Cuvée De Ranke

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

Dark gold, clear, a light watery fizzy head... Boring nose of honey, yeast, a bit musky, boring...taste is equally boring, musky cardboard, light sour, what a disappointment

UPDATED: JUL 10, 2011 Very tart and subtle fruit flavors beer. Accelerating tartness in the finish, very traditional. Doesn’t taste mainstream or processed at all. The best of both worlds .Awesome beer a far cry from american pilsners.

Bottle, shared with Palme at my 1000-rating tasting, 16th of May 2011. :-) After unwrapping and opening this baby, it falls neatly into my glass, sparkling a deep hazy orange body with a bronze-like hue and a small white head. Nose is clearly brett-oriented, with barnyard funk, tart sour grape notes, wood, balsamic and a hint of what I can only describe as sour toes. :-P Don’t get me wrong here, these are GOOD sour toes; like the reek one would forgive when you long-lost lover finally undresses for you after years of absence. Ah, you know what I mean. It’s just interesting in the larger scale of the picture. :-) Taste is tarty, almost dry wooden tones, sour grapes, brett here and there, burnt rubber and hints of balsamic again. Full and intense, this is a beer to be enjoyed with each sip and a very good cross-over between the Flemish "oud bruin"-style and a lambic. Enjoyable.

0.75l bottle, courtesy of and shared with ClubGonzo. Pours a hazy amber orange body with a small off-white sidesticking head. Aroma is filling the room with tart apples and barnyard. Sour, bone dry but still refreshing. More sourness, this time type red currants and green gooseberry, before it ends nicely with a lemony sourness, some barnyard and a little twist of vinegar. Really nice blend, and I would think this could be a great beer to introduce to the lambic-skeptic beer geek.

Bottle. Hazy orange with a small white head. Nice aroma of funk, wood, "horse blanket" and some fruit. The taste was quite pleasant and refreshing. Not that sour with a dry finish.

Bottle from Knightly Spirits. Vigorous yellow-gold pour with a thin white head. Aroma is big mix of green apples, funk, flowers, cherry, and must. Taste is lemon juice, white grapes, oak and spicy yeast. Finishes dry brett and vinegar. Everything balances out well. Sour, but not extremely so. Excellent brew.

Bottle. Cloudy orange with a white head. Sourish aroma, rubber and fruit. Sourish fruity flavor with rubber notes. Quite balanced and fresh.

A lovely, available, and affordable bottle of quality sour. Medium gold color with a medium white head. Classic sour aromas with and edge of soft malt spice. Flavor is tart, lightly malty, with a hint of alcohol. Body is thin but balanced.