops are dominant, the malt is quite clean and present. I have some question on the yeast strain used in this brew; a cleanly fermenting yeast strain was likely note used as there is a spiciness and character here that seems yeast derived, it plays such a supporting role to the hops though that one hardly notices. Actually it is the musty, faintly medicinal and hint of spicy phenolics that defines the yeast character and makes this beer so nice. It is interesting, if true, that this is a mix of Saaz and fresh, dry hopped Hallertau hops; I would never have guessed how citrusy and bitter they could make a beer. This is certainly one fantastic beer in the end and is a nice finish to my journey in Belgium.

Bottle shared by drabmuh. Thanks Matt!

A: Hazy orange appearance with an inch of white head that coats the glass with sticky lacing.

S: Yeast, spices, hops, grass.

T: Pretty decent taste, but not in the upper echelon of the style. The hop character is nice, with some pleasant yeastiness. Regardless of the category of beer in which this is placed, it tastes much more like a Belgian IPA than a saison.

M: Very dry in the finish. Carbonation level was adequate.

D: Overall, pretty good. Worth a try, but not something I would seek it out.

Bottle shared by drabmuh.

Pours a light apricot color with a white head and quite a bit of lacing. The nose is quite grassy with some earthy hops. Everything is fairly faint. The taste is more flavorful and potent with good earthy hops and a bit of grass and flowers. The feel is fairly bitter with a nice dry finish. Drinks fairly well, but isn't quite as good as the XX Bitter, in my opinion.

Beer is yellow and straw-like with a thin soft white head of small bubbles that leaves some lacing on the glass. Carbonation is moderate. Looks good.

Aroma is grassy and earthy, nice hop presence.

Beer is light in body and finishes a little dry. It's chewy and earthy in the midpalate. The forward is pilsen malt and some yeast character comes through with some nice sweet esters. I like it, its a little like an IPA.

Poured into a tulip from a 750ml bottle.

A - Pours a hazy and slightly nutted golden color with some orange hues. There is a slight .5 inch head that is nice and dense and is white with some slight off-white hues.

S - Aroma starts of with some nice hoppy flower character that isn't too intense but noticeable. There is some slight spice and just a bit of funk but not as much as expected or desired from a Saision.

T - Now in terms of flavor the funk is a bit more present. There is definitely a hoppy Belgian IPA like quality to this beer. there is also a nice malt flavor and backbone that is reminiscent of some ESBs. There are some slight light fruit hints in the beer as well especially from the malt component like some apple. As the beer continues to warm the nice flowery hops are able to expand and even though they are not too extreme add a nice citrus dimension to this Saison.

M - Mouthfeel is nice and complex with some good chalky yeast and good crisp flavors.

D - Drinkability is high for this beer especially with the lower ABV but its not the best saison in terms of flavor by far.

Hahahaha, love the irony here. If this is a saison, it doesn't work all that well to me. If it's a very hoppy amber/IPA, it works great! Anyway, I really like it. Poured with a lovely, cream colored, foamy, frothy, thick head and some lace. Color is a very slightly hazy, medium amber. Aroma is huge Belgian yeast, then malt, hop, a bit of caramel and a tiny bit of skunk. Flavor is like nose, but skunk disappears; caramel, malt and is quite bitter and dry with only enough sweetness to compliment the whole. Body is soft and mouth filling with just right carbonation. Finish is like flavor and slowly tapers to the slight residual maltiness dominated by the hop bitterness. Alcohol does become apparent after a while. Good for slow sessions.

Poured from a capped 750ml bottle into my De Dolle large snifter glass. Pours a pale, hazy copper to orangish color. A very nice size white frothy head rises with semi-decent retention. Lacing is very light and quick sliding. Appearance is hazy.

Aroma is mouth watering! Crisp, hoppy, fruity... Strong Belgian yeasts throughout.

Flavor is not as good as I was anticipating...but not bad. A bit hoppy for a saison, in my oppionion. Mild crisp and light fruit. Belgian yeast and high carbonation. Light mouthfeel. Not my favorite Saison, but a very nice beer and definitely worth trying.