Orval Day - March 20, 2021

Checking in on Orval day. I figured that with a 20oz glass and a careful pour, an Orval would fit. Nope, this is about half of it.

 

Ok, I'm in for later. $4.79 pre tax. 2/9/2020. No schwag though, dammit!

 

As always this doesn’t disappoint, love the balance between tart fruits, earthy funk and pale malts. Goes nicely with the quiche I made, happy Orval Day/First Day of Spring, cheers!

 

I will be popping on here shortly with an Orval but noticed many Advocates discussing pricing. In Ontario I get them for $5 Canadian, which is $4 U.S. Cheers.

 

Yay, Orval Day is back. At Cafe Brussels, one of my favorite old school spots in Houston. This is like going back in time, let alone another country



With a big pot of Mussels in white wine...MMM

 

Happy Orval Day! Drinking my last bottle for now, 2016 version, aged almost 5 years. Great beer as always, fairly simple and elegant, getting notes of apricot, apple, pear, toasted hay, straw, dark bready caramel, earthy floral grassy hops, hint of sweet spice, mild barnyard funk, really nice. Cheers everyone!

 

I recently finished a workout and am chilling in the workout room with some tunes, hence the pic. Unfortunately, my glass collection lacks an Orval, so the Chimay will have to suffice. I’ve probably had about twenty of these over the last three months and in the past have aged it out to five years. One of my favorite beers. Cheers.

 

It's been well over 5 years since this BA has had an Orval. If you guessed I wasn't very impressed you would be correct. Tastes can change over time so I decided to take part in Orval day. My beer was bottled on 02/09/2020 and has a best before date of 02.09/2025. I poured about 1/2 the bottle into a red wine glass. This is a nice looking beer a slightly hazy golden amber color with a head as thick as shaving cream. The head lasts and leaves a thick lacing. The aroma is of malt and spice with something else lurking in the rear. I'm guessing it's what some reviewers call barnyard funk. The taste is malt and spice and again the so named funk. Orval has a high level of carbonation and a light mouthfeel. a long lasting and funky finish. The bottle had spent last night in a wine cooler and was served a red wine temp. Overall I don't dislike like Orval but don't really like it either. I would not turn it down if offered but won't seek it out. Glad i gave it another shot in any case.

 

I'm supposed to be on a beer break but am making an exception for Orval Day- I kinda like this beer

I was fortunate to get some younger bottles again- this is from Sept. 2020, so about 6 months old. It's still got a nice citrus peel freshness to it, alongside that great earthy/funky/wood and spice base.

Long live Orval!

Have a great one, everybody...

 

Happy Orval Day! One of the two bottles I bought at a local shop ($6.99 per). Both with a best by date of 4/3/25, so less than a year old. Will probably set one aside to age. IIRC none of the half dozen or so bottles I‘ve had in the past were more than a couple years old, and none have exhibited much in the way of brett funk I’ve read older examples can have. I do love it fresh like this though.

 

Good afternoon, our local bottle shop had 2019 and 2020 set up just for Orval day.
2020, has more malt, citrus reduction, a bit of black pepper and yeasty esters
2019, less black pepper and more reduced citrus, the malt expression was quite similar.
Both had the Brett kiss, with the 2019 showing a tad more.
Great to have them side by side
Cheers

 

Happy Orval Day! The store I grabbed these from has had 2/9/20 beers for the past few months. That's fine though. This beer is fantastic! I brewed a clone in October. It would have been great to do a side-by-side, but we drank it already. This one's always a treat. Cheers!

 

How many people have had the Petite Orval? I had it many years ago when visiting the Monastery, in that cafe close by. Man, I miss that

 

Happy Orval day BA'ers!

Opened 2 x 2015 Orvals from the cellar. Both brewed 17/06/15. Interestingly they taste quite a bit different. Mine is all about the funk with a lot of barnyard finishing with a little nuttiness. The missus' beer has a lot of funk but is a little sharper with a touch of fruitiness. Interesting development makes me wonder what my '09 is like?


Damn I want to go back to Belgium!

 

I was just wondering how much @TongoRad looked like his avatar.

 

I just opened my last Orval. 26/03/2015.... not as lively sculpture foam head as a fresher Orval but tasty all the same.

 

Hello my friend! You got that from the one and only Newfoundland order right? I wonder how many batches showed up as yours is different than mine. I haven't checked the other bottles in my cellar for batches.