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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De Ranke long ago cemented its place among my favorite Belgian brewers, but this is a work of art I was unprepared for. A thin white head with fat bubbles fades slowly. Awesome lacing is impenetrable. The body is a hazy amber with orange hues, one of the most lovely renditions of this color combination I’ve encountered in recent memory. The aroma swings forward from the glass with scents of cookie, doughy and sugar-laden malts. An incredibly sexy nose with plenty of soft, old and well-developed and intertwined lambic and aged beer. Honey and almond flow freely. Caramel malt, lightly scorched and dessert-styled, as well as dense grains. Evident wheated malt and mild tartness from the lambic portion of the blend is wonderful, perfectly reasonable considering Girardin crafted it. Wild yeast is rampant and imparts soft nuances of horseblanket and mild funkiness that isn’t lost among so much sweetness, caramel and floral hints. The amount of time it would take to fully dissect these many subtleties of discernible origin is indescribable, but a sip is calling me. The flavor is even more exciting and more complex than was ever hoped for upon reciept of the bottle. Moderate sourness teams with medium-high acidity, the resulting super-quenching taste is magnificent. Sweetness is pared by this combination but not left far behind, balance arriving shortly after the first sip. Mild hoppy notes join the fray but bitterness is relatively low. Lambic sourness progresses in intensity with each successive tip of the glass. Fruit is aged but doesn’t feel old, must notes stemming primarily from lambic barnyard accents. Hoppiness grows steadily but never overtakes any subtle notes. Brettanomyces is evident throughout but doesn’t become explosive until a wave of tropical fruits hit in the long finish, an ending of sublime recollection, light bitterness, light sweetness and lambic lingering. The mouthfeel is medium-full bodied, very soft and adequately carbonated for this experiment. This is an absolutely superb blend from master craftsmen. It’s amazing how well the parts meld into a vibrant and refreshing whole. Just amazing.

Bottle@Bruxellensis. Good one, has the dry hoppy characters of the De Ranke beers, with the added sourness and wild flavours of the Girardin lambic. Sounds like they can’t really go wrong and they didn’t. This is sublimely drinkable. Nice juicy acidity, and crisp bitterness, with lots of hoppy characters coming through. Nice one.

Pours a hazy golden color. This aroma is beguiling. Lambic aromas intermingling effortlessly with a hint of candi sugar. Amazing, almost beyond description. Flavor is sour and acidic, in a great way, with a refreshing slight bitterness on the finish. Incredibly complex and contemplative. One of the most unique and amazing Belgian beers I have tried.

UPDATED: MAR 7, 2008 From the bottle at Bruxellensis. Hazy amber, lasting thin beige head. Sourish moderate aroma. Soft in mouth. Not quite a lambic, good sourish fruit. Not one thing or another, but nice hops on end. 3.2/5 Rerate from bottle at ZBF 08. Gold with a reddish hue. Lasting creamy head. Lambic on the aroma, fullish in mouth. Some lovely subtle cherry flavour. First time I had it I wasn’t too impressed, but this is great. Had it twice.

Opaque amber with a short lived head. Hoppy grapefruit and barnyard nose, quite aromatic. Great balance between the lambic and ale, both characters noticeable but complimenting each other. Citrus, apricot, hops and an almost nutty note. Syrupy palate with a wheaty finish. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Old beer from De Ranke mixed with Girardin Lambic (possibly the finest one to my taste) - Is that a winning formula or what? Yes it is. Huge yellowy head tops the cloudy light orange hue. Remarkable lacing. Hugely attractive cheesy, mushroomy nose. Bright and mostly clean, the lambic character is subdued, yet present and enhancing of the already tremendous base beer. Excellent grip on the palate, tart white chardonnay with its nutty creaminess. Pineapple brettiness with very fresh light lemony and floral hops. Absolutely unique for a sour beers, it has this confident hop kick that never intereferes with the sourness. Complex, lively, multi-faceted farmhouse ale. Refreshing, supple flavours. What a kickass brewery. Every ingredient can be retraced to its origins in this one, yet it feels completely united. I would have expected this beer to be racking the 4+, it is amongst my top 5 favourite beers of my 2007 european trip.

From the bottle @ Bruxellensis. Another welcome addition to the trend of blending lambics with top-fermented ales. Really a nice surprise and one of my favorites from the festival. Darkish, dullish opaque orange with a beige head. Nose is musty and lemony with some grapefruit and hoppy notes. Flavor has mild citrus tartness with mild hop bitterness, with a finish that’s dry, musty and dusty. Refreshing. Maybe this emerging style of beer could run for Belgian prime minister and help hold this country together.

Bottle, 75 cl. Hazy orange color, no head. Aroma sour. Medium body. Taste is much sourness, little bitter. It’s like lambic yes.

At ZBF, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
Hazy, orange body. Almost no head at all. Sour aroma of flowers, citrus, wood. Lightly bitter, moderately sour flavour. Tastes very much like lambic.

Draught. Amber coloured. Unclear. Dense light brown head. Vinegar, light sweetness, spice, earth and light barnyard in the nose. Quite intriguing. Sourness, grape, berries and vinegar again in the flavour. Quite dense and complex. Has a dry grapish mouthfeel and is medium to full bodied.. Ends on a refreshing grapish note. This is a very nice beer.