Orval Trappist Ale...Brewed by Monks, Enough Said

There are 171 Trappist monastaries around the world and of those only seven brew beer.  Six of them are in Belgium and one of them is in the Netherlands. Probably the most recognizable bottle is Chimay. Most of them are not regularly available except at a specialty store and one of them is brewed in such small quantities (Westvleteren) that it is rarely seen outside of Europe. They even have a "beerphone" for customers to make a limited order of one case per month.

Orval is a relatively easy to come by however and I was really excited to try this one because the vaunted Michael Jackson, (not the king of pop) king of all things beer, raved about this beer and several well known craft brewers consider it one of their favorites. I have had this one on my radar for a bit so when I went over to the Haven to meet my MIA bro and my best friend, now neighbor, from college I knew exactly what my first beer was going to be.

The bottle is a cool kind of tear drop shape and it pours a beautiful clear orange brown with not that much head. The aroma has a bit of hops and some spice but overall not that remarkable. That "unremarkable" thing plays out through the entire drinking experience. I never got the nuanced flavors that people raved about. I got a little bit of hops spiciness, a little alcohol taste and beyond that not a whole lot. Don't get me wrong it wasn't BAD, just not as good as I was expecting. Maybe a product of over hyping? Don't get me wrong if someone offered me one I would drink it happily but I don't see what all the fuss is about. I've had other trappist beers that were better.