Orval Trappist Ale - Brasserie d'Orval S.A.

blatantdream

New York

4/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Interesting fact: Uses 3 type of yeast and is the only Trappist brewery to do a Pale Ale style.

Light amber in color. Cloudy with a creamy light head.

The aroma is very yeasty with distinctive floral and spiced characteristics.

Unique soft malty flavors with slight spices and moderate lingering hop characters rounding out the taste.

Medium bodied with medium carbonation lends to a balance mouthfeel.

Overall good welcomed differentiation from other Trappist beers. Unique but very balanced and clean tasting.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 02:51:48 | More by blatantdream

ProblyAboutBeer

Belgium

4.54/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured in to a standard beer chalace.

Color was a deep blonde, almost amber. White, almost fluffy 2-finger head.

Immediately, I noticed the spice of the hops. Very present above the malty base flavor. The background sweetness has a constant presence in a savory mix of acidity and bitterness.

Yeast. You know it's there and it really adds to the texture of the beer when you swirl that sediment into your glass.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 16:30:30 | More by ProblyAboutBeer

Chubby

District of Columbia

3.2/5  rDev -24%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Served in bottle, made 13/10/2005, best before 13/10/2010

Aroma: Sweet, rosey and floral aroma. A little lavender. Inviting, smells like a shampoo fragrance. A little breadiness and lemony.

Appearance: Hazy, golden, orange with a white medium head with good retention. Appears very effervescent. A little hazy.

Flavor: Very bready malt flavor that gives way to a dry almost citrus rind flavor that lingers in the aftertaste. Some spiciness from what could be a resiny American hop. A little floral and rose petals.

Mouthfeel: A fine carbonic bite but the lemon rindish astringency detracts from what could be a smoother ale.

Overall: Nice aroma, but so much pithiness on the flavor. could age to become dry and citrusy. This is less than a year old so the best thing to do is wait.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2006 18:54:00 | More by Chubby

mfcohiba

Florida

3.78/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Certainly a nice looking beer, poured into its matching glass. Very little head unlike some of the other reviews. Bottled 4/1/06. Nice hop character and lasting finish. Citrusy, somewhat thin body. Extremely drinkable. I will let the rest of mine sit a while longer and try it then.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2006 01:00:34 | More by mfcohiba

defubar

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: golden brown and cloudy with a thick, white head

S: hints of yeast, flower and citrus

T: bitter hoppy taste, yeast and citrus , a very different taste from what I am used to

M: carbonated and dry

D: it's very drinkable, expensive though - a little over $5 per 11.2 oz bottle

I'm a beer novice, and this is my first review here on BA.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2008 04:16:02 | More by defubar

specgravity

India

4.15/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This poured a beautiful rich copper, a generous beige-tan of foam that was along for the whole ride.

Phenols at first sip and later a distinct alcohol taste bordering on hot.

Distinct citrusy flavor towards grassy even at the threashold of cat's pee

Yeast spiciness, hop bitterness, no malt - that sums it up. I can imagine this as a nice pair with soft white cheese!

Carbonation packs a mean attitude; balanced and fresh. The hop aroma, especially the floral side is opening up as it warms up a bit.

A touch of bubble gum and a hint of berry are the most noticeable character that the yeast aroma offer and complemented with some spiciness in the taste.

Lingering bitter aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2009 19:55:11 | More by specgravity

GrantDuthie

United Kingdom (Scotland)

4.18/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Murky orange/gold. A thick frothy head which dissapates to a patches of froth which lace the glass slightly

S - citrus, sour grapes, peaches. Very Floral and pleasant

T - Very fruity, zesty. Citrus: Oranges, slight lemon. Peaches. A very delicate and intricate taste

A very good beer which i would definately try again. A must try.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2010 23:30:46 | More by GrantDuthie

WalkingStickMan

New York

4.45/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Caught some nail polish at the end of the smell...weird.

