Orval

Bottle. Pours a translucent pale orange with a big frothy off white head. Looks great in the glass. Aroma of hops, yeast and citris. Dry and hoppy on the palate with a very distinct hop aftertaste. A very nice brew. More hoppy than what I’m used to with trappist ales, but I like it very much.

(bottle) pours a lightly hazy orange-amber colour with a stable, rocky head. aroma of wonderfully perfumed citric hop spices, grapefruit and fermented plums, with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla. flavour is again dominated by hop spices, with notes of citrus fruits, grain and occasionally some funky hints of leather. medium body with lively carbonation and a dry finish. a very elegant brew!

I had this beer while in Cleveland, OH. It was the first time I had seen it at a bar, so I had to try it. It was served in an Orval goblet, so I think I really got the most out of the experience. While it’s quite fruity, you can definitely taste the alcohol in the finish. Great Trappist brew.

11.2 oz. bottle poured into an Orval labeled Trappist glass. This is the first time I have had an Orval since January 29th, 2004. I was not rating on this site at that time so my previous rating on the old scale was three stars out of five and I had no notes. Orval pours a little darker than grapefruit juice with a medium-sized head that leaves curtain-like lacing on the glass. The aroma was full of citrus, light vinegar and quite floral. The initial taste is pretty tart. The hops do not mix in very smoothly with the overall character of the beer. There is a strong gueuze flavor (brett) to this beer. The body and finish are quite dry. The beer works well but I find it undeserving of its high rating.

Bottle pours cloudy orange with a thick frothy white head. Has a nice citrus and spice aroma. Has a medium light mouthfeel with a lot of carbonation. Flavor is yeast, citrus, tart, brett, with a dry finish. Overall a very nice brew that went well tonight as an apertif.

10 month old bottle. Nice looker, especially the head with its stiff peaks. Comes across as fairly light and spritzy. Probably better for summer than winter. Smells fruity. The initial sip was all tartness to me. I got used to it, but probably need a few more bottles before and if I become a fanboy.

No 653 Rated 28 12 2008 Bottle brown, 330 ml, Appearance pours beutifully orangy brown, oily, honey like, very lively and hazy to murky body with intensive and lively natural saturation, head is pillowy, frothy to creamy, milky white with nice, thick lacing, initially big in size, slowly decreasing to medium, later on lasting for a long time, very stable, firm, compact, Aroma I woul say that this beer apart from being a Belgian Ale has a class and style of its own, front is high hoppy denoting herbal accents mixed with marvellous citrusy scent of orange, clementine, lime, lemon, white wine grapes, gerrn olives, pineapple, grapefruit, fig, resin, wildberry, strawberry, blackberry, juniper berries, touches of pineapple wood, additionally very soft, sweet, perfume like hoppyness, very complez and highly aromatic beer denoting also notes of wheat , candid sugar but on the other hand suggesting mature dry taste, Flavour front is quite light but at the very beginning it becomes only more and more bitter on palate, when you enjoy it the bitterness becomes so strong and essential like yellow bile, it has a wonderful explosion of forest and citrusy fruits in nose, very dry and focused sharp bitterness reminds something more bitter than bare cacao, flavour represents the same fruity, hoppy, flowery, aromatic profile as the aroma, the taste is very complex but original and perfectly combined in a monolith, finish duration is long and pleasant with toastyness and wood, Palate body is medium, texture is dry, carbonation on palate is soft to medium, finish feel is highly astringent, very clean and slightly chalky and despite it alcohol content it is practicly not felt, THE ESSENCE OF BEER

Giant, soft, tan head that lasts. Pale, cloudy amber. Aromas mostly of earthy malt and yeast with hints of brown sugar, chocolate and leather. Bizarre flavours. Rather sour, initially, then becomes bitter and slightly watery. Very dry, almost to the point of acidity. Behind the hops and malt are complex "peppery" flavours, but the only fruit I detected was some slight raisin and black grape. Gassy, yet creamy mouthfeel with a dry, bitter finish. A good beer, but I cannot help but feel it is overrated simply because it is a Trappist product.