Orval Trappist Ale
ABV 6.9%
Color: Hazy pumpkin orange with huge off-white head.
Aroma: Crazy aromatic. Funky piney hops, bay leaves, rosemary, sweet malts.
Flavor: Thin and savory (coriander, herbal notes) with some citrus.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Grains with moderate bitter hops.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre
Duvel Belgian Golden Ale
ABV 8.5%
Color: Straw yellow with huge snow white head.
Aroma: Orange marmalade, Belgian yeast, cloves, soap.
Flavor: Thin, smooth and creamy with some lemon.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Grain and some noticeable alcohol.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre
Split decision: Orval vs. Duvel. Two titans of the beer world facing off for bragging rights. Truly a bottle battle for the ages. Unfortunately it was not a very interesting fight. Call us sacrilegious, but we thought these beers were mediocre at best. Perhaps they were a victim of our expectations, perhaps we're American West Coast beer snobs, but these just didn't do it for us. E chose the Duvel, preferring its sweetness and creamy body and I chose the Orval because I thought it had an interesting aroma. However, we both had a hard time coming up with descriptions for the flavors of the beers. They both just seemed thin, simple and refreshing. In other words, nothing special. Finally, neither seemed to deliver the kind of flavor and complexity that we'd expect from a beer that is so high in alcohol. The Duvel, especially, seemed extraordinarily potent for a thin, light, easy drinking beer.
Posts
Orval...mediocre? Blasphemy! Maybe you got a bottle that wasn't kept under the best conditions or something.
ReplyDeleteHey Devlin,
ReplyDeleteI think the bottle was fine (we got it at Bottleworks after all). It was certainly an interesting beer, but it just didn't mesh with our palates. Perhaps with the right food pairing it could be special, but on its own it just didn't live up to the hype for us.
I hope the Monks won't hold it against us.
You are wrong, not just an idiot. Orval is complex with a capital "F". Try again, please.
ReplyDeleteI would say.. of course, this is not over-the-top as some of the beers that the new world offer. But it doesn't make it simple.
ReplyDelete