Orval

BEER STYLE: Trappist Pale Ale BEER TYPE: Ale  ALCOHOL: 6.2% VOLUME: 330 ml BREWERY: Orval COUNTRY: Belgium BREWERY TASTING NOTES: The gustative sen...

The distinctive fruity and bitter taste of Orval beer means it has become a genuine reference in the exclusive world of authentic Trappist beers.

Orval beer is a high fermentation beer. The ageing process adds a fruity note, which strikes a subtle balance between the beer’s full-bodied yet complex flavour and bitterness.

The beer was first brewed in 1931 and owes its unparalleled taste to the quality of the water, the hops and the yeast used. The brewery has selected very aromatic and unique hop varieties, which hark back to the first brewmaster of Orval, who hailed from Bavaria. The beer’s aromas are very pronounced while maintaining the right level of bitterness thanks to the English method of dry hopping.

The various stages of fermentation – combined fermentation with the original yeast and with wild yeast, followed by fermentation in the bottle – mean the beer must age for some time and requires numerous quality controls. 

BeerAdvocate Rating: 93/100. 

Trappist ale and the 3 rules:

A Trappist ale can only be called Trappist ale when it has been brewed between the four walls of a Trappist monastery, under the supervision of the monastery’s monks, and when part of the proceeds is earmarked for charity. Pure and honest. And that’s reflected in the taste.

A “Trappist” has to satisfy a number of strict criteria proper to this logo before it may bear this name: 

The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves or under their supervision.
The brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life
The brewery is not intended to be a profit-making venture.  The income covers the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds.  Whatever remains is donated to charity for social work and to help persons in need.

Pure and honest. And that’s reflected in the taste.

 

In contrast to all the other Trappist breweries, Orval Brewery makes only one beer for the public, and that beer is me. I was first brewed in 1931, and am the singular focus of all the Trappist monks in Abbey Notre-Dame d'Orval. The monks have managed to make me into a beer of a depth and character so unmatched that brewers from all over the world have cited me as their favourite beer.