Orval

Pours a cloudy orange with a thin white head, The aroma is very sweet. Banana, grape, and hops stand out. I do detect hints of other dark fruit, maybe plum. The flavor is about the same, the banana really stands out at first, but the finish a a bit bitter with the hops coming through. Not what I expected, but still pretty good.

Pleasant hoppy aroma. Pours a cloudy orange colour with a fairly large and long lasting head. Highly carbonated. Strong hoppy flavour with moderate to high bitterness. An enjoyable beer.

Cloudy pour. Very sweet smell. Several fruit notes detected. Banana, citrus and sweet grape. Taste is reflective of the scent. Sweet fruit with a grape like disposition. Very well done.

Bottle, bottled on date 24/04/2007 best before 24/04/2012. A hazy light amber pour ,loads of carbonation bubbles,and a huge fluffy off white head, wonderful lacing and lasted till the very end. Aroma is a wonderful scent of spices,sugar and lemon,lighter notes of orange and a nice finish of yeast and hops.The flavor is a blend of spices & lemon, Light banana notes and fruity esters form the yeast, nice bready notes, a crisp refreshing mouthfeel with a very dry finish of hops and alcohol. Very complex and balanced.A very fun try .

A slightly hazy bronze with a hefty, aerated, white head. Fuddy, soapy aromas. With hints of brandy booziness lifted by light peaches and sweet caramel biscuits. It holds a lot of brandy and un-peaty whiskey flavours that are again lightened by sweet orange and pear with underlying dark raisins. Some dried apricot flavours match the richness well creating a cakey sweetness. Very smooth, oily and perfectly carbonated. I drank this with a rich cheese souffle, it really lightened the slightly bitter cheese though its carbonation reacted in a curdling way in the mouth. Not a bad match but it could definitely have been better.

Funny shaped bottle with no visible date anywhere. Massive white head and a dark cloudy orange color, looks cool. Smells like brett and tastes like it too, funky, dusty pineapple and malty biscuity flavor. This is an interesting beer and unlike any other trappist beer I’ve tasted thus far. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 03-29-2009 03:01:23

Colore arancione,schiuma persistente ed abbondante,aroma deciso di albicocca,gusto secco.Decisamente una delle mie preferite.

Appearance: Right off the bat I have to say this beauty pours with about 14 fingers of massive pale white soapy looking head. Jeez Louise that’s a massive stretch of foam! Additionally, it has a nice clear warm amber color. There is minimal cloudiness, and the immense amount of bubbles proves that this is a very vibrant beer. Smell: I absolutely love the smell of Orval. There is a ton of banana bread and clove components right up front that are met up later by some funky lemon undertones. This beer really smells old world and the spices, for the most part, are very hard to pick apart. I also get a bit of alcohol presence in the nose which is odd since it only sits around 6.9% ABV. Taste: Tastes almost identical to the smell. There is lots of banana bread in the mouth with a hint of lemon funk to back it up. Throughout the beer, several strange (yet enjoyable) floral components begin to come out. This is potentially due to the temperature change as you work through it. The lemon and funk essence that lies underneath is very reminiscent of a gueuze. In the end, you are left with a very nice deep banana taste on the tongue. Mouthfeel: In terms of mouthfeel, this is more along the lines of how an IPA hits the palate than a Belgian style ale. It has lots of flavor and a well-rounded bitterness. There is also (as the pouring would insinuate) loads of effervescence that immediately slams into your tongue. In terms of body, this is not quite a medium-bodied beer, but close. Overall: Of all the Trappist beers I’ve had so far, this is easily one of my favorite. I’m a huge fan of the whole banana bread and clove element of it. I will say it’s maybe a touch too "bubbly" for my taste, but I can’t really find a whole lot more to complain about. I’ll definitely be picking up some more of these down the road.