Orval Trappist forces me to investigate its complexity like a sleuth

The monks at Brasserie d'Orval only make two lines of beer; Orval and a 3.5% Petite Orval. The latter is brewed only for the monks consumption and the former is sold to support the monastery. The monks only need to sell one style of beer to survive (other trappist breweries sell at least 3), so how great must this be? I'm excited to find out about the beer and the weird fish tabs it comes with.

We sent out our end of the year beer party, and our friend Kenny let us know that it's actually International Beer Day http://www.internationalbeerday.com/

The Orval is a 6.9% Belgian Pale Ale that pours a bit darker, more of an orange amber with a gnarly white head. There is a very intense caramel and yeasty aroma. The first sip punches my tongue with spice and surprises the hell out of me. I didn't expect this from a Belgian Pale and especially a trappist. I make a comment to David and he shakes his head. "It's not spicy," he says, "it took me a while to get it. Keep going Watson." Thanks Sherlock. David has a much better palate than I, so I always default to him but I can't imagine what he's referring too.

There's no doubt about it, this is a complex beer. Caramel, dark fruit, and a great hop bite. As the carbonation dies down, I'm an idiot and still don't get it. David says, "think wild ale." Light bulb! Apparently, you can't just lead me to water, you have to dunk my head in it and hold me under to make me drink. What I mistook for spiciness initially, was a complex tartness. This is a pale ale that has dark, tart fruit tastes and a smooth finish? This is a very unique beer, and it's something I must try again soon to appreciate. The complexity is mind-bottling. They can age for 4 or 5 years, so maybe I'll buy two and save one for my 32 birthday. BAD BOYS rating.


The section below explains the odd fish with a piercing tag awkwardly attached to the bottle --

The legend of Orval

This stain-glass is evocative of the legend of Orval foundation. The monastery was born of an act of gratitude: Mathilda was a widow and her weddin-gring had accidentally fallen into the fountain. She prayed to the Lord and at once a trout rose to the surface with the precious ring in its mouth. Mathilda exclaimed : 'Truly this place is a Val d'Or'! " In gratitude, she decided to establish a monastery on the site.

See? Magical rainbow spewing fishes save the day. Ta-dahhhh