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InafitofmadnessIorder15bottlesofOrvalfromBeerMerchantsbut reallyIcan’twaittoembedtheminmycellar,introducethemtoThomasHardyandletthemseeoldfriendssuch asFuller’sVintageandLeesHarvest. Likealotoffolkwhodealwithbeer,I’malwaysbeingaskedwhatmyfavouritebeerisandIalwayssayit’snotadecisionIliketotake. IloveAdnamsBestBitter,DogfishHeadIndiaBrownAle,Fuller’sGoldenPrideandsoon,butatthebackofmymindI’malwaystemptedtosaythatOrvalismyfavouritebeerintheworld. Why?Ithinkit’sabeerthatIcancomebacktotimeandtimeagainandfindsomethingnew. Iliketheskittleshapeofthebottle,thesimplicityofthedesign,thefactthatit’snotbeenbuggeredaroundwith,gainedanolderoryoungersibling (thoughI’vehadthePetitOrval,twowords: hoppedwater). It’sgotagreatnose: oily,leathery,pepper and orange, but mostofallthoughIlovethetaste,the creamyandhoppymouthfeel, thesnappycarbonation, the sourandcitrusynotes vying for attention and the bitterspicyfinish. Iloveit. Itworks as a stand-alone beer and at the dinner table (I’ve written about that here). It also ages well. What’s not to like? I went to the monastery once (peering over a wall into the grounds the sight of meditating folk put me in mind of a scene from Resnais’ movie Last Year At Marienbad), the brewery was closed so we went straight to the cafe and contemplated the beer. So I’ve got 15 bottles of Orval on the way, can I leave them alone for a while?





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