Orval Trappist Ale 11oz Nr 11oz

Pros: Unique and very well-balanced yeasty ale.
Cons: High price.  Not easy drinking but too vinous when warm.

Beers that I've had from five of the other six Trappist breweries (Westvleteren is very hard to come by unless one lives in the abbey's immediate vicinity) are easily categorized, largely as dubbels and tripels.  But Orval could be said to be ...

Pros: Hugely complex for a normal gravity beer...
Cons: Not sold everywhere...

This weekend, I have Trappists on the mind. On the way home from work Friday night, I stopped by my friendly neighborhood beer warehouse and was looking for something to tempt my eye. What tempted me was not any one specific beer, but rather a shelf of ...

Pros: Beautifully crafted and delicious
Cons: Can't buy it locally

You know, many people have asked me what my favourite beer is. My answer to both of them was - who knows, it depends on many different things. But, one beer that is knock, knock, knocking on the celestial door is ORVAL Trappist Ale. The Abbey ...

Pros: Wonderful aroma and flavour, rich in the mouth, neat bottle.
Cons: You'll never enjoy less worthy beers the same way again.

Introduction Orval. A name that is familiar to most, (if not all), beer geeks. I was lucky enough to pick up three bottles while in Ottawa lately, along with some Duvel and Chimay Premiere (and a few other things, but I was most excited about ...

Pros: Unique and probably the most complex beer I've tasted
Cons: Not for the unadventurous

Background
Trappist or abbaye ales are bottle-conditioned beers. This means that the beer has yeast added to it right before bottling. The yeast is still active and causes the beer to referment and a natural carbonation to develop in the...

Pros: Yummy
Cons: None

There are a few beers that are reknowned world-wide for their continuing excellence: Pilsner Urquell, Guinness (who knows why), Salvator and a few others have been around for a long time, and have earned the reputation for being...

Pros: One of the worlds best
Cons: expensive, hard to find

The first thing that you notice about Orval is its distinctive orange/gold color and its abundant bubbly head. Of all of the Trappist beers, this one is the most hoppy by far. It has a unique hop aroma and contains a hop bitterness that is not...

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."

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...

Pros: One of the best beers in the world!
Cons: Hard to find

One of a handful of beers that can be called a World Classic. That is Orval Trappist Ale. As you may already know or have read in the other fine reviews written for this beer a Trappist Ale is brewed under the auspices of Trappist monks in the Low...

Pros: Wonderful aroma and appearance.
Cons: The Brett flavor is not for me.

Though initially brewed over 900 years ago, the current Orval brewery and monastery was re-built in the 1930s. The re-designed bottle shape introduced then is still used today. A very distinctive bowling pin bottle design makes this a classy pick. ...

Pros: Tastes great, complex, and love the bottle!
Cons: Expensive

I first saw Orval in 1982 when my family made a return trip to New Jersey, where we used to live. There was a liquor store called Pino's in Highland Park, and the beer selection was absolutely unheard of for the time. My father and his friend went...

Pros: Good First Bite
Cons: Too Carbonated

Very simply put.

A wonderfull balanced Belgian with crisp, refreshing finish but the over-abundant carbonation does reduce marks for this brew.

Trappist Style Chimay is the quintessential Belgian version.
The Red Labled bottle,...

Pros: Excellent golden color and outstanding head retention.
Cons: Off-putting aroma and after-taste

To begin, I would like to express my love of Belgian beers. Some of my favorites include Chimay, Westmalle and Karmeliet. however, as many times as I've tried Orval, I can't bring myself to like it. It has excellent head retention and a beautiful...

Pros: good beer, good flavor
Cons: none, I like it a lot

Well I am not a big beer drinker first off, but I really enjoied this odd colored beer. The color is a kind of yellow orange, and it just looks good sitting there in a glass saying "drink me, drink me", I do drink it.

I was at a...