Orval Trappist Ale: Review by @Robyn_Seto
Trappist beers are a unique style, brewed only by Trappist monks. Currently only 14 monasteries worldwide are brewing and distributing Trappist beers. There are three main rules that must be followed in order for a beer to be considered Trappist:
The beer must be brewed in the monastery by the monks or under supervision of monks.
The brewery must be held secondary to the monastery, and follow the business practices of the monastery.
The brewing of beer is not for profit. Income from beer sales cover expenses of the monastery, and any extra money is donated to charity.
In ascending heaviness and strength, the styles of Trappist beer include enkel, dubbel, tripel, and quadrupel.
Today’s beer comes to us from the Orval Trappist Brewery located in Belgium. Since 1931 they have produced a single beer: Orval Trappist Ale. Like most Trappist ales, this beer is bottle conditioned, meaning fermentation will continue after the beer has been bottled. What you will find is a highly dynamic flavor that changes depending on the age of the beer. The secret to the changing of flavors is wild Brettanomyces yeast. A fun tasting experiment would be to age a bottle for 6 months to a year and try it side-by-side with a fresh one. The continual fermentation process will also vary the ABV, so although the bottles are marked 6.2% ABV it may be even slightly higher if you let it age long enough.
The bottle I had was fairly fresh and as such the flavors are brighter than what you might find in other Trappist ales. The Brettanomyces creates a gigantic foamy head when this beer is poured into a glass. The flavors are slightly sweet with date-like flavors. There is some hoppy bitterness, however it’s slightly dark. It’s not like chewing on a piece of grass, but perhaps something akin to watered down coffee as far as bitterness. The flavors are strong and present, but not cloying or overwhelming. However, I would recommend drinking this beer on its own, without food, to truly enjoy the hard work put in by the Trappist monks.
4/5 Burps
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