Cuvée De Ranke

Brewed by Brouwerij De Ranke
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Dottignies/Dottenijs, Belgium

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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75cl vintage 2012. My first sour beer since moving to Brazil. This was one that I’d always wanted to buy but I always overlooked it in favour of full blown traditional lambics. This is not strictly a lambic but the Girardin lambic does a very good job of taking over the other 70% of the bottle. This is light, refreshing and pretty similar to a Gueuze in profile. It’s got a nice sourness that’s very balanced with a lambic funk. Lemon, hay and citric fruits are abundant in this beer. This is like a light Gueuze. Very refreshing and quenching while still having all the right flavours. They are just a bit more subdued than Girardin’s own black label Gueuze.

Bottle: Poured a clear bright deep golden color ale with a large pure white foamy head with good retention and some light lacing. Aroma of tart notes with light funky barnyard notes from the lambic. Taste is a complex mix between some sour and tart notes with light acidic notes, green apple notes, oak and some funky barnyard notes also perceptible. Body is about average with good carbonation. Well put together with great amount of complexity while retaining a good level of drinkability.

750ml bottle pours a very nice looking orangey tangerine body with a big soapy egg white head. Somewhat of a hazed appearance. Aromas of tangerine lil spice clove. Big sour upfront which eases with every sip. Good body, lemon, spice, sour, dry, drys right up. Nice zingy carbonation. A little Brett character which not overwhelming at all. I like that. Great blend. Great beer.So much character and such an interesting beer the whole way through.

On tap at Moeder Lambic: Tasty and refreshing. Light carbonation, but it had plenty of snap. Citrus, too. Lots of lemon-like tang with hints of tangerine and marmalade. Pleasant amount of funky sourness in the background.

Pours a murky copper to light brown with two fingers of off-white head. Aroma is very fresh with grapes, apples, grass, light barnyard and bretta. Taste is fairly mild at first, with a nice balance between sweet and sour. Moving into the finish, the sourness gets more intense and the lasting mouthfeel is refreshingly sour. Body is light with a moderate amount of soft carbonation.

Excellente Sour Ale, bien équilibrée et qui met en évidence toute les caractéristiques du style.

Bottle (750 ml). Hazy golden orange with a small white head and some lacing. Aroma is mild but very interesting with belgian yeast, fruits (green apple) and barnyard/lambic notes. Taste is slightly sweet with interesting fruity notes (green apple, citrus) and a pleasant light sourness. Mouthfeel is slightly dry. Body is perfect for the style, not light but absolutely not too heavy. This beer is incredibly well balanced and is extremely drinkable. I would drink this every day of the week. That’s not an extreme Sour Ale by any mean, but more of an everyday Sour Ale, a really enjoyable one!

On tap at Moeder Lambic Fontainas. Hazy orange brown, with a relatively small tight head. Definite whiff of untouched attic, cobwebs. Some crunch from the sourness towards the end. Not sure the blend really helped here, kind of ended up as a half way house. Definitely not the length of finish or depth as the Cantillon Lambic I’d had before. Nice to drink but I think I’d rather have one of De Ranke’s excellent ales and a gueuze separately.

750 ml bottle. BB 01/2015. From bierzwerg.de.
Clear amber colour with a small white head. The aroma is sourness, red berries, mild candies and malt in the aroma. The flavour is very tart with red berries, mild yeast and some vinegar. Quite nice and enjoyable.

Clear copper body, white head. Aroma is really sour and some sour caramel malt. Really sour one. Flavour has intense vinegar. Well aged bottle, really slap in the face. Bit lambic, not just sour. Really nice sourness.