Orval

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

Golden in color with a thick head. Hazy to the point where I am unable to see though it. Slightly tart smell and taste...some citrus, bread, yeast, caramel, and fruit..

Truely outstanding beer. Maybe the very best of what is always and widely available. Very refreshing, complex and with a great finish. If this was a couple bucks cheaper per 330 it might be my #1 total consumption beer. If you try it once you will always want more.

Pours a slightly hazy copper color, with a fluffy white head with really sticky lacing. Lots of fruity esters and spicy hops on nose. Bitterness and hoppy spicyness is also present in flavor with a delicate and a nice dry finish. A great beer.

330ml marked 20/02/08, consumed at 10 months. Rocky cream colored head. Will grow like gangbusters if not given a delicate pour. Nice hazy orange to coppery-red color. Light scent of whiskey, taste of dried cherries and light spice. Great balance with long bitter/dry finish.

Pours a cloudy amber-brown with a huge fluffy white head. Spice and fruit on the nose. Extremely dry in the mouth. Spice and fruit notes are echoed. Hoppy citrus notes are also present. Bitter finish.

330ml Bottle: Aroma of yeast, ginger, anise, spices, slight orange zest, minerals, and some citrus. Poured amber/copper/orange in color with a huge, frothy, foamy, rocky, loose, off-white head that lasted throughout. Cloudy. Very sparkling. Some tiny particles throughout. Excellent lacing. Flavor is Slightly sweet and lightly bitter. Tastes of yeast, minerals, slight citrus, pale malts, wood, and barley. Medium body. Tingly, mineraly, dry texture. Lively carbonation. Mineraly, yeasty, dry finish. Very nice and yeasty.

Ah Orval, such an odd and wonderful beer. It pours a bright cloudy orange with an average amount of off white head and lovely lacing. The aroma is light on the malt, but it’s there, along with the presence of hops, and even blue cheese. The flavor is complex and odd, lightly sweet, with some sharp acidity, hints of walnut, and more undecipherable Belgian flavors. The mouthfeel is excellent - nice and light, with lively carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, this is a beautiful beer with some interesting Brett action.

First off, while smelling it, I accidentally snorted some head. But I did get a good smell of cloves, allspice, and pears. The taste is a bit like the Chimay White, but with more subtle alcohol tones and more depth in the spicing. SPICE is the keyword for this beer. Aside from that, probably the most beautiful head outside of Nitrogen infused beers and a glorious gold to amber gradient coloring. It’s cloudy, but you can see an abundant rise of carbonation. The flavor is subtle, but glorious.