Always love this, I like this beer to warm a little while drinking for sure, but but also think that it benefits from a colder temperature in the beginning. Love this monkfood fresh and aged, this one's sort of middle of the road because it's sort of in between the best ages.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2010 02:45:50 | More by WalkingStickMan

dacull

Arizona

4.75/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

My first review on here, and as luck would have it I picked a very good beer to start off with.

Poured from bottle into a large wine glass. Honey-like orange color with a thick and persistent white head that left lots of dense lacing all the way up the glass..

Smell is sweet with some fruity notes of citrus and peach and hints of spice.

Taste is sweet, fruity peach up front quickly followed by pronounced flavors of spices, corriander and nutmeg. Slight pine or juniper hint in the aftertaste, along with a persistent corriander-like spice. Several waves of complex flavors over the course of a sip.

Mouthfeel is good, perhapse a bit too much carbonation for my taste, but certainly not unreasonable or out of range for the style.

Very drinkable, I could definitely enjoy one or two more of these in a sitting. Overall an exceptionally well crafted beer and possibly my favorite Belgian pale ale to date. I'll definitely be drinking it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2010 06:18:35 | More by dacull

ghostdeini

New York

2.4/5  rDev -43%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I was overall dissapointed in this beer because it is rated as world class.

I would rate this beer as below average espically for a belgian pale ale.

This beer really lacks in flavor, there were barely any hoppy notes and it was weak even as a belgian.

The beer did have a rediculous head that was over four fingers tall and does look very nice.

Stay away from this one, go for harpoon or ommegang for a good bpa.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2011 17:02:05 | More by ghostdeini

Robje

Australia

4.25/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is my first review on BeerAdvocate, and hence my terminology might not quite be up to scratch, nor my ability to pick out any subtle flavours, so I will try to give a general impression of the properties of this beer. (I have tasted many styles of Belgian beers whilst living in the Netherlands, and will post some reviews as I find the inkling).

The beer was poured into a Westmalle chalice from the bottle, marked best before 22/06/2016 (Bottled 22/06/2011). Pouring was stopped just as I could see the cloudy yeast about to enter the cup (reviewers preference).

Appearance: 4.5
This beer poured nicely with an average head. The head lasted for a moderate amount of time, but not very long, the lacing was minimal as the beer was consumed. The beer poured very clear, with a medium amber colouring, with a golden tinge towards the edges. A very appetising appearance.

Smell: 4
The beer overall smelt quite good, with a slightly fruity smell, but quite overpowered by hops and carbonation to begin with. There were hints of some spices and the smell was enticing.

Taste: 4.5
Quite a strong presence of alcohol in the beginning for this style of beer. Fruity tastes with a mild yeast, and a slightly bitter after taste. There is a complexity to the taste that can be enjoyed from the first sip until the last. The bitterness tended to mellow towards the middle of the beer as the beer warmed, leaving a semi sweet tasting beer towards the end. I drank the remaining beer and yeast from the bottle about 3/4 of the way through the tasting, and they contained a pleasant flavour, that perhaps could offset the starting bitterness (Will try a second tasting with yeast in the glass).

Mouthfeel: 4
A smooth mouth feel, with a nice amount of carbonation that lasted until past midway through the tasting. The start of the beer provides a sharpness that is contrary to the smoothness that follows.

Overall: 4
This beer starts very nicely with complex tastes, and an enticing smell and ends with a smooth slightly fruity and semi sweet flavour that is easy on the mouth and sits nicely in the stomach. This is definitely a beer that can be enjoyed for a glass or three in the summer, autumn or spring, without overpowering the taste buds or cognitive functions.

Conclusion, a beer that is complex enough to enjoy the tasting, as well as smooth enough to follow with another in the evening. I would recommend this beer to anyone who wants to enjoy a fine example of a Belgian Pale Ale, and it "feels" a bit special, being one of the Trappist beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 19:42:50 | More by Robje

EnkiduBrew

Virginia

4.49/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2011 Bottle, poured into Belgian style tulip goblet.

