WILK Friday BeerBuzz - 4 Jan 2013 Orval Trappist Ale

WILKFridayBerbuzz12
We’re taking a deep breath on the WILK Friday BeerBuzz as we launch into 2013.  It’s been a crazy holiday season and we’re ready to think late-winter and spring beer.  Keep in mind we’ve featured 10 different holiday beers in the last 4 weeks so it’s time to make a change.



For the first show of the new year, I wanted to feature a beer that is worthy of that New year’s honor.  I also wanted to start the new year with a really special beer that is readily available, affordable, full of flavor and a historically significant beer as well.  Finally, I simply wanted to switch gears and get away from the traditionally dark and spicy holiday ales.

Each January, to launch the new year, I like to feature a true Trappist beer on the Friday BeerBuzz.  For 2012 we featured Rochefort 10 as a way to support the brewery after the tragic fire just weeks earlier.  For 2013 I decided to keep up our tradition and feature a Trappist beer once again…so today’s beer was Orval Trappist Ale.
image
Coming to us from Villers-Devant-Orval in Belgium, Orval is not only a classic Belgian beer, but also a beer brewed by one of 8 certified Trappist breweries around the world.  Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, Westvleteren, Achel, La Trappe, and Stift Engelszell are among the worlds most sought after beers…however Orval is readily available in the U.S. and one of my favorites.

Orval Abbey dates back to 1132, and while historical accounts say there has been a brewery & hop fields on the site for hundreds of years, the Orval Brewery officially dates to 1931.  The brewery uses a logo featuring a trout with a ring in it’s mouth, and legend has it that Mathilda of Tuscany lost her wedding ring on the site and after praying for it’s return, a trout sprung from the lake with her ring in it’s mouth.  Upon finding the ring Mathilda declared it to be a “Val d’ Or” or Golden Valley from which the Orval name was derived.

Orval makes only one beer and we were excited to sample it on the show.  Orval Trappist Ale is a Belgian Pale Ale that is bottle conditioned and it comes in at an easy drinking 6.2% ABV.  With notes of yeast, fruit & of course hops (thanks in part to their extensive use of dry-hopping) this is a classic Belgian beer.

We’re also lucky enough to be just a few hours from an official Orval Ambassador bar.  With only 5 in the United States, Orval Ambassador bars are certified by Orval and not only include proper serving vessels and methods, but some even feature the famous Orval cheeses to pair with your Orval.  So get your butt down to Monks Café in Philadelphia and try one for yourself.  Or better yet, simply run up to Krugel’s Georgetown Deli and buy a bottle to enjoy at home.

Thank you to Nancy, John & Joe for yet another

fun Friday. 

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together. As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.
.

About MyBeer Buzz

Founder, owner, author, graphic designer, CEO, CFO, webmaster, president, mechanic and janitor for mybeerbuzz.com. Producer and Co-host of the WILK Friday BeerBuzz live weekly craft beer radio show. Small craft-brewer of the craft beer news sites and one-man-band with way too many instruments to play........Copyright 2007-2024 mybeerbuzz.com All Rights Reserved: Use of this content on ANY site without written permission is not allowed.

35 comments (click to read or post):

  1. Always fun buzzers! I think you should to a memory lane beer show sometime. Just invite me on.
    Ryan W

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like Orval but I haven't been able to find it. Where did you get it? Eric

    ReplyDelete
  3. Today's beer came from Krugel's Georgetown Deli. It's sold by the bottle and I believe they were $5.99.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I laughed through the entire 3 hours today. The beer buzz was the perfect punctuation mark to a really fun show. Thank you WILK.

    Jerry (Dupont)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'll be your next beer guest OK? Amy

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is that easy Amy. Just declare it in comments and you're as good as in! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I want to be a guest too! Kim Gee

    ReplyDelete
  8. Where's the video? TJ

    ReplyDelete
  9. A great start to a new Friday Beer Buzz year!

    Some tasty Orval Trappist Ale to sample plus our Vocabulary Builder Word for the Day, 'monkery'!

    Great job as always to Bill from MyBeerBuzz.com!

    Thanks also to Karel Zubris who handles our video AND more often than not our catering!

    And of course, thanks to you for listening.

    Best,
    John
    webster@wilknewsradio.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. We had a little camera snafu late in the show that split the video out. I suspect John is busy laboring to repair it and get it out to you. It will be up on wilknewsradio.com, mybeerbuzz.com and fridaybeerbuzz.com the moment it is ready.

    ReplyDelete
  11. You always make me laugh and your show is my favorite. Today was a great topic and then beer. That has win written all over it. I plan to try this Orval out and see. The history lesson made it sound good to me. Cheers. Mike

    ReplyDelete
  12. If I get a bonus score for listening to every show I should get to be a guest. I have listened live to every single beer buzz from the beginning. I even setup my video camera to record a few of them before I figured out you record and post them. Invite me on the show! I love beer and I'm great at beer buzz trivia too. Jared in Scranton.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow Jared! I'm pretty sure even Mrs. BeerBuzz hasn't heard every show! So what was our first beer and who was our first in-studio guest?

    ReplyDelete
  14. I know! Troegs Hopback was the first beer. I don't know the guest. Now I get on the show right?

    Amy

    ReplyDelete
  15. Correct Amy. You're one step closer.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Was it Spike Buckowski from Terrapin? Matt

    ReplyDelete
  17. Incorrect Matt...well sort of incorrect. Spike was our first PHONE guest.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Was it Breaker Brewing?

    Jerry

    ReplyDelete
  19. No but Mark & Chris were a very early guest on the show. Come on people.....where's Jared?>

    ReplyDelete
  20. Was it Berwick Brewing? Jenna

    ReplyDelete
  21. Old Forge?

    Tim K

    ReplyDelete
  22. Sorry Tim. Damien Malfara was also an early guest but not our first.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love Orval!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Aha! I win. It was Mike Hiller from Bavarian Barbarian!

    Jared

    ReplyDelete
  25. Jared wins! It was Mike Hiller, although at the time he didn't realize he was our fist EVER guest.

    OK Jared (and all) who was on our show the MOST~! (very easy one)??

    ReplyDelete
  26. No..sorry Jared. He's actually 3rd or 4th now.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I planned to guess Mitch Steel but I think that's probably wrong. Jan

    ReplyDelete
  28. Mitch Steele is also a close call, probably 2nd or 3rd in the list. Any more guesses??

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love Hopslam & Nugget Nectar Too. Thanks for the update. Joe

    ReplyDelete
  30. OK the guest with the MOST appearances on the WILK Friday BeerBuzz is.......................................................................... .......................................... ............................... ............................ ................................. ........................................ ............................

    Chuck Yarmey from the Wyoming Valley Homebrewers!

    ReplyDelete
  31. YAY!!! I love being on the show. We've turned a lot of people on to homebrewing through the Friday BeerBuzz!! 2013 is an extra special year for homebrewing in Pennsylvania so hopefully I'll see you all again sometime soon!
    Cheers,
    Chuck Yarmey,
    Wyoming Valley Homebrewers Club

    ReplyDelete

Please leave a comment...I do moderate each comment so it may not appear immediately...and please be nice! You can also comment using Disqus (below) or even comment directly on Facebook (bottom).