Pros: Its incredibly good flavor, color, perfect weight- heck, even the bottle is cool!
Cons: It's not Rochefort Trappist Ale. Otherwise, not a single "Con."
The Bottom Line: I've sampled every Trappist Ale product, and Orval achieved the silver medal, and tops virtually all domestic beers for the flavor and presentation alone.
adamldemarco's Full Review: Orval Trappist Ale 11oz Nr 11oz
My God, what a tasty brew.
I've been living in France for almost a year by now, and one of the best parts of living in France is the fact that Belgium is so close. Close to Belgium means being so close to the most impressive collections of beer a country can offer. And Trappist is the most impressive collection I've investigated thus far. And Orval? A phenomenal contribution to Trappist.
All of the Trappist products are named after a region in Belgium. Of the Trappists represented in Epinions, Orval is my personal favorite, and only out-edged by Rochefort Trappist Ale which is the best Belgian beer I've sampled so far as well as the best beer I've ever had. Orval is the solid second.
The first thing I noticed when unpacking the box containing the different kinds of Trappist is that Orval has the niftiest bottle. It's brown, shaped just like a bowling pin, and unlike every other kind, doesn't have a label that covers half of the bottle; it has only a label wrapped around the neck prominently displaying "Orval." I'm not sure if the regular six-pack bottles DO have body-labels- I've only had Orvals from the package I've been referring to or from the tap in Brussels.
Orval, like virtually every Belgian beer, has a generous, foamy head that can easily grow larger than "appropriate" if you're not careful while pouring it (into a patented, authentic "Rochefort Trappist" glass that I picked up on a different Belgian trip, no less). It's much more prominent than the heads on most domestic beers that are hard to create properly and dissipate immediately.
The color is a rich, orangey-yellow. It's much more clear without the cloudiness that's prominent in Belgian beers more often than not, whether ales or even white beers like Hoegaarden. It tastes a bit hoppier than the majority of Trappist beers but is certainly more developed and complex-tasting than most domestic ales. As a result it's also somewhat bitter while finishing, but in a pleasant ale-way that ale drinkers appreciate rather than dislike. It finishes smooth without much aftertaste and what little you note holds the same flavor as the taste itself- a bit hoppy and rich with that amber tang and without the bitterness, though not nearly as strong an "amber tang" than others like Kilkenny or Murphy's Red, or even Killian's Red from the states.
Another cross-cultural discovery that's perfecto for Orval is the accompanying food. As a typical American I'm familiar with such bar-accompaniments as free pretzels, free nuts, and perhaps cheapo happy hour chicken wings. In many bars in Belgium, small plates of cubed cheese or even cheese/sausage slices are within an arm's reach. Orval is complimented beautifully by a small plate of gouda cheese cubes and churriso sausage; it's much like the old "strawberries with champagne" routine- the cheese/sausage compliments and enhances the subtle flavors within Orval and I highly suggest at least the gouda cheese for this purpose (the sausage just snazzes-up the whole experience a bit).
Orval is genuinely delicious. I'm sure it's a lot harder to find in the states than around here, but I can assure you I'll be trying my hardest to make sure I can dig it up once I'm back. (That, and Rochefort Trappist too- I KNOW it's an Orval critique, but Epinions doesn't list it and I feel obligated to push both because it's the only one that tops Orval.)
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