Orval

Beautiful still clear copper with a perfect white head that chills forever. Perfect brett aroma with grains and grist, hops and spice. Lemon, honey, ginger, coriander, peach and apple come to mind. The brett and grain taste is delicious with enough balance to keep me drinking for days. Grass, pepper, lemon, honey, and ginger in the mouth. Unbelievable. One of the all time greats and one of my personal favorites. Thank God for this brew.

Damn, this IS good. Has some bretts, but isn’t overkill. Nose is full of funky horseblanket. Flavor is smooth, slightly oaky and ending on a dry note. Completely clean palate afterwards. Pours amber with fluffy white head. One of the best Belgians I’ve had. Lots of tannins, but incredibly balanced and smooth.

Can’t believe I’m just getting around to tasting Orval. This bottle poured a bright and a bit cloudy orange with a generous fluff of white head on top. Aroma is citrus and definitely funky. Thankfully, the flavor here is totally solid, with a nice spicy hop backbone supporting that trappist yeast. Almost peppery in character. Delicious!

Cloudy orange pour with an off white / yellow fulffy head. Yeastly pineapple citrus aroma. Sour, funky dry flavor. Great carbonation and linger.

Bottle from March 2008. Pours a milky golden color with big head which eventually fades to a thin, but full head. Aroma of apples and citrus with some Brett notes. Moderately bitter with a dry clean crisp finish. Alcohol is well hidden and carbonation leaves it a bit prickly. Always a favorite of mine, but first time rating it.

Bottle. Pouring this the first time reminded me of my first champagne tasting. Thin head hides aroma of fruit, raisins and some yeast. Tatste of apple and christmas nuts. A complex beer, absolutely stunning.

Hazy fine champagne carbonation which results in Big head Big bubbles and a Big fruity aroma of citrus and vanilla. Light mouth feel without being thin. Salty thirst quenching and satisfying hoppy though not very big.

Bottle dated Sep 13 2007. Poured into a Chimay goblet (closest thing I have to an Orval goblet). Pumpkin pie color with a light tan head that foams up to two fingers’ height and manages to maintain itself at a solid half centimeter for most of the duration of the beer. Huge chunky lacing. Tart bretty nose, almost like an unblended lambic but not as sour. Some distinct phenolic notes with a touch of golden apple and banana. Sort of somewhere between saison, geuze, and tripel. As it breathes it takes on a more sweet and floral character. Wonderful. Flavor is lightly fruity with unripe pears. Lots of spices, white pepper, orange peel. Funky grassy brett influence. Dry bitter noble hop finish. Body is a bit chalky (I poured the yeast in) and medium in viscosity. Highly carbonated but somehow it isn’t distracting like in some Belgians. Remarkable complexity, so multifarious that I’m afraid I can’t fully describe/appreciate this beer. Phenomenal.