Orval
Orval
Rated 4.096 by BeerPalsBrewed by Brewery Orval S.A.
Villers-devant-Orval, Belgium
Style: Belgian Ale
6.2% Alcohol by Volume
This beer is available all year
Sign Up to Participate:
The distinctive fruity and bitter taste of Orval beer means it has become a genuine reference in the exclusive world of authentic Trappist beers. Orval beer is a high fermentation beer. The ageing process adds a fruity note, which strikes a subtle balance between the beer’s full-bodied yet complex flavour and bitterness. The beer was first brewed in 1931 and owes its unparalleled taste to the quality of the water, the hops and the yeast used. The brewery has selected very aromatic and unique hop varieties, which hark back to the first brewmaster of Orval, who hailed from Bavaria. The beer’s aromas are very pronounced while maintaining the right level of bitterness thanks to the English method of dry hopping. The various stages of fermentation – combined fermentation with the original yeast and with wild yeast, followed by fermentation in the bottle – mean the beer must age for some time and requires numerous quality controls. The gustative sensations will gain in nuance depending on the age of the beer. Young beer is characterised by a bouquet of fresh hops, with a fruity note and pronounced bitterness, light on the palate and a less firm collar than a beer of six months. The latter will feature a bouquet consisting of a blend of fragrances of yeast and old-fashioned hop. The bitterness is more diffuse and the taste has moved to a slight touch of acidity accompanying yeast and caramel flavours. Served without its sediments, a beer of six months or more, has a particularly bright appearance. It will be less so, if it is served at a temperature below 7°C to 8°C (44° - 45°C). The brewery indicates the bottling and best-by dates directly on the label. Every consumer can thus easily know the age of an Orval beer, and whether it should be consumed rapidly or less so, depending on whether one likes this beer young, or after a few months or years in the cellar.
ID: 13 Last updated 2 days ago Added to database 24 years agoKey Stats
percentile
7
Drunk159
Reviews0
LikesBeeributes
Most noted beer attributes
Similar Beers
Statistics
| Overall Rank | 73 |
| Overall Percentile | 99.9 |
| Style Rank | 1 of 1450 |
| Style Percentile | 99.9 |
| Lowest Score | 1.8 |
| Highest Score | 5.0 |
| Average Score | 4.117 |
| Weighted Score | 4.096 |
| Standard Deviation | 0.632 |
Rating Distribution
Beer vs Style
159 Member Reviews
Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7
Bottle from Whole Paycheck; 22/02/2022. Rare Vos glass @home. Silly meringue head. Slightly opaque, Lipton iced tea. Smells of pith, cherry pits, mellow sour mix, faint ladies perfume, baby powder. Soft berry & citrus wheat upfront. Bittersharp earthy, minerally middle. Bit of tea, rind, Aspirin, pepper, copper & subtle heat on the end. Initially frothy, eventually drinking wet & half flat. Hidden acid. Not super-brett thin, but getting there. Better bottle than last time, but still haven't found that sweet spot.
-
-
Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9
6.9% ABV. Hazy light amber color with white whipped cream head. Strong classic Orval aroma of mostly malts then spice and hops. The taste is really nice. I get a complex mix of malt flavors accented with some spice and hops. I can’t place which spice. High carbonation. The taste ended with a really pleasant light malty aftertaste. I remember this being a tasty beer last time I tried it 15 yrs ago. Yumm. It tastes excellent now.
-
Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8
Bottle from Vinmonopolet, Storo. Pours hazy amber with a white head. Malty aroma with hops, spices and yeast with some brett. Fresh and fruity with a nice dry and slightly bitter and citric finish. Quite refreshing.
-
Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9
330ml bottle
Appearance: Slightly hazy orange/amber with a nice fluffy white head, leaving lacing in the glass
Aroma: Brett, lemons and spices
Taste: Spices and citrus up front and then some sourness and hops in the finish
This is a very nice beer. Enjoyable to drink, crisp and clean. -
Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9
Dark golden to reddish color with creamy head. Aroma was fruity and pleasant. Bitter taste with a lasting flavor that reminded me of hazelnut or someother nutty flavor. Great trappist.
-
Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8
XL tan head, great retention, rocky, lots of lace. Hazy orange/copper color. Yeasty, citrusy nose. Medium body, effervescent. Good malty, bready flavors. Lightly acidic. Good hop flavor and bitterness. Finish is dry with a pleasent fruityness.
-
Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7
Bottle from Whole Paycheck; 22/02/2022. Rare Vos glass @home. Silly meringue head. Slightly opaque, Lipton iced tea. Smells of pith, cherry pits, mellow sour mix, faint ladies perfume, baby powder. Soft berry & citrus wheat upfront. Bittersharp earthy, minerally middle. Bit of tea, rind, Aspirin, pepper, copper & subtle heat on the end. Initially frothy, eventually drinking wet & half flat. Hidden acid. Not super-brett thin, but getting there. Better bottle than last time, but still haven't found that sweet spot.
-
Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8
Drinking a late 2019 in mid 2021, not sure how it had been treated. Not getting the fabulous nose oft mentioned. Smells like a mild heffe, some bubblegum, some barnyard funk. Huge, too huge really, white head makes for a challenging pour. Cloudy medium apricot-colored body under that huge head and leaves interesting lace. Mouth is slightly creamy and very full, very carbonated...over-carbonated? I would like to call this finish sour but sadly medicinal is more appropriate. Warming alcohol is a big part of the ending. Starts almost neutral then a rapid hit of bitter, then heads off into the pasture before that unpleasant ending but that goes away and leaves a fairly clean and just slightly sweet aftertaste. Definitely complex. Smooths out s it warms a bit or maybe I am just getting used to the aspirin finish.
-
Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 4
Well I'm going to be the odd man out because I'm not going to rate this anywhere as high as everyone else. Yes the appearance and extremely frothy head were very good. I found it to be very watery and couldn't stand the taste at all. I poured samples out of the bottle to three other beer drinkers and none of them liked the taste either.
-
Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8
On my bottle shows 6.9%abv. Pours an unbelievable amount of foamy, bubbly head that gives off patchy lacing. Has a pale golden appearance. Aromas of yeast, malts and herbal hops with hints of coriander. Flavours are mainly Belgian yeast, floral and citrus hops, orange peel. Nice smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Slight warming sensation. Quite excessive carbonation. Almost full bodied. Great stuff!
-
Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8
Pours a shiny golden amber with a massive fluffy head that takes its sweet ass time. Massive amount of lacing. This monster is heavily carbonated not unlike a champagne. Aroma is very heavy of apple juice and has a spicy kick to it. Taste is not like any of the other Trappist I have had. Has a pleasant dryness with a low spice kick to it. Has a different taste to it in the back that reminds me of a frozen pizza. head is slightly metallic. Burns a little on the way down. Finishes off dry with a slight apple flavor. Very high quality beer this one is but i will stick with the Rochefort sisters.
