New Beer Weekend #96

Beat me to it by a minute!

 

Mrs O and I are still in Florida but leaving this afternoon, so I’m finishing the last of my new beers in the perfect place (IMHO) - New Beer Weekend.





3.63/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
by ovaltine from Indiana

Pours a slightly hazy (in the Kolsch style) rose tinged color (NOT in the Kolsch style - hibiscus!) with a sudsy white head that evaporates almost immediately except for a thin ring at the top.

The nose is sweet (honey) and a bit tart (hibiscus), with some white bread aromas in the background. That tartness is forward on the taste as a cranberry flavor, and there are floral notes as well, with a nice sweetness from the honey and white bread at the back of the palate.

The mouthfeel is fairly crisp, and on the drier side. I can see the tropical side of this Kolsch, and it’s a fun ride, but I will admit to preferring the OG version of the style.

 

Ow, we want the funk - Give up the funk

Today’s tasting aren’t exactly new beers to me but it is a new drinking experience so…

The commercial beer is Orval and the other beer is my homebrewed version of Orval.

Orval is a unique beer in several ways:

While the other Trappist Monasteries brew a number of brands of beer (e.g., Dubbel, Tripel…) the Orval Monastery only brews one brand of beer labeled: Orval.

Also, Orval is brewed using Brett which is not used by the other Belgian/Dutch Trappist breweries. The other aspect that is unique to Orval is that it is dry hopped (likely only noticeable in very fresh bottles).

There is an interesting backstory to Orval (from the article linked below):

“According to legend, around 1070, Countess Matilda, from Tuscany, went to Orval, shortly after the death of her husband Godfrey the Hunchback. Sitting on the banks of the source, she dropped the wedding ring, a souvenir of her late husband. The search for the ring proved fruitless. After a prayer at a nearby church, Matilda returned to the stream. Suddenly a fish leaned out of the water, holding the countess's ring in its mouth. Delighted Matilda exclaimed: "really this place is Val d'Or" or the golden valley. Out of gratitude, she decided to found a monastery in this area.”

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/Brettanomyces

The aspect of a fish/ring is depicted on the label on the bottle of Orval:



Now, when it came to homebrewing a version of Orval I leveraged a blog by Ed (I don’t know his last name) who visited the Orval Monastery in 2015. I provide a link to his blog in the article.

I keep using the verbiage of “version” for my homebrewed beer since not all of the needed brewing details are provided in Ed’s blog so I had to do some guessing plus I also leveraged my past homebrewing of Belgian Trappist style beers to influence the recipe of my version.

I think I should also caveat that these two beers are not of the same age; Orval was bottled 10/13/21 and my version was bottled 5/14/21. I think folks might be interested in knowing that Orval provided a best by date of 10/13/26.

So, how close does my homebrewed version come? Let’s find out!

Beers served in small tulip glasses:

Appearance

Jack’s version of Orval: Deep golden colored with a BIG fluffy white head. This beer has excellent head retention as the beer is consumed creating a beautiful Belgian lace.

Orval: Light/medium amber in color with a BIG fluffy white head.

Aroma

Jack’s version of Orval: An enticing and vibrant combination of fruity and funky aromas.

Orval: Muted in comparison with noticeable but subtle funky and fruity aromas.

Taste:

Jack’s version of Orval: On the palate the flavor profile is skewed towards funky (barnyard-like) than the fruit and there is also a tiny bit of phenolic (e.g., spicy) flavor as well. Just a bit of biscuity malt flavor. A moderate bitterness.

Orval: Follows the nose with subtle but noticeable flavors of funk and fruit. The is a noticeable biscuity malt flavor. A moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel

Jack’s version of Orval: Highly carbonated (spritzy for the first few sips), medium bodied and a very dry finish.

Orval: Highly carbonated, medium bodied with a very dry finish.

Overall

Jack’s version of Orval: This beer is very good – excellent.

Orval: Very good.

These two beers have a very similar aroma/flavor profile but there is a notable difference in flavor intensity; likely due to the difference in bottle age.

For those of you that homebrew you too can make your version of an Orval; the recipe is included in the article linked above.

Cheers!



@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH @NeroFiddled @TongoRad @startingatBeer-30 @Rug @Giantspace

P.S. Orval is a beer that very much evolves over time; below is a video of a vertical tasting of Orval.

 

No beer yet, but while large portions of the country are experiencing heat waves, Colorado Springs got 12” of snow (more in some areas) and below freezing temperatures. It was 90 degrees here 2 days ago.
Gotta love the weather!
Cheers all, definitely have some new ones to write up later that @beergoot gifted me with last night.

