Brouwerij De Ranke Cuvée De Ranke
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Tasting Notes
The aroma opens with tart cherry, green apple, and a dusty barnyard funk from the mixed fermentation, undercut by a faint hop earthiness that's fairly unusual in this genre. On the palate, lactic sourness leads, followed by stone fruit, a touch of oak, and a dry, slightly tannic finish. The body is medium-light, and the carbonation is lively enough to keep the acidity feeling focused rather than aggressive. This is a beer that rewards slow drinking — the complexity shifts as it warms.
About the Brewery
De Ranke is a small Belgian brewery based in Dottignies, West Flanders, founded in the 1990s by Nino Bacelle and Guido Devos. They're respected for applying meaningful hop bitterness to traditional Belgian formats — an approach that sets them apart from many Belgian producers. Their lineup spans saisons, strong ales, and mixed-fermentation beers, and Cuvée De Ranke is widely regarded as one of their signature achievements.
Food Pairings
Aged goat cheese works well because the lactic tang in both the beer and the cheese mirror each other without competing. Roasted duck or duck confit makes a strong match, as the beer's acidity cuts through the fat while the fruit character echoes the meat's richness. Charcuterie — cured ham in particular — pairs naturally given the beer's earthy, slightly funky baseline. A simple lentil stew with herbs rounds things out, where the tartness brightens the dish's earthy, savory depth.
Style Guide
American Wild Ale is a loosely defined category covering beers fermented with wild yeast strains, bacteria like Lactobacillus or Pediococcus, or some combination of both, typically producing sour, funky, or brett-forward character. The style draws heavily from Belgian traditions — lambic, gueuze, Flemish reds — but the American designation reflects craft brewers' tendency to blend techniques freely rather than follow strict regional conventions. ABVs typically run from around 5% to 8%, and the flavor profile can range from gently tart to aggressively sour depending on the organisms and process involved. It's distinguished from clean Belgian ales by the intentional microbial complexity and acidity at the core.