beer_name: Orval Trappist Ale
text: Poured from a bottle into a Chimay Chalice.. Bottled on 05-2010, poured on 05-2011. A - A good looking beer, a bit more amber than I'd expected but pours a huge head with lacing all over the glass and foam lasting throughout the glass. Generally it looks a bit like an American Pale ale but with higher carbonation and champaign style bubbles. S - Smells a bit of plum, clove and fruit.. no discernible hop aroma to me at this point. T - The beer really shines in the taste dept... Starts off a little tart and then follows with a fruitiness and med body with a bit of funk or horse blanket or whatever you want to call it. A dry finish and lasting aftertaste with a warming alcohol note in the very end. M - It's smooth, and soft and 'balanced' (whatever that means). Mouthfeel is really fantastic on this beer.. O - It's certainly a good to great beer, maybe not my personal favorite trappist beer but absolutely in the high class category. I would wonder if the best buy date of 2015 isn't a bit hopeful though?? Not a super high alcohol offering and by '15 this would certainly be a completely different beer. If you like the belgian funk in your beer.. this is a great example though. Certainly brings along visions of the European countryside and has a tartness, dirt and attitude about it that doesn't taste contrived in any way... I know that's a strange statement but if you've tried a lot of other attempts at a beer like this.. you probably know what I'm talking about.