I bought a bottle of this recently, thinking, "man, it's been a while!" Took notes on it, thinking I ought to, and lo, and behold, it seems I did so 2 1/2 years ago. I'm going to combine them, just for fun, here goes....
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Why has it taken me so long to get to this one?
11.2 oz bottle. Into a Maredsous tulip glass. (St. Bernardus goblet.)
de Ranke XX Bitter, Belgian Golden Ale, "The Hoppiest Beer of Belgium"
Product of Brewery De Ranke, Wevelgem, Belgium.
This one is a gusher, it spilled all over the counter, and I'm sure I handled it well.
Appearance: Gargantuan froth, pillowy and lacy, lovely ivory rivulets. Clouded pale amber below.
Cloudy, pale amber color, huge head, bone white and pillowy, lace leaving.
Gorgeous aroma, smacking of spice and citrus, some clove and cardamom, white pepper...bright, bitter lemon and orange. Floral and fruity, and lovely. Distinctive Belgian funky sweet and sour yeast flavor is on top, with some peppery spice in there. Thoroughly authentic Belgian flavor. Plenty of crazy extras in the foam, utterly harmless, of course.
Zest continues once it jumps on the tongue. Big spice and citric twang on board the palate, a pleasantly bitter smack to the senses. Fades slowly, gently, goes to the back, while lingering long.
Flavor is sublime. Marvelous. Magnificent. Earthy, rustic, ragged, and everything good. Citric flavors, spicy goodness, bready, yeasty,
Medium body, long finish, plump with character.The hops and the zestiness never really quit. Hangs on all over the mouth. Really rewarding, and quite refreshing. yes, it's "the hoppiest Belgian"…then, but it brings the bitter in the best of all possible ways. This is not the American palate-killer, this is just a delight. It's, in a word, yummy.
Nothing quite like this one. Except for all the others that have come along since.
But this here's the original.
Mmm, mmmm…
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