De Ranke Hop Harvest 2012

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Bottle:
Hazy golden pour. Rich head. Aroma is leafy hops, belgian yeast and some bubble gum. Taste is all about bitter, resinous hops. Pretty good, but the massive bitterness gets quite one-dimensional after awhile.

Bottled from Systembolaget Golden with a white head. High bitterness with a lot of grape-fruits and grass. Dry mouthfeel. Peppery and yeasty flavour.

750ml bottle, cloudy golden hue, with a thick pillowy white head, with a light floral fruity, citrus lemon, grapefruit peel, leafy, grassy, herbal hoppy nose, with some yeasty, fruity, doughy, spicy lemon pepper notes, and pale, toasted grainy malt accent in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a yeasty, doughy, zesty, spritzy, spicy, peppery flowery citrus leafy, grassy hopped character, with some lemon pie crust, lemon marmalade, pale, toasted, bready malt flavours, leading towards a yeasty, fruity lemon, grapefruit peel, lingering citrus, leafy, grassy, spicy dry hop bitterness finish.

Pours a cloudy golden with a nice thick head that leaves an enormous lacing. Aroma of grassy hops, citrus, peppery. Taste has grassy hops, light citrus grainy and spicy malts. Mouthfeel is medium-low with a very expressive carbonation. Dry and very drinkable with wonderful flavors. Would drink again for sure!

Pours clear gold into a tulip. Bright white head with medium retention recedes leaving spider lacing. Bread and pepper aromas. Dry with thin caramel and bread upfront turning to pepper and citrus in the lasting finish.

On tap, Moeder Lambic. Poured a clear full golden body with a white head. Smooth, quite grainy, though nicely fruity as well aroma, lovely malt profile. Nice mild bitterish spicy hop taste, slightly sweeter than expected, with a good grainy malt backbone, and the spicy hopiness is not as prominent as I’d expected, but this is definitely a very, very tasty beer. This looks like a very good brewery indeed!

My Bottom Line:
Spicy, dusty, herb-like hoppiness are sprinkled onto doughy yeast in this unrefined, flavorful countryside brew.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam tops the cloudy orange without much retention.
-The spicy hop bitterness and aftertaste are quite engaging.
-Citrusy undertones are tasted.
-Light coriander-like spiciness appears as well.
-This is not as good as their XX Bitter, but it’s still a lot of fun.
-Fluffy carbonation gives plenty of air for the hops to express themselves aromatically-speaking..

Bottle.

Pours pale golden with a white head. Aroma is mainly spices, pepper mostly and some hops and yeast. Thin malty body with medium carbonation. Taste is similar to aroma with lots of pepper. Aftertaste is yeasty and has quite a lot of bitterness. Belgian yeast and pepper, not bad!

Appearance: Clear golden topped by a self-sustaining head. It sticks around and leave heavy lacings.
Aroma: hops and spices, but mainly hops. A little perfume.
Taste: medium sweetness with a good balancing bitterness. Honey flavors come through.
Mouthfeel: carbonation level is fine but the beer itself feels a bit watery at times.

Overall: A fine belgian ale, not quite an IPA but still an enjoyable bitter beer.

Heavy hopped and clear herbal. Lots of new hops. Orange coloured and unclear. Has a white head, lasting. Aroma is clear hoppy, herbs, some sweetness too. Flavor is real good, starts light bread, then lots of hoppy notes, more herbs, finish heavy bitter. Dry texture.