 JorisPPattyn (4526), Antwerpen, Belgium
Jan 13, 2003
Very thick head, collapsing but stable; typical orangey colour.
Nose is bitter as from vegetables, spices, flowers.
Taste starts immediately very bitter, but as a combination of hop-, vegetable- and flowery bitter. There IS a balance by malt, with hints at sweetness, without ever becoming so. Aroma’s retronasal of mandarine-zest, hop shoots, and olives without the oil.
Carbonation is perfect; milder form of ’Champenoise’ pearl)forming, as with naturally mild-carbonated springwater. Neither chewy, neither watery.No new aftertaste, bitterness lingers on. Drinkability is second bar none: the ultimate Belgian session beer. there’s richness, depth and easy drinking for whatever mood one’s in. Unparallelled.
tlind2 (281), Helsinki, Finland
Oct 13, 2008 Bottle @ Maltainen Monni, Helsinki. Light amber color, lasting off-white head. Complex aroma: slightly sour, fruity, just a touch of yeast. The taste has citric notes, earthy tones and some chalky, yeasty flavors. Tangy mouthfeel with medium-heavy carbonation. Certainly a beer to revisit -- I’d love to sample an older bottle to see how the taste develops.
lemasney (302), Trenton, New Jersey, USA
Oct 12, 2008
Style and Glass: Trappist; trappist, tulip, tumbler, wine
ABV, Volume & Calories:6.2 % in 11.2 fl oz. estimated at 160 C
Purchased at: Super Saver, Pennington, NJ
Aroma: floral, metallic, banana, hops. 8 out of 10.
Visuals: minimal design, orange, thick, hazy, no head, little lace. 4 out of 5.
Taste: unbalanced, metallic, little malt, no hops, weak strength, bad craft. 6 out of 10.
Palate: low quality, smooth texture, watery finish. 2 out of 5.
Overall: I’m very disappointed. Something’s wrong here — what am I missing about why everyone loves this? Not a repeat, not nearly a favorite, little value, low craft. 12 out of 20.
kosko20 (147), Bemidji, Minnesota, USA
Oct 12, 2008 A very nice pour. Light copper with a thick white head. Aroma is also very nice of apple and grape notes with yeast, malts and hops balanced nicely. Flavor drops off a lot for me. Has what reminds me of a weak apple white wine. Also some notes of fruit hops but very weak . Palate is somewhat dry but also thin. Nothing special.
Slayer85 (457), Firenze, Italy
Oct 9, 2008 To celebrate my 100th Belgian rating. January 2007 bottle. An unclear medium amber beer with a big, rocky, persistent and lacing white head. Incredible aroma, very yeasty, but also malty and hoppy with notes of orange peel, flowers, grass, barnyard, spices and fruits. The flavour has a medium sweetness and a medium sourmess and is perfectly balanced. Hoppy, with again orange peel, many spices and fruits and the fanatstic Orval yeast. Medium body, lively carbonation, very dry long finish with high bitterness and medium acidity. Too much complexity to be described. Perfect aroma, incredible taste, great mouthfeel and highly drinkability make this beer almost pefect. Different from every beer I have had. Highly underrated, this is truly a world classic.
JonnyDr (112), , South Yorkshire, England
Oct 9, 2008 Murky amber beer. Decent carbonation and short lasting white head. Malt, fruits and hops lead to a dry spicy finish. Lovely.
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