Orval

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

UPDATED: APR 2, 2011
Bottle 330ml.

Pours a golden orange color with a huge white head. This head does not go away! It is incredible! Aroma is fantastic, smelling grapefruit and citrus. Taste is similar to a hefeweizen, but a sweet version. Leaves a nice sweet taste at the finish. A little spice is in the flavor as well.
8-4-8-4-16

Bottle 330ml. @ home.

[ Re-rate on Orval Appreciation Day 2011 ]. Clear medium to dark amber orange color with a large, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, pale malt, moderate to heavy hoppy, citrus - grapefruit, fruity, moderate to heavy yeasty, brett, light barnyard - leather. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. One of my all time favorit beers - alwas in the house ;O) [20110331]
9-4-9-4-18

UPDATED: FEB 20, 2010 An unclear orange beer with a fantastic head. The aroma is sweet with notes of fruit, orange, and other spices. The flavor is sweet with notes of orange, fruit, yeast, cinnamon, and other spices. It ends on a nice bitterness combined with an acidic note. A great beer - but not the best of the trappists.

An early ’90’s bottle - best before 10/12/93 and at 5.2% ABV, sampled in 2010. An unclear dark golden with a fine off-white head. The aroma has notes of lemon, brettanomyces, and lacto acid. The flavor is very dry with notes of brettanomyces, some wood and lemon on a lightly malty back ground, leading to a dry and lightly tart finish. I prefer them fresher (hophead), but it sure holds up 7/3/7/3/14=3.4

UPDATED: JAN 8, 2006 (Bottle 33 cl) Since Orval tuned up the alcohol with 1% in ’93 or ’94 they unfortunately also started cutting some edges making the beer loose some character and a bit of hoppiness. Still I believe this is an outstanding world classic - although not a beer for everyone. Dark amber with a huge, fluffy head. But the sweet sensation in this is the extremely sophisticated spicing which is truly unique and unlike any other beer. 300493 & 050394

33 cL bottle. Pours unfiltered orange with a huge off-white head. Aroma is most of all hoppy, what a difference from the other trappists, but it also has so many other components: YEAST, fruits. spices, slight sweetness but most of all: the aroma is dry. Flavour is citric, malt sweetness which is good for balance to the sour/bitter hop notes. Strong bitterness into the finish. First time I had this I was in awe, I had found the perfect beer and no one around me could understand the same thing. I’ve come back and been in doubt several times, but this one deserves to be in the same league as the golden 12. There doesn’t seem to be an "inbetween" with this one, either you like it and wholeheartedly appreciate it, or you move on - I stay still, this is my beer for an evening on the balcony as the sun sets...

Orange coloured very lively beer. Perfumy and very complex smell. Tastes of orange peels, and finishes bitter.

Bottled. Copper coloured, big white foamy head. Aroma is pretty complex but atleast I found it spicy and hoppy with hints of yeast. The nose was a bit like some wines. Flavour was almost the same as aroma, mainly spicy and hoppy with hints of yeast. Also noted a bit grassiness/mould in the flavour. Tastewise a very rich beer, and very wellbalanced. Good stuff.

Bottled. Cloudy orange coloured with a huge off white head. Fruity aroma with some sweetness and notes of spices, hops and alcohol. Fruity flavour of spices and hops. Dry bitter finish.

UPDATED: FEB 20, 2010 Bottle, 6.2%. Nice hop aroma, good and teaish. Cloudy orange colour. Big stable head. Highly carbonated. Nicely hoppy flavour with a pleasant bitterness. The flavour is not as aromatic as the aroma, but nice enough. The aftertaste is also quite bitter with a little aroma hops. 7 3 7 3 18

Bottle, 5.2%. Best before 1993, 17 years ago. Lemony brett aroma. Cloudy dark orange colour. Small stable creamy white head. The flavour is citric and bretty. A lot like the aroma. The aftertaste is slightly moldy, dry brettiness. The finishing bitterness gets a little rough. Definitely still drinkable. 7 3 6 3 16