New Belgium Ranger IPA

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shunt1317

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Had a chance to sample some of this over the weekend. Mighty good beer. It has a different feel than their other brews. I liked it.
For now it looks like it's only available in their Folly pack.

Give it a try if you get a chance.:mug:
 
I thought it was decent. The fact that I wasn't repulsed by it, and it being an IPA makes me think it was on the weaker end for IPA's.
 
It is available in six packs, at least around here. The folly pack is a pretty good collection right now though. Ranger, Mighty Arrow (pale ale), 1554 (black ale), and Fat Tire. I tried the Ranger last night and was also pleased with it. I didn't think it was all that bitter though. I think the bottle said something like 90 IBU, but I'm not sure. Either way, I'm looking forward to the next bottle.
 
I just picked up a six of the Ranger yesterday. I thought it was OK but not my favorite IPA.

I also tried the new (at least in my area) Bridgeport "Hop Czar" imperial IPA. I really liked this one. It is now one of my favorite IPAs
 
Had this for the first time today on tap. I really enjoyed it. It had a nice citrus and pine hop flavor and aroma. Very tasty IMO.
 
I thought it was okay. It had an oniony hop aroma that was nice. The flavor was weak though. I thought it could have been more bitter and full of more hop flavor than just aroma.
 
I was happy with the aroma, but quickly fell victim to the "Fat Tire Choke" after half-a-bottle.

I really want to like NB beers, but have problems finishing a full bottle.
 
fivehoursfree said:
I thought it was decent. The fact that I wasn't repulsed by it, and it being an IPA makes me think it was on the weaker end for IPA's.
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I'm fairly new to the world of IPA's, but Ranger is for sure one of the weaker ones I've tasted. My wife likes it and she usually hates the really hoppy beers.

Did anyone else notice a kind of "earthy" flavor?
 
I also picked up a couple of sixers this weekend. Shared them with a friend. We both came to the same opinion. Fantastic hop aroma but the taste doesn't follow through.

I think it is a very good offering, but no where near the same class as O'Dells IPA or SKA's Modus Hopernadi.
 
Wayne1 said:
I also picked up a couple of sixers this weekend. Shared them with a friend. We both came to the same opinion. Fantastic hop aroma but the taste doesn't follow through.

I think it is a very good offering, but no where near the same class as O'Dells IPA or SKA's Modus Hopernadi.
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I'm glad to see I am not alone in this opinion. When I opened my first bottle of Ranger I though "this is going to be a good beer." Half way through the glass I found I was really disappointed.
 
have a sixer in the fridge but havn't popped one yet....from what I have read it's pretty mellow compared to most IPA's.
 
Marsdude said:
I'm glad to see I am not alone in this opinion. When I opened my first bottle of Ranger I though "this is going to be a good beer." Half way through the glass I found I was really disappointed.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree. I picked a 6er up today. Aroma was fantastic. The taste was un-inspiring. The blurb on the side says it all.

"Are you a hopinista? Thank our beer rangers for inspiring (and begging for) this well balanced simcoe, cascade, and chinook hopped IPA. 70 IBUs"

To me that says it all. They did not want to make this beer. The people (I assume workers) wanted an IPA for new belgium. New Belgium did not want it. It has their yeast taste but everything else feels forced. I am a bit disappointed. I really like their Hoptoberfest. I guess after drinking that I thought the Ranger would be better.
 
I had this on tap a while back and just got a 6 pack. It is more balanced than some other ipas but still bitter and nice armoa. I think I like it cause its fresher than some other beers hear.
 
Apparently I am not a fan of bitter for bitter's sake. Thin mouth feel, little to no aroma (not sure what the rest of you are experiencing), very little flavor and an unpleasant lasting bitterness.
Could be the Simcoe, but I will assume for now it is the NB curse.

The color was nice...
 
I thought Ranger IPA was a pretty good offering from NB (def. one of their better ones IMO). The mouthfeel was a bit thin, but clean. The hop aroma was great in my opinion, but it did fall a little short in hop flavor follow-through. This is a beer that I wouldn't mind finding a clone recipe for and tweaking a bit to my tastes.
 
I thought it was pretty good. A little light for an IPA, but one I could drink 3-4 of in a sitting. Aroma was a little weak, but smelled great. I thought it had a pretty balanced flavor, but I can see how with todays trends people would expect more from an IPA (stronger aroma and more bitterness). Definately an everyday beer for me, but then again I'm not a huge fan of highly bitter beers. Label lists Simcoe, Cascade, and Chinook hops at 70 IBUs.
 
finally got to try this in iowa. i liked it last night, but had another one today and can't shake the 'dryer sheet' aroma and slightly soapy taste i'm getting... anyone else?
 
