Orval

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

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.

Bottled Summer 2007. Pours copper with a big frothy white head. Aroma is flowers, spice, perfume, hops and lemon. Flavor is very complex. Spicy and hop up front with some citrus zest finish. Quite dry. Interesting beer if not a favorite.

great beer...very enjoyable! thick and foamy head with great retention. i get flavors of oak and leather with just a hint of sour.

Bottled on 7/5/07 and best before 7/5/2012. Poured a golden brown color with very thick head. Includes hints of fruit. Overall a pretty solid beer, but prefer others in its class.

A deep amber body with a thick beige head, the aroma is malty with notes of plum. The taste suggested more than the 6.9% ABV in mine, but it was a very smooth and steady flavor experience with a surprisingly crisp finish. An excellent ale.

Appearance: Poured slowly on a slant into my glass, and found a super monstrous foamy head flying out of the bottle and into the glass. Beneath this large head is a dark, dull gold, that lets in no light. I am amazed that this large crown of foam barely went away. Aroma: Mild, yet very noticeable brettanomyces funk. Then some spiced green apples,and dry malt. Taste: With a nose of funk, I didnt know what to expect. What I got was a sturdy mouthful of hops followed by a slightly funky finish. The funk included So perfectly balanced. Mouthfeel: Full bodied and carbonated just right. Overall: A beer made with brett that was not over the top. There were two stars of this show, and neither tried to out do one another. My hat goes off to the yeast and the hops for stealing the show.