Orval

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

Pothuiske, maastricht (NL) ; Solid stable foam on top of a nicely amber/orange coloured beer. A spice aroma with al type of acid flavors and of course the wet dog dominantly present. The first taste impression is bitter - sour but after some time some sweetness is coming through

Bottle from September 08. Pours a cloudy amber with an amazing enormous cream colored head that becomes chunky as it falls. Aroma is sharp, sour, grassy, with some hemp. Flavor has a lot of wet hay and earthy flavors, with white grape and sour lemon. Finishes bitter. 10/12/09 - had it again in a bottle from 4/2009, but I’m leaving my rating as reflecting the older bottle. The younger bottle was good and a bit sharper and hoppier, but the sourness and earthy complexity wasn’t as present. I think I’m sticking to drinking this a little more aged.

A low score. This was a fresh one, bottled April ’09. The initial aroma from the bottle was almost cider-esque, flavour is sour cherries and aniseed, with quite a harsh bitterness and dry on the back of the throat, so I can understand the wine comparison, mentioned below. Lots of life in the pour, with an effervescent, light, foaming head. Not the classic I’ve read about, but a beer I fully intend to cellar for a year or three to see how it compares.

Lovely burning amber colour with a huge creamy off-white head creating lovely landscapes on top. Aroma is spicy from the hops white the brett co-exists perfectly with the malt foundation. Mouthfeel is lively and spreads every flavour around in the mouth, flavours of spicy hops, grapefruit, subtile funk and sweet, clean malts. The finish is dry and bitter, musty and funky with a white-pepper like bitterness. A complex, fun-to-drink classic that I drink any day.

Poured into a chalice. Appearance is a very beautiful golden with a thick head. Belgian beers always look so damn tasty and dignified. Smells like a champagne, very fruity, grapes stand out most. Taste is similarly fruity with a very dry finish. Again grapes and maybe a tiny hint of a citrus fruit are present. While it is very good, I would have preferred a little more definition. Mouthfeel is high carbon and thin..a beer with this flavor would be too flat any other way. As for drinkability, I would buy this again in a pinch if selection is limited, but would likely pass this over in most situations. It’s good, but doesn’t scream for me to come back to it immediately. On the other side, this would be a great starter beer for someone coming from champagne/wine.

Much hoppier (and, for that matter, more dry) than I was expecting from a Trappiste brew! A beer I could thoroughly recommend, though probably my least favourite of the Trappiste beers I’ve tried (that’s not as harsh as it sounds).

You know, I’m thinking I should try this one again. I got a bottle from a reputable store but just wasn’t a fan... maybe it was too old, if that’s even possible.