Hello everyone.  It’s time for another craft beer review and today I’m going to be trying the De Ranke XXX Bitter produced by the Brouwerij De Ranke located in Wevelgem, Belgium.

I’ve only ever had the De Ranke XX Bitter and I thought it was wonderful, so I’m guessing that this beer should rank right up there with it.

I checked on the website, deranke.be, and didn’t find any info for the XXX Bitter, but I did check on ratebeer.com and found this.

Brewed especially for the Shelton Brothers “The Festival” 2013 in Portland, ME.  Limited kegs and 75cl bottles productions. Not to be confused with the regular XX Bitter.

Not much to go on there, but that’s ok.  Let’s drink this thing.

This beer came in a 25.4 oz. bottle with an ABV of 6.0%.

It poured a beautiful, mostly clear, golden color.  It formed a billowy, soft, fluffy, rocky, white head from a very easy pour.  It was sized great and the retention time was awesome.  The lacing was patchy and soapy, but very nice looking.  This was a gorgeous looking beer and just staring at it in the glass made me want to turn it up and take a sip.

The nose was very floral.  Tones of fruity green apple and pear made their way into my nostrils while spices of pepper and coriander followed.  Fresh smelling grasses, yeast and bready goodness added more complexity, depth and roundness.  This brew smelled very, very nice.

Within the flavor a fresh grassy, grain and hay-like component began first.  The fruitiness didn’t seem as strong, however it was still noted.  The green apple gave it the slightest bit of tartness.  The yeast and bready characteristics were rather profound though.  At the back end a very nice hop bite tickled the tongue while a peppery sting complimented.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Very crisp, refreshing and dry with a wee bit of bite.  A good, medium strength carbonation allowed a lot of flavor to completely cover the palate for enjoyment between sips.

I tell ya.  I thought this was a great beer. It was very easy going and it would be a great Spring time brew.  The freshness would totally match that point of the season.  It was well balanced and intricate in both the aroma and the taste.  Not to mention that it looked spectacular standing in the tulip.  I have no doubt that this beverage could be appreciated by even the most advanced craft beer enthusiast as well as someone just getting started in the world of better beer.  I know that I really enjoyed it and I hope that De Ranke brews the XXX Bitter again sometime because I’ll definitely pick it up.  Did any of you guys get the opportunity to sample this brew?  What did you think of it?  Feel free to leave a comment and tell me all about your experience.

Thanks for reading everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.5 out of 5

Grade:  A