Review of New Belgium Brewing Ranger IPA
Posted By Ken Tuesday, 19 October 2010 19:35
I know, I'm back with yet another IPA review. Sorry, when it is your favorite style, it is hard not to drink a lot of it. I had had this first at a bar here in Indy, then grabbed a sixer on the way to a friend's house a couple weeks ago. As we speak I'm taking down bottle 5 of 6, so this one should be pretty accurate, especially considering I just started drinking it. Read on and see how this IPA fan thought this one stacked up.
Ken's Review
Taste: A- Ranger was a surprise. It didn't come off quite as I expected it was going to the first time I had it, and has continued to surprise since. There is a front end that has a nice balance of citrus and a little piney taste, that goes up into a quick taste of the hoppiness and settles back down nicely. This one is almost a perfect balance in hops and taste, and leaves just the faintest aftertaste in your mouth, which isn't minded at all. Overall a pretty tasty beer.
Packaging: B Packaging on Ranger is pretty plain, not that that's necessarily a bad thing. There is a pea-soup green colored background on which RANGER resides in large letters underneath the New Belgium logo, then had INDIA PALE ALE underneath that in smaller letters. At the bottom is a group of hops that are mainly drawn with black edges and no color other than the match of the pea-soup background. Simple, but not really anything to complain about.
Value: B+ Picked up the sixer of Ranger for $8.49. It was priced at $9.99 on the shelf, so not sure where that discount came from but I wasn't going to argue. Somewhere in the $8-$10 range for a sixer is pretty typical for this brewer. Not a terrible price, but on some of their beers maybe a little higher than I'd be willing to pay. This one definitely isn't one I mind paying a little extra for.
Drunkeness: B Ranger is a 6.5% IPA. While not at the bottom of the IPA alcohol ladder, it certainly isn't near the top. Overall that content works well because it allows you to get just enough of a buzz going and keep enjoying the beer before you've just had too much. Doing a full sixer in one night by yourself might leave a little hangover the next morning, but nothing like other IPAs you can choose from.
Overall: B+ Not previously being a big fan of New Belgium's stuff, they are starting to surprise me the more of their beers I try. I like that beers like the Ranger are going beyond the spectrum of Fat Tire, which is a good beer for what it is, but I like a little more body to my beer and Ranger definitely hits that without issue. Highly recommend giving this one a whirl if you get the chance!