Orval

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

From a 330ml into a snifter. Pours with a TON of white head which dissipates in a couple of minutes leaving mild lacing. Color is murky brown. I’m having a hard time smelling much of an aroma but what’s there smells of yeast and some grass. Mouthfeel is medium but with way too much carbonation. Taste is very dry and biting. Black pepper and yeast dominate with grass, under-ripe green grapes and some funk bringing up the rear. It’s growing on me a bit as I drink it but I’m not really sure I love it. Good beer, but just not my cup of tea.

Pours a cloudy golden with a thick white head that takes its sweet time to go away. Earthy smell, as with a lot of Belgians. Taste is a little bit of citrus with earthy spice notes and a bit of yeast. Very smooth drinking with a clean, crisp, almost dry finish.

Very fruity, citrusy aroma which hits me every time I take a new sip. Nutty appearance. Overall fantastic flavor, not overwhelming. Very drinkable and enjoyable.

330mL bottle, bottled 01/2009. Pours an effervescent cloudy amber-gold with a large, fluffy and persistent head which gives some nice lacing. Aroma is acidic, almost vinous, fruity (particularly banana), with some cheese. There’s a faint malty and hoppy flavour that’s almost immediately overpowered by volatile medicinal flavours which particularly reminded me of spearmint toothpaste. Almost one dimensional. Mildly sour and bitter. Medium bodied and smooth on the palate with the aforementioned toothpaste finish. This one certainly didn’t live up to the anticipation.

My first rate after reading Rate Beer for years. I had to go with Orval as it’s one of my favourite beers. I don’t really need to add what it tastes like, instead, I’ll write my Orval history: the first bottles I didn’t get, then one day, a hot sunny day in the back garden, I opened a cold bottle and all of a sudden it made perfect sense. A few months later came a 9 month old bottle and it was even better. What an awesome beer. A beer for any occasion. At the same time familiar but always different, always interesting, always so drinkable.

Has a bitter, malty smell. Pours a nice pillowy head with a nice carbonation level. Has a sweet note to start, but turns bitter and malty through the dry finish, notes of spice as the beer warms. The pillowy head stays and fills the palate, has a medium to full body that works well with the carbonation level.

Aroma is nice and a little tartness coming through on the nose. Awesome taste. Smooth and hoppy dry finish. Great brew

botella, 1 año en bodega. aromas azufrados , y madera algo de frutos rojos. poco aroma a lupulos, y algo de levadura, algo avinada. buen color naranja, brillante, liquido claro, y buen cuerpo, bastante amplio mas seca que amarga. buena carbonatacion, algo exagerada muy buena en general, para alguna ocasion, no habitualmente. acompaña buenos quesos fuertes