 

Thank you for kicking things off today @cjgiant, your Whilom beer sounds delicious.

@JackHorzempa , loved your writeup. I'd suspect if you asked a European Brewer which style Orval would fall under, they would state "Orval".

Have two Drie Fonteinen Fruited Lambics lined up for the weekend, and I'm excited for both. Kicking off with the older vintage first, hoping the more recent one isn't too young to pop open tomorrow morning.

Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek



Bottle Notes: Bottled 10/10/18. I believe I purchased this in August 2019, after which I cellared until 9/3/21 and refrigerated thereafter until this morning. 12.7 oz, 6.5% ABV.

Blended Lambic beer brewed with cherries. Ingredients 60% malted barley, 40% unmalted wheat, old hops, water, sour cherries (Min. 35%). Blen n 83, season 17-18. This particular Oude Kriek has macerated for almost 5 months. The lambics in this blend originate from 4 different barrels and 5 different brews. 100% 3 Fonteninen

3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek is the result of macerating hand-picked whole sour cherries on Lambic. All-natural fruit, with no artificial juices, syrups or sugars added. Bottle fermented, unfiltered and unpasteurized. OPEN CAREFULLY.

Appearance: Violet purple clear base, quickly bursting bubbly pink head dissipates near instantly. Heavy carbonation, slight syrupy sediment as I finished the single pour into a large tulip glass. Looks great. 4.5

Aroma: Sharp funky sweet cherries dominate the nose, light sour notes, but sour cherry is front, center and back. Enjoying the funkiness. 4.75

Taste: Very intense sour and acidic cherry punches you right in the face. Immediate uncontrollable puckering commences. You cannot stop but, can only hope to contain it. It is pleasant and as I work my way through because more balanced. Getting salty which I did not suspect, but it's perhaps because I am just getting more sensitive to salt as I restrict it from my diet. Cherries are nice and tart, light yeast backs, letting the cherries do all the work. First impression was a bit much, but I'm enjoying after the first few sips. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Light body, carbonation barely felt. Light dryness, medium tartness, highly sour. All comes together well after the initial impact. Slowly working my way through with the sweeter and saltier taste than I typically like. That said, I am savoring this slowly and enjoying the bottle. 4.0

Overall: Really appreciate the funky acidic taste, wouldn't have liked as much if it were as overwhelming as the initial sensation. Confused about the heavy salt presence, haven't gotten this on other Drie Fonteinen offerings. Quite an experience, a roller coaster, but in the end I'm gladding through the second half of this beer and I'm really glad to have picked this up. Very sweet and sour, the former a bit too much for my preferences, but well within the proper amount for this style. 4.25

Preparing to brace myself for tomorrow. Until then, I wish you a great beer day and evening!

 

You are likely correct here!

You might be interested in knowing that the BJCP places an Orval type beer within their Commercial Specialty Beer category:

“34A. Commercial Specialty Beer

This style is intended for reproductions or interpretations of specific commercial beers that don’t fit within defined styles. Beers entered here do not need to be exact copies. The beer should be judged as to how well it fits the broader style represented by the example beer, not how well it is an exact copy of a specific commercial product. If a Commercial Specialty Beer fits another defined style, do not enter it here.

Overall Impression: Based on declared beer.

Aroma: Based on declared beer.

Appearance: Based on declared beer.

Flavor: Based on declared beer.

Mouthfeel: Based on declared beer.

Comments: Intended as a catch-all location for specific beers that are based on unique commercial examples that don’t fit existing styles. Past versions of the Style Guidelines included a Belgian Specialty Ale style; this style fits that general purpose, as well as allowing non-Belgian entries of similar intent.

Entry Instructions: The entrant must specify the name of the commercial beer, specifications (vital statistics) for the beer, and either a brief sensory description or a list of ingredients used in making the beer. Without this information, judges who are unfamiliar with the beer will have no basis for comparison.

Vital Statistics: OG, FG, IBUs, SRM, and ABV will vary depending on the declared beer.

Commercial Examples: Orval, La Chouffe

Tags: specialty-beer”

Cheers!

 

Looks like a typical Spring Blizzard there, loads of wet snow. I presume, like usual it will all be melted in 2 days

 

I did the same, twice, because Mrs O and I were chatting as I was reviewing the beer.

That can be dangerous. IJS.

 

I opened up this thread and had a moment of deja vu when I saw @cjgiant leading us off.
It's going to be another hot one, so dog walking and other outdoor chores are all completed. My new beer is a stout from Wiley Roots Brewing. The label says it is an oatmeal milk stout with cinnamon, maple syrup, vanilla, and other natural flavors. The ABV is 7.5%.

