Bitter Before Bitter Was Cool

In the small town of Dottignies, in Belgian Wallonia, sits a brewery that became famous for brewing (what was at the time) the bitterest beer in Belgium.

Brouwerij-Brasserie De Ranke is a relatively new brewery by Belgian standards, founded by Nino Bacelle and Guido Devos in 1996. The name “De Ranke’ refers to the hop plant, which proved to be key to the brewery’s success. They originally brewed at the Deca Services brewery in West Flanders where, in 1996, they first brewed the “bitterest beer in Belgium” – De Ranke XX Bitter. It was essentially a bitter (65 IBUs) Pale Ale, as IPAs were not around at the time. It was a trendsetter in Belgium because of its balance of flavors, despite the high hopping rates.

The Beer That Changed How Belgians View Hops

De Ranke XX Bitter uses 100% whole hop cones – Brewer’s Gold for bittering and Hallertau Mittelfruh for aroma. They do not dry hop. All of De Ranke’s hops are grown in Belgium. They brew the XX Bitter using 100% pilsner malt and a dry Fermentis yeast. The final beer is 6.0% ABV and is bottle-conditioned for four weeks at 15º C (59º F) to give it a very dry finish. It is unfiltered and unpasteurized. De Ranke also brews De Ranke XXX Bitter, which is very similar to the XX Bitter, but uses 50% more hops and comes in at 6.0% and 70 IBUs.

A New Home and a Strong Beer Lineup

In 2005, Nino and Guido built their own brewery in Dottignies in the province of Hainaut. It was set up to brew using traditional methods with modern upgrades. De Ranke XX Bitter was not the brewery’s first product. Guldenberg, an 8.0% Tripel, was their first beer in 1994, followed by Père Noel, a 7.0% Christmas ale in 1996, and Kriek De Ranke, a 7.5% sour cherry ale, in 2000.

In 2005, they released the 7.0% Cuvée De Ranke, blending barrel-aged ales and Girardin Lambic to create a nice balance between sweet and sour flavors. Kriek De Ranke uses the same process. Standouts among De Ranke’s rather broad product line include 9% Noir De Dottignies, a dark malty beer, Saison De Dottignies, a refreshing 5.5% Saison, and Simplex, a 4.5% Blond ale. Franc Belge is a 5.2% amber ale in the Speciale Belge tradition.

The Trendsetter

Brouwerij Brasserie De Ranke is a trendsetter in Belgium. Even though the onslaught of American-style IPAs has surpassed them in hoppiness, De Ranke XX Bitter will always be remembered as the first “bitterest beer in Belgium.”