Orval 2006 and Orval 2010

I've been wanting to this this for a long time - compare and contrast two of the same beer, one aged for a long time and other just brewed. I've heard stories that aged Orval, if done correctly, will taste more like a dark strong Belgian ale instead of the nice golden blonde ale that it starts out as. Hopefully we can reproduce the same results that I have heard in these stories, and hopefully there will be a good amount of differences.

2006 Orval:

Starting with the older one, aged for about 4 1/2 years, I begin my experiment. This brew pours a translucent orange/red with a bubbly white head. The head fades rather quickly and leaves a decent amount of lacing on the side of the Trappist glass. The aroma is of dried fruit, slight amount of vinegar (uh oh), some dashing of bitterness, and Belgian yeast. The flavor is sharp and dry at first, reminds me a lot of a sour ale but not nearly as intense and vinegar driven as some I've had. The other flavors include banana and other light fruits. This aged brew is very dry and has an acidic burn in the aftertaste.

Appearance - 3.5
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 3.1
Texture - 3.4
Overall - 3.45/5

2010:

The newer Orval from 2010 pours a cloudy yellow/orange with a huge bubbly white head. Extremely carbonated when compared to the older one and the head lasts quite a bid longer. Just as good lacing and a slightly lighter color. The aroma is much sweeter as well with notes of grapes, citrus, cane sugar, grains, and yeast. Even though it is sweeter it is not as strong of a nose as the aged one. The taste is initially of Belgian yeast (bananas, cloves) with a dry sort of dull finish and a touch of booze in the aftertaste.

Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 3.5
Texture - 3.5
Overall - 3.68/5

Mixed:

For the hell of it I decided to mix the two for the last 4 oz or so of beer left, just to see what would happen. The appearance is mostly the same as the newer Orval with the same amount of lacing and carbonation. The aroma is a carbon copy of the 2010 Orval but with just a pinch of bitter and sour vinegar thrown in. The flavor is sweet and sour at the same time, taking the best of both worlds - sweet fruit and yeast body with a sour acidic finish. I really wish I did this earlier because the Belgians have it right with their "Gueuze", mixing the old with the new is really the way to go.

Appearance - 3.9
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 3.7
Texture - 3.7
Overall - 3.78/5

The Duck-Rabbit Schwarzbier

Another Duck-Rabbit beer to round up the night, and this time it is of the Schwarzbier variety, a not very well style which could be best described as a German black lager.

This beer pours black with a thin off-white head that fades rather quickly, fairly good lacing as well. The aroma is of smoke, alcohol, and barbecue sauce. Very interesting aroma, its almost like a smoked beer but with not as much of a kick. The flavor is a lot like a smoked lager with a little bit of hoppiness and bitterness thrown in. Not nearly as strong as a smoked beer body or taste wise and much more carbonated. The best way to describe it would be to call it a "light" smoked beer, but not in a bad way.

Appearance - 3.5
Smell - 3.7
Taste - 3.7
Texture - 3.6
Overall - 3.63/5

The Duck-Rabbit Porter

We have not reviewed any beer from The Duck-Rabbit yet so we decided to do two of them to make up for the malt liquor we had to endure earlier.

This brew pours black with a huge bubbly off-white head, very nice looking beer for a porter. The aroma is fairly straightforward with hints of roasted barley, brown sugar, and a touch of nutmeg. The taste is actually pretty mild: roasty, dry, touch of sweetness. Medium bodied, which seems to describe it pretty spot on, overall it is a pretty medium beer - well balanced on all sides.

Appearance - 3.8
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 4.0
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 3.85/5

Rouge Dads Little Helper

I tend to shy away from trying beers like like lagers and malt liquors, but when one of these is made by a brewery like Rouge Ales I have to try it at least once.

Dads Little Helper pours light yellow with a slight orange tinge. Its quite translucent and bubbly with a thin white head. The aroma is to be expected for a malt liquor with notes of sweet corn, syrup, and some wheat. The flavor is fairly tasteless and actually a tad yeasty (if anything). There is a sweet corn aftertaste which is not very pleasant at all. Light to medium bodied and very carbonated.

I suppose for a malt liquor it is not too bad, but coming from Rouge it is not too good either.

Appearance - 2.2
Smell - 2.6
Taste - 2.8
Texture - 2.5
Overall - 2.53/5

Dieu du Ciel Équinoxe du Printemps

Another scotch ale, which is one of my favorite styles, coming to us all the way from Canada and Dieu du Ciel brewery. Hopefully its good.

This brew pours very dark brown with some slight tanning around the edges and a thin white head. Looks very carbonated. Aroma is of alcohol(whiskey/scotch), some caramel and molasses with a touch of fruitiness. The flavor is very good for a scotch ale and has that initial hit of alcohol with a sweet maple syrup/brown sugar flavoring throughout and a warming finish. Almost like a sweet scotch ale, quite good.

Appearance - 3.5
Smell - 4.1
Taste - 4.1
Texture - 3.8
Overall - 3.88/5