De Ranke Père Noël

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

nice nose on this one. hoppy, piney, slightly woody. white head that dies quickly. tastes a lot different than i expected from the aroma but the pine flavors still come through. really dry palate which reminds me of orval in a way. maybe a little grapefruit too. pretty good overall.

Sampled from 1.5 liter bottle with the vast hordes at the Ratebeer Mondial gathering at tiggmtl’s. Light, hazy amber-gold with lots of visible suspended yeast and a bit of lasting head...sharp yeasty-bready nose redolent of mandarin orange...thick doughy body, quite full, somewhat sharp and funky, fruity goodness includes apricot and sour apple...peppery finish. Nice but for some reason I expected more.

Corked, woody aroma offers notes of apple and orange and flowery, herbal hops. Opaque tan-brown with partial but long-lasting cover of white head. Strong fruity esters to the biscuity malt flavour with woody, leafy, herbal hop flavours and decent bitterness in the lightly acidic finish. Soft carbonation caresses the tongue with a medium body. Bottle (1.5L) enjoyed at the Ratebeer Mondial Gathering 2005.

Honey-colored body with a frothy, just off-white head. Nice aroma of pepper, honey, tropical fruit, and tart grapefruit. Great balance of many elements in the flavor. Has a tropical, passion fruit quality with nice moderate acidic, sweet, and bitter qualities. Very nice.

2001 1.5L bottle at the Ratebeer Mondial Tasting on 6/4/05.
Hazy, soft, yellow orange, somewhat like peach juice, though a bit paler than that. Moderate white head recedes to ring, with little lacing. Dry, powdery yeast and orange rinds in the nose. Definite herbal/floral hops, fresh parsley, mint and cumin. Corky/woody notes as well. Begins moderately acidic in flavor, with the dry yeast and cork flavors from the nose. Some bits of powdery, lime-flavored sugar a la Vervifontaine Fagnard Blonde. Tart apples, caramel, biscuity malt, definitely some green raisins/special B. Toasted grains in both texture and flavor on the finish. Low carbonation, no alcohol noted. A lemon-lime like hops flavor from the start can still be found on the end. Slightly bitter overall, quite dry on the palate.

I have tried a fair number of Belgian Christmas beers in recent months and they generally seem to be a rather different style to the rich, dark British concept. This one was no exception. Golden colour with flowery hops and estery apples and oranges in the aroma. Fruity, spicy flavour with a flinty mineral mouthfeel and a dry, slightly tart, finish. Orange zest and crystallised fruits to the fore. Refreshing is not a description I’d often use of a British Christmas ale, but it certainly fits here. Tending towards a tripel or even saison style. But lets not bother about the style too much, its a very fine beer. Bottled at Reading Beer Festival, April 2005.

Cloudy orange pour with a thin white head. Powdery aroma of spices, yeast and fruits. Flavor of spices, yeast and fruits with some sweetness. Light to medium body, the texture is dry and powdery, dusty even, the carbonation is moderate. Interesting beer, not really what I expect from a "bière de Noël" but a worthwhile experiment.

bottle. 2001 magnum. hazy orange body with a small white head. spicey and peppery at first sniff. some light tartness, funky cheese notes, fruit, and cookie malt flavour. quite nice and flavourful. A touch of alcohol in the finish.