The beer is a black color with a very thin tan head.
Aroma of chocolate and maple syrup.
Maple syrup takes center stage in the taste, with chocolate and vanilla making an appearance.
The beer is way too sweet for me. Otherwise, it's a very nice beer.

 

I look forward to every NEIPA that is released by Toppling Goliath Brewing. Earlier this week I got to experience Toppling Goliath's version of Toppling Waters BA stout, at the economical price of $16 for 4 ounces. I would now rather pay that price for 4 ounces of just generic maple syrup than do that again. Let's see if this beer makes up for that experience. The color is honey-yellow-orange with an extreme amount of white sediment. Not the most appealing. The smell consists of light fruit odors of tangerine, peach, apple, passionfruit, and cantaloupe. The taste is also light with fruit flavors of white grape, orange, lime, passionfruit, and cantaloupe. The mouthfeel is like fruit juice, with the familiar Toppling Goliath softness and zest. Very smooth and light. Overall, this beer is average for Toppling Goliath's lineup of NEIIPAs. Which still makes it a really good beer!

 

Thanks @cjgiant Craig for getting rolling on this very warm weekend.
Poured into a 13 Teku glass canned 5/17/22? Pours a very attractive yellow orange with a finger plus sticky white head that leaves gobs thick lace with excellent retention. 4.75

Aroma is tangerine, pineapple, passionfruit, maybe a hint of lime, apricot, and a little white grapefruit rind. 4.25

Taste follows tangerine, passionfruit, pineapple, lime, apricot, and a little grapefruit. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, not sticky or dry, fairly soft creamy carbonation, and at 8% it goes down very easy. 4.5

Overall this is another excellent beer from Kettlehead Brewing. Cheers all. 4.25

 

Here is another NEIIPA from a different brewery located just south of Wisconsin. This is different from the last one. NEIPAs seem to me to be often of one of two varieties: orange juice or soup. I like both. This is of the soup variety. The look is very thick, murky, orange soup, with a very silky tall hat. The can art is simply beautiful! The smell is strong with coconut, orange, pineapple, honeydew, and lime. The taste is powerful, with rich flavors of coconut, passionfruit, peach, apple, and pineapple. The mouthfeel is thick, soupy, saucy, juicy, full, and thick. Very light carbonation. Overall, Phase Three Brewing makes amazing NEIPAs, and this one is as delicious as any that they have created!

 

Recycled pic with wbaydn

Yards Summer Crush.
5% abv. Wheat ale brewed with orange zest and lime zest

Pours a hazy gold. Smells of banana. Clove. And general citrus zest. The flavor up front is almost a hefeweizen. Not a pronounced but more pronounced than an "american" wheat beer. It's like 80/20 wheat to citrus. Not even close to a radler. The lime is more noticeable than orange and both are subtle but just enough to notice. Nothing is in your face big or bold. Yeast residual in the bottom fogs it up and kicks it up a notch if you like added tang and it's in no way a filtered beer. The feel is full bodied. High carbonation the banana and clove are slight and there more than the citrus. A bit dry. Very "wet" if you know what I mean.

Overall a beach beer all the way. If it was me I'd give way to make this cans only. I dislike glass on the beach. Personal opinion but also common sense. But it's. Not to say this isn't enjoyable by itself or with say Spanish food or even sushi and seafood. Hell I like the citrus notes with the vanilla in the cookie too

If you're looking for big citrus. Big lime. Blue moon type stuff this ain't it chief. This is summer weather balance. There couldn't be a more biased eview if you take it this way. Fwiw I work for them. But I prefer this over other local options. I won't name names. I'm a professional now and I love it

A good choice for the weather.

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass canned recent. Pours a hazy orange with a solid finger sticky white head that leaves plenty of patches of lace, with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma is mandarin, mango, cantaloupe, apricot, and a hint of grapefruit. 4.25

Taste follows mandarin, mango, cantaloupe, apricot, and just a tickle of grapefruit. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, not sticky or dry, soft gentle carbonation, and at 8% it goes down very easy. 4.5

Overall this brewery has been on a nice run of new releases and this one is no different. Mosaic, El Dorado, and Citra. 4.25

 

Drekker Strawberry PRRRT-a-Colada Fruited Sour, 6.3% ABV. Pours thick and light-orange, with a-one finger light-orange head that lasted and left puree residue. Nose is strawberry, pineapple, and coconut. Taste follows with pineapple prevailing, quite sweet, barely tart. Decent mouthfeel with adequate carbonation. Overall outstanding.

4.3/5 rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5