Thursday 18 April 2013

#140: The Destrier Celebrates

To celebrate the Destrier's first birthday, I had a number of ideas. The first was to re-evaluate Sam Adams Boston Lager, the first ever beer I took notes on, and subsequently, the first beer written about on the blog. Unfortunately (and rather weirdly) it was nowhere to be found. The second idea was similar - revisit my favourite beers of the past year, namely St. Bernardus Abt 12, Piraat and Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout. The first two are currently on tap at the Abbot's Ale House, so there's my weekend planned. The third idea was to try something new, something that I've been wanting to try for a long time. Initially it was a lambic beer, but the recent arrival of Orval to the shelves of the Abbot's decided it for me. It would be that last* and most elusive Trappist brewery. 

Orval pours a hazy amber with a bright head, darker than I'd expected. The aroma first produces a soft, sticky, candied citrus fruit sweetness with highlights of sour lemon sorbet. It's earthy, herbal and even a little bit medicinal underneath. So far so good. Strangely enough, the complexity promised on the aroma doesn't seem to be all there on the palate. There's a grainy, farmhouse-like bread malt backbone and a very light hop bitterness that lingers long after the finish, but the real star of the show is the spicy character in the middle. It's what makes the beer great as opposed to good. Feeling a little underwhelmed by the taste, I decided to bring out some cheese and crackers - the first responders for any beery incidents. This brought out a nutty almond note in the flavour of the Orval, and the whole experience was more enjoyable for it.
Am I missing out on something here? Were my expectations too high? It was served at cellar temperature, as per the label's suggestion, and it was about as fresh as it could have been at just three months old. 
Perhaps that's the problem - age. Luckily, I have another bottle set aside for cellaring.

Another beer I have for cellaring is the Winter 11-12 bottling of Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout, one of my big finds of the year. However, I want to see how that tastes in another year or so, so I procured a fresh bottle for the occasion.

This Black Chocolate Stout is absolutely gorgeous. The thick dark chocolate malts and light hop character are there on the aroma as per usual, but the taste is certainly different from last year's, with strong roasted coffee notes and liquorice aplenty. Really, it's absolutely delicious. The malted biscuit opening is like the inside of a Malteser, while the dark chocolate bitterness lingers long after each sip.

I strongly recommend this beer, and for me, it is the chocolate stout to beat, as well as my number one Russian Imperial Stout.

*Correction: Second to last, I forgot about Engelszell in Austria

5 comments:

  1. Those sneaky Trappists are one step ahead of you: you still need to try the Engelszell brewery.

    Orval changes quite drastically over time. It's a bit of a crap shoot how it's going to taste at any given age.

    I wouldn't regard Brooklyn Black Chocolate as a chocolate stout just because of the C-word in the title. It is fantastic though.

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    1. Feck, those pesky Austrians. When I man up and fork out the ~€6 bottle it'll be up here, but that may not be for some time. And yeah, I relaise the BBCS doesn't have any actual chocolate in it, but that makes it even better. Still, when I see someone gush over the chocolate character in, say, Young's Double Chocolate Stout, I can't help but feel the need to recommend the Brooklyn. Great beer, but I'm really hoping the heat will wear off over time. It's the only downside.
      Cheers

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  2. I think you're pretty much on the mark with Orval.The 1st time on tasted it I didn't really take to it.My overall impression was that it very,very dry.It took me a couple of bottles to,for want of a better word,"get"it.Now it would have to be one of my favs,fantastic stuff.The late,great Mr.Jackson reckons its at it's best at 6 months.I'd love to taste a really aged one but unfortunately I can never wait that long.Congratulations on the blog,great reading.Keep up the good work

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    1. Thanks, appreciate the comments.
      It was nice, for sure, but I just didn't know exactly why. I found myself drinking the Orval rather fast, as if trying desperately to find something else in the taste. I'm glad I have one put away, and I may even buy more. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how it evolves. I'll try it again in the summer.
      Cheers

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  3. I've had 3 orvals, varying ages but no joy. Not gunna bother trying when there's plenty others I enjoy

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