Orval

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

Bottle. Had this a couple of years ago before I joined this site and didn’t think that much of it. So I was a bit prejudiced coming to rate it here. Cloudy orange colour with thin disappearing white head. Aroma is of sour oranges, and caramel and hop. Enticing. Faint rubber tones. Palate again is sour with orange/ tangerine but good and balanced. Finish is citric dry and quite aggresively hoppy with more orange. Anyway this changed my mind about this beer as you can tell from the score I gave it. Funny how your palate alters as you try more and different beers 4.3/5. Re-rate again at 4.5. This just gets better every time.4.6 OK, so this is just such a surprise every time I have it. A September 08 bottle in Feb 09. Best aroma and flavour.

I must rate this beer from having it fresh in Belgium where it is much different. Very grassy Saaz hop nose with candied lemon and a touch of Bretty green apple. Pillowy head that makes your nose extremely pleased with the gas release. a different beer altogether than we get here.

[bottle, dated 1/6/04, 6.9%ABV] Pours a cloudy, glowing orange color- head is ample, with large bubbles around the edges and thick, lumpy center. The aroma is so unique- very floral, with some brett character. Flavors are mostly sweet apples and pears, funky yeast and a touch of brett. Surprisingly hoppy, but the hops seem to balance well. Overall, a unique and interesting beer- one of my favorites.

2005 bottle. Cyprus @ All about Beer. Haze golden to orange color. Great aromas of fruit with floral and spices. You also have a wide variety of fruity and spices flavors. A great aftertaste adds to this very nice beer. Great stuff ! Re-Rate after I tried my third bottle (2004 this one), Even more complex great taste and aftertaste. Gave max points to flavor and +1 to aroma. One of my favourite beers I could drink it every day.

The most "exotic" trappist ale and very different from the others. Orval’s legendary bitterness is disliked by some, but is integral part of this beer from one of Belgium’s oldest abbeys (history dating back to early 11th century). It is recommended to keep the beer a few months in the cellar before consumption for a smoother and more mellow taste. Unlike most other Belgian beers.

So dry, it slaps you in the mouth like a drunk nun. Fuckin rules...Definitely the driest of the Belgians I’ve tasted. A little skunky too...but it works with it.

a+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

One of the best aromas in beer, perfume, flowers, intense. Large rocky head atop a bright orange effervescing body. Flavor: very dry (in fact too dry sometimes depending on the bottle). brett. Citric hops stand out (more kumquat/orange, less grapefruit/lemon). Yeast and horseblanket character seamlessly integrated. Dry finish. Classic.