Orval

Holy moley. Tastes stronger than it really is. Super complex taste, buried deep in a light, cloudy body. Nice frothy head. Basically amazing. Dunno if I could do more than one.

Bottle. Really citrus dominated aroma with lots of grapefruits.Mouthfeel is a bit sour and really dry. Flavor consists of bananas,citrus and a sour finish.

I most recently drank a ten month old bottle next to a JP Luciernaga, Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic, and Girardin Black. Even among such world class beers, Orval is the benchmark.

Has a cloudy orange appearance with a thick, bubbly head. Aroma is of banana and caramel. Bubbles over the palate with bitter finish, somewhat like grapefruit.

bottle. Pours a cloudy, orange-copper color with a huge off-white fluffy head which lingered throughout the drink. Smell is lemon-rind yeast and some alcohol. Taste is same as smell. Mouthfeel is medium-to-thin with lots of carbonation. Dry and tart. I was not impressed with this as it was lemony, but so what and did not seem complex to me.

color was very surprising based upon initial aroma gathered from the bottle, before the pour. one of the hoppiest trappists, thats for sure. some orange and musty animals in the nose which translates well to the pallete. aftertaste falls off a cliff at 80 mph, dry finish is severe and enjoyable. palate character has elements of cider possibly: dry, muted/darkened fruit...all articulated to varying extents into the flavor. i remember many years ago when sam adams was the hoppiest beer i had ever had. at the time (pre 21) i didnt understand that that ’pine tree’ taste was hops, and now when im trying to expalin hops to someone that doesnt understand i use that beer as an example. well orval is one of the most perfect examples of brettanomyces. if you are unclear on what that means, drink an orval. you wont be disappointed

33cl bottle courtesy of Harrisoni. This is awful. A kind of cloudy orange-brown colour with the smell of a lemon toilet cleaner. The initial taste is of a poor quality cloudy cider in which someone’s let a nail go rusty. There’s no subtly anywhere. Let it linger in your mouth and it tastes of vodka mixed with oranges and burnt sugar. The finish is a combination of rough burnt sugar and what I imagine bile tastes like. Maybe the beer’s gone off but then again Harrisoni said I wouldn’t like it.

bottle served in a tulip glass. hazy amber pour with a thick off-white head. nose of lemon rind, banana, and some yeasty spiciness. very unique tart bready taste with some noticeable citrus and barnyard characteristics. nice dry finish that leaves some bitterness and alcohol warmth at the base of your throat. head lasts throughout the entire glass. interesting and quite different, and I am glad that I have tried it, but it isn’t something that i could see myself drinking again.