 ClarkVV (3547), Allston, Massachusetts, USA
Sep 18, 2003 Updated: Oct 8, 2007
2003 bottle Pours a hazy apricot/orange. Plenty of off-white foamy head. Smells of straw, light orange peel, a little bit of baked brown bread. Begins slightly muted. Hmmm, was expecting more of an explosion, this is certainly subtle, to say the least. Dry flavor of hops and a touch of lemon and sugar. Alcohol presents itself in a balanced way. Finish is quite tart, but not overly acidic. Has some vanilla liqueur notes in the middle and is medium to full bodied with no wateriness, though the flavor does thin out somewhat. This is a super dry beer. If that’s what they are looking to make, they did a damned fine job. Perfect for what it is. If I was in a relaxed, philosophical mood, I would drink this. However, this beer needs something more to really make me want to go out of my way to drink it often. Will definitely try again however to see if I can pick up some more flavors/nuances.
Rerate WOW! It’s not even that I appreciate it more this time, the bottle I got simply tastes better. Wonderful spice with a slight orange zing to it. Perfect balance and a nice slightly sour yeast finish. Not nearly as dry as I remember, or perhaps, I just taste more flavor to counteract the dryness. Hard to put words on it, just a true true beer flavor that is just right. Oh ya, incredible aroma.
2 year old bottle sampled July 2004. Everything to balance and perfection, just about. Not much to complain about here. Lovely grainy, yeasty and lightly fruity flavors, lots of it. Palate is elegantly simple, yet has just enough texture to take in all of the nuances of this beer. Aroma is still incredible. Everyone I poured this for remarked how good it was, and all of them were swill drinkers who havent seen the light.
Have been drinking this alot in Summer 2005. I’ve had it cold, chilled, warm, next day, straight from the bottle and all I can think of is how great it is and how deliciously quenching. The tart brett and dry but substantial maltiness work excellently together and the wonderful farmy hops seal the deal. Yep, it’s definitely one of the best beers being made right now.
The more I have it I think two things: This stuff really does smell and taste perfect, BUT, the mouthfeel really is a little lacking on account of the filtration (despite being bottle conditioned afterwards). I just don’t think perfection in the beer world involves filtration. Gotta stick to my beliefs!
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 (145), 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.
plovmand (676), Helsinge, Denmark
Oct 8, 2008 Bottle. Murky light amber colour with a long lasting off-white to beige head. Aroma is spicy and fruity and the brett is in front without being dominating. Complex dry bitter bit sour taste with fruity and citric hoppy notes. Medium bodied. One of a kind.
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