Judge’s Review: 94 Rating – Orval by Brasserie d’Orval

Belgian Single | Year-Round | Belgium

By Richard Wong

Judges Rating: 94
Aroma: 24
Appearance: 6
Flavor: 37
Mouthfeel: 9
Overall Impression: 18

Orval by Brasserie d’Orval was judged as a #26A (Belgian Single) under the 2021 BJCP Guidelines. The pour of this beer had a nice malt sweetness and some esters in the aroma. The pour also revealed a very nice light brown hue with very good carbonation. It had a slight chill haze in its appearance as well. 
The initial taste of this beer revealed a nice malt sweetness balanced with light hop bitterness. It had nice fruity esters that made it more complex in flavor. It should be noted that this beer was also fermented with Brett, (the famed Brettanomyces wild yeast strain) which lends itself to a very subtle sourness/tartness that balances nicely with the malt sweetness. The body and mouthfeel of this beer is moderate along with the carbonation level. The overall impression of this beer is that subtle and light flavors can be just as noticeable in a beer (less is more). The beer finished very dry in the aftertaste The subtle flavors of this beer were wonderfully simple yet deeply complex.