Gonna Drink Now.....

Beer #123 Trappist Ale / Brasserie d'Orval, Orval, Belgium

Sometimes I have an awful day and share my joy with the people of the internet.  Today was too much of a beating to even bother typing out the details.  Straight to the booze, shall we?

Tonight I'm crossing another Trappist beer off the list, this one from Orval (hint: hit the Trappist tag on the right to check the rest).  This one pours a dark amber, with a thick, persistent head.  You pick up notes of malt, yeast, and light citrus on the nose.  The taste is a heady mix of plum, malt and mild hops.  Really, the most unique aspect of this beer is a subtle tartness, which was rather unexpected from a Belgian pale ale, but very much welcome. A nice dry finish on this one, and a very manageable 6.9% ABV.   Huge thumbs up here. Will definitely be bringing this beer back to the house again in the future.

Marci has previously crossed Orval off the list, her review can be found here.

Thing to Think About Today:
Today marks the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs - I admit that I'm a casual hockey fan during the regular season, but something about playoff hockey is definitely exciting.  And not just that my doppelganger in life is former Philadelphia Flyer Keith Jones, although that helps.  Seriously, google him, find me.  So, let's do two things here: Celebrate some civic pride for the hometown hockey squad (they'll need it), and play some music to get me fired up enough to leave the house for work tomorrow.  Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, meet Bill Conti's Gonna Fly Now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hzDyCugSOQ

Beer 89: Orval Trappist Ale or Proof Crackberries are Addicting

Today marked the first day of Pennsylvania’s anti-texting while driving law.  The law prohibits as a primary offense any driver from sending, reading or writing a text-based communication while his/her vehicle is in motion.  No more texting, instant messaging, email, tweeting or browsing the Internet.  But feel free to use your GPS or take and make calls.

I freely admit that I text while driving, but only when in dead stopped traffic jams or at red lights.  I’m not proud but that damn red, blinking light on my phone is like the siren’s call across an ocean.  Must. Look. At. Phone.  The GPS on the other hand.  In the past month, I’ve veered off the road and almost rear-ended someone.  But that’s cool, Commonwealth.  I managed to stop in time.  No harm.  No foul.  Just took a few years off my life.

In my humble opinion, this law has no teeth.  From what I read at lunch, it’s going to be hard to prove once tickets are issued and it seems like it’s pretty subjective to enforce.  And from the looks of it on my drive home, no one gives a shit and they are all texting away anyway.

I, on the other hand, left my phone in my purse and tried to be a good citizen.  And I was, but not without quite a few spastic lunges at the passenger seat before I realized I was reaching for that phone.

***

There is no correlation between that rambling thought and tonight’s beer -- an Orval Trappist Ale.  It poured a coppery-brown in my glass with a full, off-white head.  It smells of candy and plums with malt.  The carbonation is just right.  That fruit comes through in the taste and you get a hoppy kick toward the end.  I found the alcohol to be surprisingly present.  Surprisingly because this is listed at 6.9% ABV and I tend toward big beers.

In case you’re interested, Gary drops some Trappist knowledge in this post.  And on that note, I’m out.  Cheers.