Orval

Brewed By: Brasserie d'Orval in Florenville - Villers-d.-Orval, Belgium

Purchased: Single bottle (11.2 oz) from Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2011

Style/ABV: Belgian Ale, 6.9% (Variable ABV)

I dug out my bottle of Orval, and now have a newfound excitement to try this beer. From the bottle shape to the bottle logo...to the minor details. I hold in my possession a bottle of Orval that was bottled back in 04/22/2010. That makes this bottle over one year old. What that means to me, the perspective drinker, is that all the funk and yeast inside the bottle should be dynamite. My bottle also is clocking in at an ass-kicking 6.9% ABV. Orval is brewed with variable ABV which ranges from 5.2% ABV to 7.2% ABV.

The brewery website can be found here. The brewery, Brasserie d'Orval, is an authentic Trappist brewery located within the Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval in the Gaume region of Belgium. Throughout the history of Orval, there has always been a brewery within the monastery. The brewing of beer was customary, and beer was consumed for its nourishing properties; the nourishing beer brewed has been dubbed "liquid bread," and actually had the nourishment to sustain (unlike Guinness and the douche nozzle who inaccurately dubbed it liquid bread). Orval was first brewed in 1931, and is a bottle conditioned Belgian Ale. Like all authentic Trappist breweries, proceeds from the beer go to support the monastery, charities, and the community around the region. So drinking authentic Trappist beer is like doing the Lord's work....kinda.

Drinking beer, my charity.

So yes, I am on a mission from God today. I'm also on a mission to try a beer brewed with the yeast strain Brettanomyces. I did a whole write-up on Brettanomyces in my previous post, so check that out. Basically, "Brett" is a super funky yeast strain that is added to Orval after brewing before they bottle it up.

 

I opened up this beer expecting an explosion. Luckily I just heard a nice fizz, saw some smoke and bubbles leak out, and the beer didn't blow up. This is an amber-orange beer that is slightly murky with some sediment floating around in it. The head is an absolute wonder, it is foamy and thick as hell. There are about a million bubbles packed into the foamy head, and the beer is super effervescent and carbonated. I just want to drizzle my finger through the head, and then bathe in it.

I smell tons of floral notes, malt, and a barnyard-leather quality which I am assuming is the Brett. There are some medicinal aromas coming off this beer too. I also get a bit of lemon or orange peel/zest.

The taste is really intriguing, to say the least. The whole profile of the beer is sort of musty with a slightly pungent quality, as if it has been mulling over itself for a while. The front end is malty, band-aids and tart, you also get some carbonation as the bubbles from the head come along for the ride; the middle features a lot of complex fruit, floral and medicinal profiles, along with some more malt and alcohol warming; the back end is drying with some alcohol warming. The fruity notes include lemon and orange zest. There is a slight sour/tart component, possibly from the Brett, which yields that band-aid and leather quality. There are also some subtle notes like raisins and grapes. Any hops compliment the slight sourness, and there is a twang of bitterness here and there. This is super funky, is full-bodied, has large depth and is super complex. But it's still very drinkable. 

Rating: Divine Brew

Score: 95%

Look at that foamy head...!

Complex, full of depth, band-aids? This is super drinkable, at 6.9%. There is good carbonation, the head is sticking around for the duration: and it isn't just a wussy one-centimeter covering. There is about 1/4 or 1/8 inch of solid bubbles covering the beer as I work my way down.

A bottle of Orval will run you 4 or 5 dollars a pop. If you consider the complexity of this beer, the variability (which you come by via aging), and the durability of this beer, then this becomes one of the best bargains at that price range, especially for the style.

I don't have much else to say. I was hyped for this beer and the beer didn't let me down. Believe the hype. This is one of the most intriguing and unique Belgian Ales I have had. Aside from having an awesome appearance and an awesome profile, this beer also is reasonably priced, is brewed with a huge sense of history and tradition behind it, and embodies everything that I love about craft beer. The "Brett" is an oddly compelling quality that I suspect some will like and some will hate. There is only one way to find out where you stand: go grab a bottle and try it for yourself.