Appearance: Slightly hazy, golden-orange when held to the light. 2.5 finger, fluffy head that lasts until the end, leaving a nice lacing. Color is reminiscent of maple leaves in early fall.

Smell: Superb Belgian yeasty goodness. Slightly phenolic with ripe citrus (mostly lemon but some pear as well) dominating (wonderfully tart). Some funky, brett-like character comes through but it does not dominate. Sessionable but extremely complex. I could drink this for days.

Taste: Lots of citrus peel comes through. Some peppery character comes through to make this not all about the citrus yeast character. Initial citrus peel flavor fades into a slight malt sweetness before a firm (but not overwhelming) hop driven bitterness ends the swallow.

Mouthfeel: Prickly. Very dry. Leaves me looking forward to take another sip.

Overall: Excellent, excellent beer. This will just be one more review of praise for Orval but it deserves it. This could easily become my favorite warm weather beers. Much different that other Belgian Pales like DeKonick (less malt driven).

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 05:55:52 | More by EnkiduBrew

movingshadow152

Florida

4.2/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presented in an 11.2 oz bottle, dated 1/6/04. Pouring this beer produces an impressive rocky head with very small bubbles, lacing nicely as it recedes. The beer was served well below proper temperature, and it still produces an amazing pile of foam. The color is golden orange, similar to honey.

The aroma is almost as good as the taste! I have trouble digesting the complex smells, but there are definite floral notes as well as some citrus (lemon) hints. There are sweet smells similar to honey.

The taste is wonderfully complex. Initially it seems sweet, but this is immediately displaced by a dry hoppy bitterness. The flavor is delicate flowers and lemon, finishing very dry and crisp. The active carbonation clears the palate fairly quickly, leaving only a slight dry alcohol burn.

The mouthfeel is very crisp and dry, much more so than most Belgian ales I’ve tasted. This is quite a refreshing beer to drink!

Overall, I’d pick Orval as my favorite Belgian Pale Ale. I usually prefer the darker ales, but this beer definitely stands out above the pale crowd! Those monks have learned a few things about brewing in the last 900 years!

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2005 13:16:05 | More by movingshadow152

Xziz

Washington

4.9/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is my first review and I really shouldn't put it so far at the top of the scale... but... this ale is simply wonderful. It smells good, it looks great, and tastes simply divine. The taste is very distinct and leaves an aftertaste that keeps you wanting more. I highly recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2009 04:53:28 | More by Xziz

Fetus

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I pulled the bottle out of my fridge, and perhaps didn't give it long enough to warm up. I cracked the bottle open still cold, and began to pour into my squeaky clean Duvel tulip. I received a good solid pour of almost entirely head. This beer has lips like a porn star. Amazing head.

A - Letting it sit for a good 3-5 minutes and the head had finally calmed down enough to finish my pour. It leaves an amazing lace inside the glass. Very attractive beer. Nice golden/amber color, steady steam of bubbles supporting the ridiculous foamy mass on top.

S - Lots of spice, and apples. Hint of cherry in there somewhere? Slightly earthy, with some dried fruits in the back there behind the mountain of apples. Definitely a bit of sweetness in the nose.

T - grassy, apples, pepper, hint of hoppiness. Very dry. Bit of alcohol warmth. Yeast is in there as well. I don't normally enjoy beers this dry, but it's not bad at all.

M - Crispy, good carbonation, medium body, very dry.

D - For 6.9, I could see this being fairly drinkable if I was more into how dry the beer is. What can I say? I have a sweet tooth.

Overall, not too bad. Again, it's dryer than I prefer but loses no points. Not a bad beer by any means. The smell alone is amazing.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2009 22:50:16 | More by Fetus

Jamison27

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured into an oversized wine glass from a bottle dated 09/2008.
I was very excited to try my first Trappist ale after discovering one of my favorite refreshing beers, Hoegaarden. I will say it was not at all what I expected.

A- cloudy, amber / gold. Big head that lasts = I'm talking a caricature of a MONGOLOID.

