Saison De Dottignies
Brouwerij Brasserie De Ranke

Copenhagen 21/5 2018. 33 cl bottle from Den Belgiske Ølbutik, Jyllingevej, Vanløse. Strange lithography of a Church looking like it's made of milk gone Bad on the label.

Pours murky, dark amber with a big fluffy white head. Settles as a thin frothy layer of foam crawling of the side of the glass. Substantial lacing.

Aroma is intense and citric. Light caramel and fruity sweetness, stronger citrus sourness giving an acerbic touch.

Light carbonation and slightly thick, creamy and soft texture.

Flavor is medium sweet followed by slightly stronger sour bitterness. Aftertaste is medium bitter. Lingering.

Pleasant and well made Belgian Saison.

 

"Expires 5/22/27"; drank 12/13/25 @ the Yarchives.

Nearly opaque dull orange rust appearance.

An even pour yielded a nice, noisy white head; minimal lacing remained.

White bread & dry pine notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Bitter, dry flavor.

This was one note & punishing. Not one I'll return to.

Brouwerij Brasserie De Ranke "Saison De Dottignies"
33 cl brown glass bottle coded "2168 T09 FEB25 EXP: 06/02/2027".
Sampled on 27 November 2025
€6 @ L'Artigianale Beer Shop, Verona, IT

Notes via stream of conscience: It's poured a hazy golden/amber body beneath a huge head of fluffy white foam. The aroma is malty, bready, peppery-spicy, and herbal. There's a note that's similar to a tomato leaf which is unusual. On to the taste - everything found in the aroma remains. It's bready with a rustic edge, spicy, somewhat floral, herbal, grassy, a bit mineralish, and fruity without displaying any specific fruits. A stiff bitterness balances it and leaves it dry and, you guessed it, peppery-spicy and herbal/grassy in the finish. In the mouth it's medium-light in body and gently bristling with a fine-bubbled, slightly elevated carbonation. This is a beer that you sit down with while having a good conversation rather than a beer that you knock back while hanging with a group of friends.
Review #9,364

 

RB transfer

 

 

Pours an amber color with a nice head and lacing
Aroma has generous tart lemongrass hints
Taste has a well balanced slightly tart lemongrass flavor
A light bodied well carbonated beer
A great Saison

Draft at Novare Res

Cloudy, burnt orange/amber color. Huge initial head. It does settle completely and leaves a few spots on the glass.

I'm picking up the smells of pale malt, The hop is like white pepper. A very mild aroma for a Saison.

Complex taste featuring a straight up bittering hop, mild alcohol, and a pale malt base that shows up late on the tongue. Netral body and lower than average carbonation. The finish is bitter leaving a longer aftertaste. What I don't get are the typical barnyard flavors from most Saisons, which makes this a very easy to drink beer for the style.

If you like dry, hoppy saisons, you'll like this. (I'm not that way as I drink saisons almost exclusively with food and Dottignies will compete too much with the dish and possibly distort what the chef intended.)

Dottignies Looks barely above average, an active foam barely lasts more than a few minutes. What its yeast does is help complex the Smells, which are herby and spicy; but they also push the sweet malt into the background. Tastes start good enough, even balanced; but that fades by mid-palate and the hops and herbs take over and they make a very dry finish. Medium-mouthed, but my tongue becomes almost gritty.

I've now had seven from De Ranke. I like to try their brews, but I've only repeated two of their brews and this saison is not likely to be the third.

 

 

 

 

Purchased from Carwyn Cellars in Melbourne, Australia in November 2021. For various reasons not drunk until October 2022.

L: Hazy, dark, golden yellow. carbonation is evident if I look really closely.

S. Farmyard funkiness. Dust. Muddy grass. Ripe hay. Exactly as I thought it would smell!

T: Sweet, vinous, peppery and spicey. Finishes dry as a desert. Outstanding.

M: Moderate carbonic prickle. Pepperyness lingers on the side and back of the tongue.

O: An excellent Saison. This is a style I'm not overly fond of, but this beer has gone a long way to changing my mind. Well done!

Cheers!

 

(330 ml bottle, no date/code; purchased single off shelf at Bella Vista... poured into a fat tulip)

L: polished-clear, mid-deep amber liquid; tall, frothy, dense foam pad... keeps a steady cap, laces a bit

S: toasty caramel malt, slightly burnt caramel (a la creme brulee)... booming intensity and expression... more on the biere de garde side of character? (i.e. Jenlain)

T: caramel toastiness present, but taking an immediate back seat to a warm spiciness; dry aftertaste with a subtle apple-saucey, champagne-like fruity accent... dang if this don't have a (Old E) malt liquor flavor foundation to it; its taste, bolstered by some ripping phenols and apple brandy-like alcohol, arrests the palate, nestling into every crevice... eventually reinforces its one-dimensionality, but its lingering spice is appealing, despite a delicate acetone edge to it

F: slight hint of viscosity and roundness enveloping its rather light-bodied frame; dry, but with a residual lip-smacky film... its heat and stunning spice are actually rather enjoyable and give it most of its personality

O: atypical of most characteristic saisons that make it over here... has some notable nuances, could maybe be a fine pairing for some mussels or other buttery shellfish, but is in this state altogether basic and relatively bland, lacking depth outside its signature spiciness (1911)