De Ranke Hop Harvest 2010
Brouwerij Brasserie De Ranke

 

 

This one’s not retired…yet. 2012 Release.

Hop Harvest pours a very hazy yellow color. The haze is rather thick. A few yeasty particles are noted swimming about. Backlighting gives it a slightly orange tint. A white head covers the top and rises to over two fingers in height. It’s slow to recede, living a thick, sticky web of lace clinging to the glass.

The nose is pretty good. It smells like a mix of Belgian yeast and noble hops. There are some light malty notes that anchor it down. Smells a little sweet. There are some interesting orange peel and coriander scents. Wasn’t expecting that. The hops are very strong and have a grassy scent that tends to dominate each whiff. Not bad at all, but a little one dimensional. Alcohol isn’t much of a factor. At 6%, that’s about right. Smells alright.

The flavor is okay. It’s not quite as good as I’d hoped. It is a little sweet up front. The malt base is a little sugary. Orange peel and coriander flavors are a little stronger than expected. They’re not bad. Just an interesting addition. Belgian yeast is noted. It has a nice flavor, but isn’t as strong as I’d like. Grassy hops are very, very strong. Definitely a noble variety. The grassy taste completely takes over the flavor. It’s not bad, it’s just a little too narrow in its execution. More breadth in flavor would go a long way. Alcohol isn’t very strong. Finishes grassy and very, very dry.

Hop Harvest has a body that’s on the lighter side of medium. It feels a bit thin for what it is. I guess it goes down alright, but the feel is pretty average.

I had rather high hopes for De Ranke’s Hop Harvest. It’s just okay. Not nearly as good as I’d hoped. The hoppy side is just a little too strong. The orange peel and coriander flavors are also slightly at odds with the hops. That becomes more apparent as it goes down. It’s alright. Worth a try.

 

A bottle into a glass.

De Ranke Hop Harvest 2010 pours out a beautiful light orange color that has some yellow shine to it. A minimal amount of loose white bubbles grace the top leaving a short skim and no stick. At this point the hop cent is dwindled only leaving an earthy cent with the underlining Belgian yeast imparting a spicy scent in there. Pale malt is pretty pungent and up there. Taste is pleasant, at this point it comes off like a light saison as the hops are not at the front. Some belgian yeast with a spicy appeal. some apple and pear. The pale malt finishes the flavor, with a dryness. Feel is less than medium with very light carbonation. A grassy aftertaste. Just a hint of the 8% which I thought would come out more. I could have drank a lot more of this. I wonder why I am seeing so much of this stuff in Philly recently, it seems like an old beer to send out in 2012.

 

 

 

 

Thanks to bu11zeye for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is quite strange. I get a lot of farmhouse and yeast character, as well as some light funk and some apple cider-like qualities. The flavor is also reminiscent of a cider, with some funk and brett-like notes. There is also a strong biscuit malt component and the beer is very dry. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A weird beer. Not too IPA like, but not bad overall.

Pours out a really clear yellow straw color with lots and lots of white small foamy suds. Lacing all over this tulip.
Smell is very belgian with lots of honey and corriander and very floral hops. Some alcohol in the nose but that might be the hops burning.
Taste is very good. Sweet lemon rind followed by a dark dirty blackness that hangs on for a while before dissapating to the alcohol in the back of the throat.
Mouthfeel is clean for the most part then at the end of the taste you get some stickniness with the afterburn. Not strong but noticable.
Overall this is good and I would buy it again.

Reviewing Hop Harvest 2011.

Poured into a Bruery chalice, body is cloudy gold with an easy forming 3/4 inch head of white foam and lots of lacing.

Smells of light malt, fruit, and earthy, grassy hops.

Tastes like a Belgian IPA, a nice tasting hoppy golden ale with some estery fruitiness from the Belgian yeast and a good dose of earthy, grassy hops of fairly low acidity. I am just getting this bottle in April, 2012, and the hop harvest was late summer, 2011, so freshness may be compromised. This is billed as a hoppy version of XX Bitter, which is what gave De Ranke a reputation (as they admit to themselves on their website). There is a little bitterness in the finish, but not as bitter as XX. While I was hoping for a fresh dry hopped brew for hop harvest, there's nothing to suggest it was dry hopped and it tastes to me like the hops were dried first.

