With the winter season drawing to a close my nagging tastebuds have insisted on a change.

Always willing to please my fleshy little beer-monitors, I bend to their will and dutifully plan an urgent expedition to The Bottle Top. But what do I buy?! I've been stuck on those sticky stouts for so long I've developed a bad case of Beer-Bigotry. This calls for some divine intervention, a pious recalibration, a penance in honour of the Beer-Gods...

Orval

A Trappist Beer to Redeem Myself

A beautiful bottle of the Monks brew, is there any better way to atone than this? I doubt it. Orval is one of my favourite Trappist ales. For those of you who are not familiar with the lord's breweries, there are quite a few to choose from. Trappist monks are all about the beer and it seems that God has put them on the right path. These brothy bredrens are masters of the malt and if you haven't already I'd strongly recommend you grab yourself a bottle. If you did decide to partake in this pilgrimage, Orval would be a great beer to begin with.

"Orval was first made in 1931, and has a complex and unusual flavor and aroma produced by a unique strain of yeast: Brettanomyces bruxellensis. The beer is light in color, slightly cloudy, and has a large, foamy head. There is a complex aroma of leather, spice, and many other earthy components"

Pic Source

I can't say I've ever noticed a "leather aroma", but maybe I'm drinking it wrong and supposed to be lashing myself with a cat-o-nine-tails while taking a slurp..? I think I can live without the leather aroma.
Now, it could just be me and the fact that my tastebuds have been incinerated through many years of smoking, but whenever I drink Orval I get a taste of banana...Honestly, I'm not joking, I really do get a strong hit of banana and I have to say that it is this weird occurrence that brings me back for more. Besides the fruity surprise, Orval has a refreshing taste and one that carries that je ne sais quoi that all Trappist ales should have. A nicely balanced beer carrying a 6.2%ABV, which means you can enjoy a few without falling from grace.

But if you were to fall from grace, there’s always a place for the dammed...

Duvel

Welcome to Hell, my BeerSaturday chums! Duvel was one of the first real beers I discovered, way back when I lived in the Netherlands. That was 20 years ago, and still, I find myself unable to resist drinking the Devil’s brew.

Being a master of temptation, Duvel always likes to keep you interested by throwing out limited-edition beers using experimental hops, or by tweaking their classic beer with a taste of citrus. Sadly, there are no more of Duvel’s experimental hop 291 in existence. I know because I’ve scoured every corner of the earth in the hope of just one more taste of this unbelievable beer.

All is not lost, my friends, because Duvel’s triple hop Citra is still quite a remarkable beer. And with an alcohol content of 9.5%, this cheeky little devil will have you speaking in tongues quicker than you can say “Hail Mary”. However, before inebriation dulls your senses you’ll no doubt raise an eyebrow to the sharp citrus taste when it explodes inside your mouth.

The best thing about Duvel and Duvel triple hop is that you don’t have to walk too the far corners of the earth to find it, and neither do you have to sell a kidney in order to afford more than one. You can pick these stubby little monsters up from your local supermarket at a cost of around £2.50. Now that’s a bargain for a beer as good as this and well worth stocking up on.

That's all from me this week, I hope you've enjoyed this post. Thanks for tuning in and don't forget to check out the #beersaturday tag for loads more beer-loving blogs.

All hail the ale!