Beer of the Weekend #339: Ranger IPA
Today’s brown bottle lunch is Ranger IPA, brewed by the New Belgium Brewing Company of Fort Collins, Colorado.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “best by” date printed on the label is “01 JUL 12.”
Appearance: Straight pour into a tulip. The color is a clean, golden copper. Two fingers of dense, slightly off-white head dissipated slowly to leave an uneven cap of foam, a ring around the edge, and trails along the glass.
Smell: Lots of enticing hop citrus: grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, and orange. It also offers nice scents of floral hops and pine, and underneath the citrus and hops is a base of caramel and toffee.
Taste: The bitterness is tame and the flavors are well balanced. Though the overall bitterness stands out, nothing dominates. It has a medium body and the fruit and citrus blend together. The flavor, though, is much more floral than the smell: the citrus and fruit is muted when compared to the smell. There is a caramel malt presence, but not much. The pine and floral hop aftertaste keeps the uvula and back of the mouth tingling.
Drinkability: Ranger IPA is not a bitter pill to swallow. It is very tasty and offers a nice hop experience without being overly aggressive.
Fun facts about Ranger IPA:
-Style: BA classifies it as “American IPA.”
-Price: $1.79/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: The beer’s webpage features a couple recipes, which I believe are customer submitted.
-IBU: 70.
-Nerdiness from the webpage:
-The New Belgium website features a page called “Rangerland,” There is not much information, but apparently there are self-proclaimed “Beer Rangers” around the country. Here is a basic description of what they do:
According to Rangerland’s map, there is one Beer Ranger in Iowa: his/her name is Cheeze. I have yet to see him/her riding a fixie, loaded down with hops, through Iowa City.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “best by” date printed on the label is “01 JUL 12.”
Appearance: Straight pour into a tulip. The color is a clean, golden copper. Two fingers of dense, slightly off-white head dissipated slowly to leave an uneven cap of foam, a ring around the edge, and trails along the glass.
Smell: Lots of enticing hop citrus: grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, and orange. It also offers nice scents of floral hops and pine, and underneath the citrus and hops is a base of caramel and toffee.
Taste: The bitterness is tame and the flavors are well balanced. Though the overall bitterness stands out, nothing dominates. It has a medium body and the fruit and citrus blend together. The flavor, though, is much more floral than the smell: the citrus and fruit is muted when compared to the smell. There is a caramel malt presence, but not much. The pine and floral hop aftertaste keeps the uvula and back of the mouth tingling.
Drinkability: Ranger IPA is not a bitter pill to swallow. It is very tasty and offers a nice hop experience without being overly aggressive.
Fun facts about Ranger IPA:
-Style: BA classifies it as “American IPA.”
-Price: $1.79/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: The beer’s webpage features a couple recipes, which I believe are customer submitted.
-IBU: 70.
-Nerdiness from the webpage:
Bring out the hops! This clear amber beauty bursts at the starting gate with an abundance of hops: Cascade (citrus), Chinook (floral/citrus), and Simcoe (fruity) lead off the beer, with Cascade added again for an intense dry hop flavor. Brewed with pale and dark caramel malts that harmonize the hop flavor from start to finish, Ranger is a sessionable splendor for all you hopinistas. Thank your Beer Ranger!
-The New Belgium website features a page called “Rangerland,” There is not much information, but apparently there are self-proclaimed “Beer Rangers” around the country. Here is a basic description of what they do:
Ever met a New Belgium Beer Ranger? They are our beloved folks out in the field. Spanning all 29 of our states from the Pacific to the Atlantic, our Beer Rangers do their best to protect, to pour and to partake. And explore many a beer from many a brewery, they do.
According to Rangerland’s map, there is one Beer Ranger in Iowa: his/her name is Cheeze. I have yet to see him/her riding a fixie, loaded down with hops, through Iowa City.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
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