Orval

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

Pour 9,99$, le verre Orval était un bon achat au Grand-Duc. Première bière bue dans ce verre: une Orval (29/05/2008) qui avait passé 6 mois dans ma grandiose cave à bière (un rustique d’sous d’escalier). J’avais déjà été déçu par cette bière, mais probablement par ma faute, l’ayant servi trop froide. Les arômes sont très marqués, peut-être à cause du verre ou de l’effet psychologique dont je je suis peut-être victime. Bière au goût probablement unique, qui dévoile vraiment ses subtilités fruitées, légèrement sucrées et citronnées bue à 12-14 degré tel que recommandé. Au moins, cette délicieuse bière belge est disponible au Québec... ENGLISH: Most enjoyable if you respect the serving temperature indicated (12-14 Celcius, something like 50-55 farenheit). Amazing and unique taste, blend of subtle spices, with lemon, slightly sugary although quite bitter. This bottle had only 10 months aging and seemed already somewhat sweeter. Excellent beer, no doubt about it, but make sure cold doesn’t turn the sticker blue. Ah? It’s already blue?

Pours hazy amber with thick white head. Aroma of spice, citrus, hops. The flavor is quite complex with caramelized fruit, citrus hops, and dry berries. The body is smooth, dry, and the finish lasts and lasts. Quite a nice beer.

bottle, orange with yeast poured (thus cloudy). Excellent beer, one expects a higher percentage alcohol with such well-balanced and flavoured beer.

Bottle aged 1 year, courtesy of PaulHegedus. Pours burnt orange with creamy, pale tan head in chalice. Lemon and coriander on the nose, medium body with slight oily feel, strong yeasty flavour with some honey sweetness. Finish is dry and green apple crisp.

Sampled thanks to sean from Cool Springs. Pours a hazy yellow straw with large offwhite head. Nose is a lemony citrus. Flavor has some farmhouse qualities and alcohol, no hops are detectable. Tart and dry and highly carbonated. Good, but overated in my opinon.

2006 Bottle - 6.9% - Pours a clouded orange with a ridiculously massive white head...great beglian sour aroma, spicy, lemony...flavour is similarly tart, clove, yeast, citrus...finishes bitter, but not hoppy, just bitter, almost like lemon pith...I have mixed emotions every time I drink this...

Bottle from Systembolaget. Hazy orange with a huge white head. Most of the head dissaperes and leaves a lot of lacing. Fruity, spicy and yeasty aroma. Hops adds great complexity to the beer. Belgians realy are sucessful in using hops when they try!

Really good stuff. Caramel and red in color, with a rocky, varied head built of small bubbles just a tan shade from white. A steady column of carbonation keeps going in the center like a well built fire. Aromas of caramel and raisin. Bitter hops on the palate are softened by the elegant yeast and slightly juicy center. Drying finish. Fig, plum, yeast, grapefruit, lemon soda, medium caramel and black pepper.