Orval

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

I couldn’t get past the cadaverous smell of paperwhites or narcissus to enjoy the beer. Presents nicely, with tall, tall creamy head. I’m being charitable with the 6 rating on flavor, because I’m sure that it’s an aquired taste. Worst $5 I ever payed for 11.2 oz of beer that smelled like monks had been wrestling in a field of flowers.

I really wanted to like this beer more than I did. The bottle is awesome and the pour is absolutely perfect (read: super-thick, rocky, lasting, awesome head). The aroma is kinda skunky, lemony, with a dank, floral, piney kinda taste. I really so no complexity at all, and even a little unpleasantness in the taste, though I still managed to find redeeming qualities. This beer really falls just short of greatness.

The beer pours a magnificent hazy deep orange, the head monstrous in size, creamy in its consistency and as it evanesces, leaves behind a satiny sheet of fine lace. The aroma of ripe bananas, yeast, sweet brown sugar with the malt underpinning it all makes this a real sniffers delight. Start malt and lightly sweet, the top slim in feel on the palate, biting in its acidity, the hops perky in their spicy bite, the aftertaste quite dry and long lasting. A real treat in all aspects and I prefer it to “Duvel”, and many other Belgians for that fact.

Bottled November 2005. Marmalade coloured with a huge, billowing white head. Aroma of bitter oranges, herby hops with a whiff of brett. Flavour started of citrus hops before a slightly acidic finish. Highly distinctive and really enjoyable.

Very tall creamy off-white head on an orange body. Beautiful beer! Aroma is not too heavy with notes of fruit, citrus and hops of course! Flavor is very dry and hoppy with fruit and some citrus. A nice and refreshing but quite different beer!

As my palate has grown I have discovered this to be the perfect beer in all means. I love sour beers, I Iove hoppy beers - Orval has both! There is no doubt anymore, this is my second 5.0 of all time!

[1201-20080307] 330mL bottle. Sweet pineapple yeast aroma. Cloudy, brown body with a long-lasting foamy off-white head. Sweet plasticy boozy yeast flavour has a hint of fruity lemon peel. Medium body is thick. Interesting, want to re-rate later.

(Bottled On: 27/06/2006 - Labeled as being 6.9% abv). Appearance: Pours an orange-amber body with a tall, foamy white head. Smell: Complex aroma filled with notes of citrus, pears, apple cores, gentian, sauvignon blanc, and a second-hand horseblanket store. Taste: Flavors of unripened pears, piced citrus, and bitter herbs. Dash of white wine. Sour and funky throughout. Hops come through now and again amongst all the various tastes. Finishes peppery and exceedingly dry. Lingering tongue-numbing sourness in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Spritzy, lightly prickly carbonation. Drinkability: Certainly one of the more unique Trappist beers out there, I’ll give it that.

Bottle, Trappist Glass, Beer Bistro, Toronto. Dark copper pour, somewhat cloudy. Fantastic floral aroma, lots of fruit in there as well. Mouthfeel is quite active, but not over carbonated - perfectly balanced with the numerous flavours - malt, spiciness, some fruit (I got raspberry and even some melon) and all topped off with a dry hoppiness. Alcohol is present, but only in a complimenting way. This was my first time trying this beer ever - what a wonderful beer and a true pleasure to drink.