Orval

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Orvall is arguably the most recognizable and respected of all the Trappist breweries, save perhaps for Chimay. Orval is immediately identifiable by their unusual bottle shape. It looks like a small brown bowling pin. 12 ounce bottled pulled into a rudimentary glass chalice. I poured this one slowly and tossed out a bit to avoid having the beer overpowered by the yeast cake on the bottom of the bottle. The beer is tangerine in color, more orange than I remember. It’s the color of sun tea. Small bubbles make up a larger rocky head. Nice lacing that looks a lot like dish soap. Solid inch worth of head on this one, even with my conservative pouring efforts. Smell is amazing, intoxicating. I get some light hits of yeasty clove and bananas to start things off, before things get a little more hefty. There’s a strong fruit presence here, with some cherry standing out for me. Im also getting a distinct apple presence. Combined with the malt profile it’s almost like smelling a hot apple pie. There’s also some clear earthy barnyard funkiness going on. Mouthfeel is light, almost to the point of effervescence, and there’s very little in terms of bitterness. I haven’t had Orval in quite some time. My first real drink in a long while just takes the concept of Trappist beer and turns it directly on it’s ear. Huge amount of dry and musky Brett yeast can be found through out the beer, adding an incredible amount of flavor. Hop character is relatively muted, though it’s there up front. Reminds me of pear cactus. While there’s a ton of things going on, the beer remains an absolute joy to drink. The light body makes this a very quaffable beer, though the flavor profile encourages you to meander. As the beer warms it offers you more, as the brett notes start to highlight more of the caramel malt profile. Those with a patient palate will find that this beer offers a level of enjoyment few others can match. For me, it’s so good it borders on ridiculous. There’s really nothing to fault within this beer. Impecablle, simply incomparable. Highly recommended.

Bottle, 33 cl. Hazy golden to blond-orange coloured beer with medium white head. Aroma is fruity, hoppy and herbal & spicy. The smell overall is very specific and fantastic. The beer also has a rather unique taste. It is sharp & grassy at first and overal hoppy, surrounded by some malts, making the beer milder and a fruity background taste. You also taste spices, the finish is hoppy and bitter. This is a beer you need to learn to drink: because of its explicit taste you don’t like it that much at first, but when you get used to it and learn to know the beer, you discover which a fantastic beer you are drinking.

Amber color, off white head. Aroma is fruity, almost to the extent of a kriek beer. Taste is on the sour side. This one was not quite what I expected - have been looking forward to it for a long time, I think I will give it a second try another time.

Aroma: Smells of citrus,herbs, Appearance: golden, orange, cloudy, frothy, white foam, Taste: medium sweetness, medium bitterness, Palate: medium body, fizzy, thin feel, Overall: This is a fantastic beer, great aroma, nicely brewed.

Pours red/brown with off white head that is frothy and lasting. Nice grass, citrus, and lemony hops complements some funky barnyard and earth in the aroma. Taste is creamy, a bit of hops leading into a funk middle with a dry bitter finish. Great brew

Poured orange. Head bubbly head. Aroma of citrus, grass and mustiness. Nice texture, lively carbonation. Citrus flavor. Hoppy bitterness. Slight Belguim yeast tang. An almost wheaty undertone which I can’t put my finger on exactly. Long and dry finish. Definitely adds to the complexity. Really great.

Le liquide a une couleur très singulière avec des teintes brunes et orangées. La mousse est crémeuse et a une bonne rétention. Une petite dentelle est observée. Le nez est complexe avec un savant mélange de houblons très parfumés, de fruits acides et de levure épicée. Au goût, de bonnes notes amères provenant des houblons accompagnent une levure au caractère âcre. En bouche, le liquide est de moyenne corpulence avec une effervescence active et appropriée. En finale, le liquide laisse derrière lui des notes acides et une amertume juste à point. En résumé, unique et toujours intéressante.

Hazy amber coloured pour with an off-white, whipped creamy head on its top. The smell is fruity and vinegar liked. The start is sharp, mouthfeel is nicely slick, flavour’s of apples and grapes. The aroma is of caramell, citrus, wheat and light spicy notes in the back. The finish is vine dry, hoppy and resin-liked dry at last. Overall a nicely balanced, enjoyable belgian stuff.