6.4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Bottled. Hazy deep orangeish golden colour with a mediumsized foamy white head, which leaves some lace. Aroma is fruity, some candy sugar, mild floral tones with some spicy yeast and mild nectar too. Flavour is nectar, some herbal, some fruity, floral, mild yeasty tones with some grains too.

6

Backlog

7

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

75cl Bottle from Burg Bieren. Hazy golden colour, white head. Aroma of grassy and citrusy hops, malts, light bready, old cookies, fairly aged. Flavour is medium sweet, malty, old cookies, bread, hops, floral bitterness, tastes a bit old, still decent though. Light to medium bodied. OK, would have been a lot better when fresh.

7

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Botella. @Cimmeria, Oviedo 16/06/2016. BBD: 05-10-2018. Color amarillo, aroma levadura, sabor malta, notas frutales,

6.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

The first in this series for me, found the bottle at Fontana Drinkscenter in Sint-Niklaas; 2013 vintage. Hazy ’old gold’ colour (golden blonde with orange hue) under a hops-enhanced, thick and stable, lacing, egg-white, moussy head. Aroma shouts ’lightstruck’ in all directions - the ammonia-like smell of stale cat pee we all know and fear, as if this were a cheap lager from a transparent longneck bottle; fortunately it resides a bit after a few minutes, leaving room for additional impressions of crabapple, dry ’crémant’, almost rotting grass, white bread, unripe peach, raw rhubarb (acetaldehyde alert!), wet hay, grapefruit peel, tonic water, soap, wormwood, pumpkin flesh, minerals. Crisp onset of restrained fruitiness, sour berries, green apples and perhaps a hint of fresh pineapple, strong and tingling, minerally carbonation; rather dull middle phase of pale and slightly nutty malts, typical ’spicy’ Belgian yeastiness with powdery and bready effect, finishing in a lingering pale maltiness and a clear presence of grassy and leafy ’Euro’ hops without noteworthy aromatic qualities, just long, dry and bitter, a bit boring, actually, with bittering, long-lasting yeastiness (which clearly has absorbed the hops) as the last impression on the root of the tongue. Honest alright, a genuine and traditional Belgian ale, quite decent but I do prefer XX Bitter over this and was a bit put off by the lightstruck effect, though I will not take this into account so much as this is not De Ranke’s fault. I expected a luxury version of XX Bitter or even the new XXX Bitter, but what I got was an ordinary hoppy Belgian suffering from having been aged in probably not too optimal conditions. Clearly, this series is intended to be consumed as fresh as possible. A little bit disappointing, but not so much that it challenges my firm belief in this brewery...

7.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Bottle. Hazy golden color, medium white head. Aroma of bready citrus, slightly earthy. Taste is hay, yeast, light spice. Tasty.

7.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Orange color with an off-white head with good duration. Aroma has yeasty notes, slightly fruity dominated by citrus and tangerine and flowery hops. Flavor is light bittery, fruity, some spicy and yeasty traces. The final is mild bittery with fruity aftertaste.

6.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

How: Bottle.
Where: Systembolaget.
Appearance: Amber colour with a large white head.
Aroma: Floral, grass, hops, grapefruit.
Body: Medium body and carbonation.
Flavour: Malt, yeast, grapefruit, fruit.

7.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Bottle 750ml. [ As De Ranke Hop Harvest 2013 ].Clear medium orange yellow color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, white to off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, pale malt, moderate hoppy, perfume - flowery, spicy hops, moderate yeasty. Flavour is moderate sweet and moderate to heavy bitter with a long duration, spicy hops, hoppy, flowers - perfume. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20140405]