Orval

Brewed by Brasserie dOrval
Style: Belgian Ale
Florenville - Villers-d.-Orval, Belgium

Few beers take longer to pour than Orval. Pour is rich-looking cloudy brown with enormous, rocky tan head. Aroma is spicy coriander and clove with a nice floral hop presence. Also some faint barnyard aromas with hay and grass, and a touch of orange and lemon peel in the finish. Aroma is dry, crisp, and inviting. Very effervescent palate with coriander, clove, and floral hops up-front. The middle is dry and faintly bitter with a hop underline. Finish is long and dry with faint yeast and various hop flavors taking turns: mostly floral and pine with occasional citrus. This has been a long time favorite of mine and will continue to be.

House of Brews: tulip: Citrus aroma immediately noticeable, undertones of hops. Taste reveals alot more hops, but also some creaminess which was not expected. Very well balanced. Medium to high carbonation.

Pours a slightly amber orange, slightly cloudy, with very thick off-white head, which stays around for the entire glass. Way above average lacing, but this is not overcarbonated. If it was, I would have had a glass full of foam rather than a perfect pour. Aroma of tart fruit, hops, loads of spices, and yeast. Flavor is similar, but oh so refreshing. Finishes with a nice bitterness and a slightly creamy mouthfeel. Quite a nice drink that I would be happy to have any day. Very nice.

I would simply describe it as refreshing. Moderately thick head for this style and did not have the characteristic sweetness found in many other belgian ales -- I guess that means it was dry. But, I could drink this one every day and be happy.

Not the best beer, but good taste. It looks very hazy so it doesn’t look attractive to me. It tastes very dry. Good beer, but nothing more then that.

Very tall creamy off-white head on an orange body. Beautiful beer! Aroma is not too heavy with notes of fruit, citrus and hops of course! Flavor is very dry and hoppy with fruit and some citrus. A nice and refreshing but quite different beer!

Pours semi-cloudy golden orange. Aroma is orange, lemon, wheat, vanilla, and caramel. Very fizzy in the mouth with an almost sour taste that is wheat and lemon and maybe sour apple. Very unique beer and very good.

Bottle from Holiday Wine Cellar (Escondido, CA). Pours into Chimay goblet a golden orange-brown. Huge fluffy white head with very impressive staying power. Bright and sweet aroma of yeast, zesty citrus (lemon, tangerine), and spice. Flavor includes the same things found in the nose but more bitterness than sweetness. Definitely more hops here than in other Trappists, and the taste seems to be somewhat more toward a good IPA as much a Trappist ale.