Belgian Blond Strong Abbey Tripel Brewed by: De Ranke BreweryCountry: BelgiumStyle: TripelColor: BlondABV (Alcohol by Volume): 8.5%Ratebeer.com rating: 92BeerAdvocate.com rating: 90 Guldenberg (ABV 8.5%) from De Ranke Brewery is a full-bodied abbey-style Tripel, dry-hopped with Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops to tilt the balance to the bitter side -- unusual for a Tripel. The first beer produced by De Ranke, it's named for the former Guldenberg Abbey in Wevelgem, the birthplace of Nino Bacelle, one of the founding brewers.Golden blond, with a bright white head, its bitterness and herbal-floral hop character are notable but smoothly integrated. 11.2 oz bottle. Brewery Information: The De Ranke Brewery was founded in 1996 by good friends Nino Bacelle and Guido Devos, hobby brewers who turned a part-time obsession into a successful commercial venture.At first brewing only on weekends using the equipment and facilities of an existing craft brewery, De Ranke soon established a reputation for producing robust and flavorful ales with a massive hops profile; hops, in their philosophy, are the single most important ingredient in any ale. They embraced traditional brewing methods (without eschewing helpful new technologies) and used only the freshest natural ingredients like real hop flowers instead of cheap hop extracts like many of their larger more commercially driven counterparts.As a result, De Ranke brews grew steadily in popularity and demand; in the late 2000s, De Ranke was able to relocate to its own brewery in Dottignies in the Hainaut province of Belgium.Today, De Ranke Brewery exports award winning hop-centric ales to nine different countries including the United States, India, France and Japan.
