Orval

Pours darker than I thought it would - a cloudy, reddish amber with a huge Belgian head. Very strong aroma - wonderfully aromatic - surprising amounts of hops for a Belgian, but balanced by plenty of malts and orange / grapefruit citrus. It’s a bit tart on the nose. Carbonation is strong, biting into your palate right away, giving way to bitter citrus and a very dry finish with plenty of hops. Very good, and certainly refined - would be fantastic after a few years in the cellar. The carbonation is just a bit too strong, and the palate could use a little bit of mellowing. Wonderfully refreshing, though.

Small bit of foam builds in the neck after releasing the cap. Pours a dark burnt orange with a pillow of white head that doesn’t lace much as it recedes speedily. Pungeant perfume spices and hop aromas. A bit of grapefruit and tart citrus. Nicely carbonated and dry enough to give it a good bite. Significantly hoppy and everything lingers. The spice and perfume stay on the tongue while the drying finish makes each sip a complete joy. One of the best and easily the most unique Trappist.

I hope nobody minds this placeholder rating for the purposes of the DD Top Ten list. l’ve got a real rating somewhere, and l’ll enter it one of these days, but for now l hope it’s enough to say that this is one of my very favorite beers ever.

Pours an amber color with big, long lasting head. Flavor of dried sour fruit, with a dry finish. Pretty god, I’d say

Nice caramel color with a tall thick beige head. The aroma is slightly sour and tangy, plenty of citrus quality and a bit of pineapple as well. The flavor is mostly malt, with a dry hop bite towards the end. Bready, and doughy, along with a bit of spice. I don’t really notice any sourness, but there is a touch of the earthy brett quality. Nice feeling on the tongue, no stickiness and not overly dry.