S- fruit, cider, faint horse blanket

T- tangy, a bit of orange peel, funk became more apparent as this beer warmed. I didn't get any alcohol bite.

M- This is where it went downhill for me. Light, crisp and dry, but overly carbonated. My first impression was, "This is like champagne!"

D- I couldn't drink more than one of these. The carbonation made me feel bloated with half the glass left. I will age the other bottle I have to see if the carbonation subsides.

Looking forward to trying some other Trappist beers to see how they compare. For now I'm thinking some Lost Abbey with its low carbonation might be my next purchase.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2010 06:24:01 | More by Jamison27

Abbeloos

Belgium

4.18/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

View / Color: Amber or orange-yellowish shades and light fog, with plenty of large off-white head is a champagne-like bubbles with small bubbles was changed into a thick collar and after a while becomes a mountain and valley structure.
Aroma / Smell: Huge lot of fruit gets under the nose and intensely peppery, spicy with a bitter thirst quenching fruity, with a slightly acidic tart toetsje (a nickname, like rancid flavor) and also Slightly a wild acidity some say something, or some cider-like , and some light lemon flavor. But the bitter scent of his trump Orval. Especially young Orval 4 to 5 months old has illuminated buttons of unripe fruit like banana, pineapple, lemon and pear. (Softer and fruitier when he was young to drink). He is also nice malty (Beauce, Gratinais, Prisma and Unterfranken 85% and 15% Cara Vienne malt). But there is a little sweet brew 350kg. White candy landfill. The abundant supply of hops smell it at the hop pocket and say to some fresh getanneerd leather (hops: Bavarian Hallertau, Slovenian Styrian Golden East Kent Golding pellets and in the cones for dry hopping.)
Taste: First contact in the mouth dominates bitterness of a drought that comes up and hangs, but it is nice and a touch of bitter gooseberry, great taste and good maltiness, slightly rinse desserts come through on the palate, fruity keys, such as lemon but a little pepper in the beer despite the residual level residual sugar is very low to almost nothing. There is also a slight acidity in the mouth typical of wild yeast. This festival of hops still rests on a very convincing, juicy, malty body.
Finish / aftertaste: A very dry (Sec) and hop bitter aftertaste to and little or no residual sugar. It is a very good digestive.
Decision: For one, it is because of his meager beer bitterness and the other was full, but the bitter taste is in harmony with the soft and well
Brewing Information: Malts are: pale malt beers: as Beauce, Gratinais, Unterfranken and Prisma and caramel malt, Cara Vienne and hop varieties are Hallertau-Herzbrucker from Bavaria and Styria, Golding from Slovenia, and the Dry-hopping one uses Golding from East Kent UK The sugar is kind of candy. Brother / Brother: Lode is brewing manager, Jean-Marie Rock-Maitre Brasseur. His predecessor was Roger Schoonjans. For his great salvation in one hop bitterness searches, 700 to 750g. per hectolitre production and another for the dry-hopping 360gr each brew is 106 hl and they use 350kgr.kandijsuiker. The dry hops remain three weeks in lager beer. It used Orval 5.2% but its fermentation, he sometimes up 6.9% on the new label, therefore 6.2% and 6.9% for severe Americas. Tests have shown that the brewery in a Orval up to 7.2% alc. Vol can go. There is a wild yeast found in Orval that we encounter in the lambic yeast Brettanomyces the fact that a wild yeast. They also have a canteen beer for home consumption that is called green Orval and has 3.5% alc. vol. Orval is 0.08% residual sugar and some sweet beers go up 3% Acid pure old lambic has even less ie 0.02%

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2010 13:39:41 | More by Abbeloos

mbulandr

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I think Orval is good, but is overpriced given it's alcohol content. There are several other beers in the $5 plus range that have better alcohol content and similar taste.