Just wanted to give my 2 cents... I enjoyed drinking my Ranger IPA. They seemed rather fresh and the hop flavor was still very prominent. Ranger IPA appeared to have more of a earthy hop flavor rather than a sweet or citrusy one.

I am not a fan of extremely bitter beers as well, but this one didn't take me as extremely bitter. I thought it was quite good.

Overall... I give it a B++
 
android said:
finally got to try this in iowa. i liked it last night, but had another one today and can't shake the 'dryer sheet' aroma and slightly soapy taste i'm getting... anyone else?
Click to expand...

Yup, I get a very soapy flavor from it, both on tap and out of the bottle.
 
I actually tried this one last night as well. I've been trying some different American IPA's as of late and this one seems a little more dry and less sweet than the others I've had recently.

I enjoyed it. I think I could make a night out of them, but it does seem that the bitterness hangs out a bit to long for me. I did a complete review of it on my site if your interested.


Review of New Belgium Ranger IPA
 
I'm not really getting the soap thing, although there seems to be enough folks who are detecting it that there must be something to it. The Chinook and Simcoe combination sure makes for an interesting pine/citrus/herbal hop profile. It's certainly not on my top 5 IPA list, but I still find it very enjoyable.
 
I had a couple of these last night again and I can pick out that soapy like flavor. It is weird that once you start to talk to more people about a beer you start finding more things in the beer. I'm not sure if I actually taste it or if its because it is suggested that I taste it.

Either way, I think the beer is good and is more like an IPA that I would enjoy more often. I'm still looking for more suggestions though. I have limited supply here though, but I'm down to give anyone's favorite a try.

Thanks
 
Fat Tire was one of the beers that swung me towards craft brews. Still like it on occasion, but it's definitely down on the list. I tried the 2 deg below Ale this winter and was underwhelmed, mainly because it was so close in taste to Fat Tire. Since PA and IPA's are mainly what I've been drinking for the last few years, the Ranger was intriguing and finally found it yesterday. I was impressed. Enjoyed the citrusy/piney aroma, but agree the hop flavor is lacking a bit. I did not mind that the bitterness was subdued a notch or two. It will become standard filler between my home brews.
 
I have to agree about the 2 deg below. I had it from a tap and was not very impresssed. I too loved fat tire when I moved out west. It was a great substitute for yeungling lager. I like the 1554 too. My favorite New Belgium beer right now is the Hoptoberfest. I feel it is their best. Well until those barrels of sour beers are ready for market. I had a taste at the Vail beer festival. Yum.

I just still feel after having Ranger from the bottle and keg that it may have been rushed to market. It just not seem like the recipe is refined.
 
Still hate this one but I tried a bottle of Fat Tire the other day when there was nothing else available. Not bad. Still not something I would go out of my way to drink but definitely better than the first time I had it.
 
I'm not a big 2 below fan either. But the 1554 is definitely on my regulars list. That is an interesting thought that the Ranger was rushed to market. I have a hard time thinking that because a company like New Belgium, doesn't seem like the kind of company that would put their reputation on the line, especially after an 18% increase in profits last year. I don't know though, you could be right. I do really like it though!
 
One of our local grocery store chains had the 22oz bottles on sale for $2.99. "What the hell..." I bought one. Then went back and bought another one.

...and I'll probably buy more tomorrow... :)
 
Never was a big fan of Fat Tire and I don't know why its so huge in CO. When I saw that Ranger was from NB I was kind of shocked since it's so out of character but I guess they caved to Mr. Market. Note the label is a totally different design from the other NB beers so they are trying to distance this brew from the existing portfolio.

I'm glad they did. The aroma is awesome and the taste is more balanced than the hop forward-forward flavor than is standard for the style. What some people call "soapy" I call a smooth mouthfeel that lends more complexity to the spiciness of the hops.
 
I liked it well enough though I'm a noob to IPAs. I did make a clone that I like better though (my wife had me do a taste test blindfolded). It's a bit darker but has enough malt to avoid the "thiness" in the origional.


10 lbs Marris Otter Max yield: 1.038 85%: 1.032 Contribution 64 pts
1 lb Cara Pils Max yield: 1.033 85%: 1.028 Contribution 5.6 pts
1 lb Chrystal Med Max yield: 1.033 85%: 1.028 Contribution 5.6 pts
1 lb Munich
Expected OG: 1.075

1 oz Simcoe @ 60
1 oz Chinook @ 60
1 oz Cascade @ 15
1 oz Cascade dry
Yeast: Safale 5
 
I like this beer a lot I love the pine and citrus taste and aroma and a nice malty backbone. very drinkable!
 

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