Body is medium and carbonation is moderate, giving this a creamy, full and soft mouthfeel.

A nice Belgian IPA, but was hoping for something more fresh tasting and worthy of the hop harvest label.

This is actually a review for the 2011, since the 2010 is the only one that appears to exist on this site.

A: Pours a hazy straw yellow with a fair amount of dense white head. A thin film retains, enough to leave small splotches of lacing.

S: Grassy hops over an earthy background. Nicely light and fresh.

T: Mild sweetness, with dry citrus hops coming in mid palate. Finish is dry, with the mild sweetness lingering. It's not particularly bitter for a "hop harvest IPA" but it's also not from the west coast of North America, so I'm not too surprised.

M: Medium body, low to medium carbonation.

Overall a nice beer on the lighter side; it's 6% according to my bottle, not 8% (possibly a difference with the 2011?). It's not a centerpiece beer, but it would work well on a hot day or with some good food.

 

 

Thanks for sharing this, Henry.

A: The beer pours a somewhat clear golden color with a couple fingers of white head.

S: The nose is very floral, though it does have some skunk notes to it. A bit of candied citrus peel, almost like lemon drop candies. Some perfumey hops and a touch of grass to go with the bready malts.

T: Not as skunky as the aroma, but still a touch. Floral and grassy hops with a light bitterness. More of the sweet, candied lemon flavor is also present. Some malt and bread sweetness, too.

M: Medium bodied with a rather high carbonation.

O: Could have done without the skunk, but other than that, not too bad.

Bottle: Poured a deep hazy golden beige color ale with a super huge foamy head with great retention and some very nice lacing. Aroma of dry and floral hosp with nice rustic yeast notes. Taste is a well balanced mix between some dry and floral hops with some very nice notes of rustic yeast and a solid semi-dry Belgian malt backbone. Body is full with good bottle-conditioning and good carbonation with no apparent alcohol. Very well brewed with good level of complexity.

750mL bottle picked up in Chicago a few weeks ago. It pours a light orange color, very hazy, with a huge rocky foam on top. Lacing all over the glass, in clumpy chunks.

The aroma is definitely reminiscent of other Belgian IPAs, yeasty and hoppy in a spicy smelling way. This bottle can't be too fresh, as it says "2010" on the label yet I'm drinking it in 2011, however the hops seem strong in a Belgian sense.

No real sweetness in taste, this comes across a little bitter up front with a very dry finish, the aftertaste being kind of like a tripel. Sort of one-dimensional, a bit of a let-down from this fantastic brewery.

Well carbonated, good body and mouthfeel. My main problem is the taste, I guess I expected more from the makers of Kriek de Ranke and Cuvee de Ranke. OK I guess.

I really enjoyed this beer. Initially I was expecting a lot of hops in the aroma and taste but instead I got a nice hop kick balanced out with a Belgian golden ale. This beer was a real pleasure to drink and the 8% abv was not really noticed. I feel like this would be a great session beer or beer to have with dinner. Hope to see this brewed in the future again.
Cheers

A: appears to pour fairly thick into my chimay chalice, good initial burst of carbonation provides a decent fluffy half finger head, but it doesnt last long. not even a trace of lacing is left behind as the golden orange liquid gets lower and lower in the glass.
S: yeast is huge up front, miniscule amount of hops is rather hidden by it, definitely not what i expected from the "hop harvest". theres a bit of lemon and zest poking through at first, and comes through a little bit better as it warms.
T: yeast again, grass, dryness. mild hop attitude but again not nearly what i was hoping for. the yeast becomes rather dominant overall, but i do get a bit of heat in the back of my throat in the spirit of peppercorns or a mild chili.
M: dry on the palate, slightly bitter hops arent very aggressive at all. medium carbonation and a mild flavor profile make this a rather uneventful beer, plus the excessive yeastiness doesnt help.
D: one and done for sure. just felt kind of let down and totally unimpressed.