With all due respect the the other reviewer that compares this beer to Goose Island's Matilda, I completely disagree. I was anxious to try Matilda and recently purchased a four pack. I found the beer to be very bitter and nearly undrinkable. The other 3 bottles will sit in my fridge. Orval is a far superior and very different beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2010 15:09:05 | More by mbulandr

Aress

Massachusetts

1.68/5  rDev -60.1%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

I was highly anticipating trying Orval after having tried all the other Trappists (except Westvleterten) and thoroughly enjoying them. The appearance was nice and the foamy thick head looked like laundry detergent. The smell, however, was quite off-putting.
I'm all for unique beers but the smell reminded me of walking into a doctor's office. There was a faint smell of grapefruit but I mostly smelled what others have noted - hay, horse blanket, medicinal, and as one other reviewer noted, "stale urine.". These are not exactly welcoming smells. Just because something has an identifiable smell (like horse blanket) does not mean its pleasurable. The taste was extremely sour and tart, astringent even, and was very dry. This was not a drinkable beer for me. I'm wondering if the high scores on BA are attributable to the reputation and history of Orval. I appreciate good beer, and maybe my palate is just not as evolved as others for a beer like this, but I can't put Orval in the same class as Rochefort or Chimay.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2011 22:59:57 | More by Aress

estereicher

Arizona

4.33/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dark Golden, slightly cloudy appearance. Nice head - quite effervescent. Yeasty Alcohol scent w/ various spices. Slightly sour taste but very well balanced. Overall lots of body with a refreshing flavor...

I drank at around 16 deg celcius, and was quite impressed with the balance of flavors and drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 19:36:13 | More by estereicher

mm931c

California

3.13/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Bottled 7/10/10
Best before 7/10/15

Poured into snifter

A-beautiful but understated bottle conjures great expectations for this one. Huge 3.5 finger head that will not go away. Lacing ok but not as good as Duvel; too much dense foam. Medium copper brown slight cloudiness.

S- very nice and refined. Sophisticated. Meets the expecations of the visual presentation of the bottle and the pour. Bouquet had me siced up and ready to be blown away by taste.

T- a let down. balanced but boring.
Ok it's very refined and probably perfect, but you have to strain in oder to appreciate it. The well blended flavors are so weak, they have a hard time fighting the slight hint of chemical taste on the palate. The intensity of the flavors are too weak for a brew this price. Huge disappointment after such a great pour, head, and bouquet. Can get more taste from a brew at a sixth of the price.

M-actually good. Balanced.

O- Too pricey for me to buy this again. Not going to spend this much money just for 3 1/2 inches of foam and a nice smell. Duvel is nearly half the price with just sa good a bouquet and two times better/more taste. Duvel does not have as much lingering foam which is probably why it laces better than this stuff.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2011 04:25:06 | More by mm931c

zvanwink

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: orange-amber in color. Opaque without being hazy. One-to-one and a half finger beige head which thins slightly, but is retained all the way to the last drop.

Smell: fruity hops, spicy, banana, faint bready aroma hidden in nose

Taste: More hops than expected for the style. Not as much barnyard, tart, or sours as prevalent in other Belgian styles, but a distinct spicy front followed by a citrus--especially lemon--end.

Mouthfeel: Very carbonated. Neither too think nor too thin. Could linger in the palate a little longer.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 03:05:25 | More by zvanwink

Bibendum

Washington

3/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Orval has changed. It no longer has it's trademark peppery nose, and a head too big to contain that leaves frothy tracings around the edge of the goblet all the way to the bottom.
I have known Orval since 1979, when I worked for Merchant du Vin. It is a favorite beer that I rarely drink for reasons of cost.
However I received 6 bottles as a gift recently that were dated 20-5-11. And to my surprise there was no peppery nose, instead the smell of bubblegum. I did not have to pour with great care to contain the head, in fact I could and did pour it down the center. Something I could not have done 3 years ago.
So today I had one from another batch, this one dated 18-08-11. This one did not smell of bubblegum, but neither did it have it's trademark peppery nose or irrepressible head.
Orval either has a recent quality control problem, or they have intentionally changed their brew. In either case I'm unhappy. Bring back the old Orval, please.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 01:55:47 | More by Bibendum