Review from the archives: Orval Trappist Ale (Belgium) from October, 2010.
Expect a 2020 review of this beer coming any month now of the LAST bottle that was ever sold in all of Manitoba!
I've eyed Orval Ale for several months, always wanting to try it, but never buying it, this week I finally get to try it.. just in time for Halloween, because you know.. it's not halloween without Trappist beer, I kid, I should have tried a pumpkin-flavoured beer but my beers are about trying something random each and every week.
There are around 170 Trappist monasteries on the planet, and several of them brew their own beer. Usually when you think of a Trappist product, it's only of the purist quality. This is no exception. Living in Western Manitoba, I live very close to a Trappist Monastery that's known all over the country for their amazing cheese. I wish they would get into the brewing business, but it's very hard to do such a thing, especially with limited manpower at a monastery, so I'm glad they make amazing cheese!
Orval Trappist ale is 6.2% alcohol, comes in a beautiful 330ml bottle, and the bottle states that it was brewed on April 1, 2010 and will be good until April 1, 2015.
The beer has a nice dark copper colour to it, very hazy but that's how I like it. A very thick amount of foam, and it is not going ANYWHERE! The aroma is a nice with a bit of a cranberry/sour smell to it, as for the taste.. it's a bit of a bitter hoppy taste, with a hint of straw taste hitting the back of my tongue. All in all, it's a very decent Belgian ale, a bit pricy at $3.67 + tax/deposit here in Manitoba (in 2010), but when you buy Trappist beer, you're buying into the quality, contributing to the livelihood of the monastery. I may be biased, but I just absolutely love Belgian-styled beers. Maybe it's the hint of Belgian blood in me? Who knows!
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