Orval

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

Bottle. Golden colour with a very lively white head. Aroma: sourness/bret, yeast, spices, light cheese, citrus, wood. Taste: sour and tart (but not lambic extreme), horse blanket, citrus, spices, cider, bitter hops, lightly bready. Dry finish. Very complex, but also very drinkable.

A: a hazey rich honey or light orange color. Pours a hefty/rocky head with lots of CO2 bubbles S: mildly sour apples and white grapes T: very fruity and dry turning giving way to some malt/bready flavors as it reaches cellar temperature M: nice, full and lots of delicate/soft carbonation D: Very nice beer with plenty of flavors. Complex beer but very drinkable. Serving type: bottle

- Begins with strong funky, oaky, musty flavors - Very dry - Taste little bit of hops, but the strong musty taste is overpowering - Lingering bitterness (rec. It’s Alive by Milkeller)

My bottle of Orval was bottled on 09/07/08, making her the freshest bottle of Orval I have quaffed to date. The expiration date on the bottle is 09/07/2013. When the Trappist monks themselves mark their beer 6 years into the future, then one knows they have a brewing work of art in their glass. One of 6 official Trappist breweries, Orval has been brewing their beer for centuries using the same recipe and the same tried and true yeast strains which give Orval her quintessentially enigmatic and devious nature. Devious because no two batches are ever the same, something that, when it comes to Orval, is a good thing. Without qualm, she will either scare or seduce both the newbie and the veteran.

Orval. Let the magic begin.

She poured with a billowing head of soft cream-colored foam which equaled in height the depth of her brew below. In no rush, I give her bounty a few minutes to recede before I gently poured the rest of her liquid wealth into my chalice-shaped glass. I don’t have an official Orval glass yet, but I will. A splattered cotton-candy network of lace paints the sides of my glass while her soft head rests comfortably atop her kingdom. Chunks of foam drift lazily while her nose envelopes me. Orange, grapefruit, honey, apples, pears, dry sour funk, leather, and wood while ginger, nutmeg, and cumin mingle amidst the continuous onslaught of aromas. Melons and plums make themselves known as soft floral notes of lavender soothe some of the sharper edges. Eyes closed, I rest atop a cloud of pure olfactory bliss, but that is only half the joy of Orval, and so in full revelry, I savor my first quaff. Crisp, bright, and dry with an immediately drying presence of palate. Lightly bitter finish hints of grapefruit while pervading warmth is laced with dry spices, leather, and wood. Mingling throughout her palate, nips of melon, pears, apples, plums, and apricot speak of a sweeter side to Orval even as dry grass and hay join the grapefruit for a crisp finish. As she warms and I try to ignore our diminishing time together, her palate reminds me of a bountiful cornucopia of delicate sweet fruits surrounded by dry earthen aromas and flavors with just the right amount of spice and crispness leading to her finish. I cannot compare my fresh Orval to my last because it was too long ago and each Orval is different. I do know that as much as I shall enjoy a few more fresh bottles, I will definitely be setting aside a few for aging.

Orval exemplifies Belgian Trappist brewing at is enigmatic best. The monks at Orval do two things: brew beer and make cheese. There can be no more divine a marriage than beer and cheese for obvious sensory indulgent reasons. If at first Orval does not succeed for you, do not give up. The next Orval to come your way may be the one which invites your “ah-ha” moment of supplication.

Pours a nice hazy amber with about 1.5 centimeters of head on top of 6 cm of beer. Aroma is of citrus, a bit of yeast, bubblegum, and a hint of bananas. The aroma is a bit more delicate than I would expect. The flavor is relatively hoppy with quite a bit of citrus. It has a pleasingly long finish, which is sweet, and a bit creamy.

Bought a bottle at the LCBO. Nice colour and foamy head. Nice aroma of citrus and flowers. Hoppy flavour with noticeable dryness.

En dejlig kold øl i den begyndende forårsvarme. Mild klassisk trappistøl med en rolig eftersmag. Overraskende lysorange mat farve skjult bag den mørke facade og et glimrende valg af øl, hvis man står i kiosken og leder efter noget nyt. Problemet er at den ikke egner sig som gå-øl. Formen umuliggør at skummet bliver i flasken og efter min smag en lidt for lys øl, der mangler lidt smag.

330ml bottle, cellar temp in chalice. Hazy amber/orange with huge thick fluffy head. Not even able to pour the beer completely in the chalice. Yeasty and spicy aroma. finish is quite dry, slight bitterness, a bit citrusy. Quite different from beer to beer. Will add some info with future samples. Rating #90. Rerate 090509. Had a 1 year old bottle (bottled 090529) and it was nicely bretty in aroma and taste. Nothing too hard, just a nice touch of brett. It was my best Orval to date. Still not a huge fan as some are but I like it more and more. Flavor up from 7 to 8.