Orval
2013 Vintage
Yes, I understand, not a rare cellar beer but then again... isn't that a good thing? I will say the ability to locate these on the shelf has become more and more difficult as most bottle shops do not have space for the classics which in my humble opinion is a damn shame! I asked a decent size liquor shop where their Belgian section was the other day and they pointed to a shelf that had Spencer 4pks and Ommegang As Seen on TV bottles from the US. But somehow they managed to find space for dusty expired old IPA's up and down the aisles. That's when I get disappointed as a beer lover... the amount of beer enthusiasts in this world that have not experienced the full breadth of styles and beers that helped shape the craft of beer making for centuries. Im not saying in order to appreciate beer you need to spend a year abroad traveling from country to country harvesting grains, sampling water sources, learning alpha acid chemistry and analyzing yeast strains under a microscope. But god dammit maybe try a proper german pilsner or hefeweizen next time you make a purchase and while your at it grab a saison dupont, rochefort 10 and please please also grab an Orval!
Orval pours a deep golden color with fingers and fingers of billowing pillowy laced out foam. The nose is fruity with classic unripe pineapple brettanomyces mingling with rustic malts and dry grassy hay. The palate follows the nose nicely with great mouthfeel from the beers structure and well integrated carbonation. Refreshingly bitter with tons of complexity under the guise of a chuggable delicious beer!
Floral Hay, Unripe Pineapple Cores, Bitter Grass, Bosc Pear, Toffee, Fruit Esters, Herbs.
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