Having been familiar with this trappist for so many years, I noticed I hadn’t put it on this site yet, so it’s about time for a rating. I dug up a ten months old bottle from the cellar and pour it into a wine glass - the original glass, belonging to Belgium’s most iconic glassware (no less so than the drop-shaped bottle), is perfectly fit for enjoying this in a pub or an outdoors café, but its shape seems too wide to capture enough of the aroma in an actual tasting session. Very thick, dense and moussy, crackling, yellowish white head over a deep orangey amber beer with strong fizz, clear at first but hazy with deposit - which, by the way, is often served separately in a small liquor glass as it contains the wild yeast which makes this brew so beloved among beer afficionados. Spritzy, appetizing aroma of great complexity: crabapple, sour berries, lemon zest, sourdough, leather, cava, wet hay, dry white wine, unripe plums, biscuit, sorrel, raw rhubarb, grapefruit, red wine vinegar, freshly cut grass, bitter honey, soap and - unexpectedly - a very remote hint of ammonia, which in this case does not even disturb too much. Very dry and utterly crisp taste with finely tingling, even further drying carbonation, almost a ’brut’ taste, sour and unripe fruits in high quantities, refreshing lemony acidity and even a slight hint of saltiness, nutty malt background, a tad toasted and only very faintly sweetish, becoming ever more yeasty and hoppy towards the end; the finish has residual nutty maltiness, the funky, powdery, dryly sherryish, sourish and leathery effect of Brettanomyces and a great, long lasting deal of leafy, earthy and peppery hop bitterness. You are left with a mouth and throat completely dried - but in a rewarding, appetizing, pleasant way which makes you long for more. This is a category by itself: it originated in the thirties as something completely different from what was (and still is) custom among trappist breweries and became not only one of the greatest classics on the Belgian beer map, but in beer culture in general. It has had a dedicated following for many a decade and though perhaps something of an acquired taste, those who fall in love with it, remain strikingly faithful to it. A beer this famous and old has of course undergone many changes, with quality discussions among its followers resulting from that. My personal impression is that the hoppiness, which originally made this ale famous (before the advent of American style IPAs, this was the hoppiest beer of the country), had declined a bit some two years ago along with the ’wild’ Brett character, but that since last year, both of these features have returned in full glory (which may, or may not, have to do with the arrival of a new - female - brewmaster). Finally, it is a well-known fact that Brettanomyces can digest bigger sugars than Saccharomyces but takes more time to do so, which makes this an ideal beer for cellaring; lots of pubs and even beer shops sell Orval at 2+ years of age nowadays and consider the matured version a different beer compared with a young bottle. I cannot but agree with this: thought the crisp hops will fade after a few years, the Brett does not cease to do its work, resulting in a beer less bitter but much more dry and funky. ’Waste’ products of the Brett fermentation include compounds that render the beer an aroma of exotic fruits after a couple of years and I vividly recall a 4-year old sample to be one of the most exciting Belgian beers I ever tasted. A 2-year old sample was somewhere in between: an almost citrussy, delicate, fresh cucumber- and passion fruit-like sourishness rose up from the glass, as well as a delicate rose petal perfume (a typical Brett effect after a certain amount of time), paired with a still vivid floral hoppiness; the sweet banana touch of the 4-year old was already in the making and the body had lost none of its effervescence and crispness. The taste too stunningly balanced all these features, a real treat and a taste profile of marvellous complexity. Patience and perseverance are key in the appreciation of this great beer - not in the least because it has become a lot harder to find in the past years as well. Though opinions differ concerning the amount of ageing it needs (for me personally, anything between 2 and 5 years gives the best results), it is a world classic in its youth, in its middle age and in its aftermath, everyone into beer should taste this both young and ’old’ to decide for themselves which age they prefer. I take the more mature vintages into account for this rating - and frankly, I do not understand why this does not score higher... As for me: I can drink this all night and have been known to do so, I just never get tired of it. World class - and in the modern beer world dominated by creativity and more extreme flavours, I have the impression that this is among those very few old Belgian classics that keep standing strong, even among young beer geeks who are practically born in the international IPA and imperial stout tendencies of our age.

Bottle from BrewHaus lincoln. Great beer. A classic. Deep dark Amber colour with a tight head. The aroma has that Belgian yeast which is typical. The taste has this too. With lots of fruit and a bitter sweet finish.

330 ml bowling pin bottle. Cloudy amber orange color. Big rocky beige head.aroma is redolent of Brettanomyces yeast. Earthy barnyard notes, as expected. Flavor upfront is tart and bready with dry acidic notes. Finish is dry and light spicy hops. A world class ale. Very simple and wonderfully complex. Salt of the earth. This was the first Belgian beer I ever tasted back in the late 1970’s. I remember that it was so uniquely different and intriguing. It started me on a journey to explore the many different beer styles that were so unfamiliar to me then. Orval holds a special place in my memory and heart. It still tastes the same now as I remember it did back then.

Bottle in Serbia. It pours a very hazy coppery colour, huge and consistent off white foamy head. Nose: pungent herbal notes, lemon skin, grainy, sourness feel. Mouth: medium-high carbonation, medium dry palate. Notes of yeast, citrus, balanced sourness and bread. It is simply an Orval. Unique. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Oh, Orval, how shall I describe you? When someone asks me how Orval tastes, the only reasonable response is "It tastes like Orval." It has such a unique flavor, there is simply nothing comparable. This beer truly is one of the greatest drinks in the world. Previous formulations of this rating: Alright, I have to go for the 5 here. I have decided I should use the full scale if the experience is worth it. If I had to pick one beer to drink for the rest of my life, it’d be Orval. It’s always a surprise, always reliable and just amazing. It’s got hops, it’s got bretts, it’s got a perfect soft foamy mouthfeel - "moussierend" as one would say in German. And it’s always awesome, and so unique. Nice hazy orange color. Some hoppy citrus fruits in the nose. Dry and fruity on the palate, proper bitterness, with a slightly sour finish. I usually go for the Quadrupels when drinking Trappist beers, but this is better for the summer, surprising and great!After having had this more often:This is a timeless classic. Every beer is a surprise and every bottle is different, depending on the age. One of my all-time favourites.