This Belgian Trappist brewery only makes one beer, but it is one of the most sort-after beers in the world. Brewed by monks within the walls of the monastry, Orval is an orange-hazed Belgian pale ale bottled conditioned with a special yeast called brettonomyces.
Dear Fans of Orval,
Serving an Orval is an art.
Below are a few practical tips. Open the bottle by using a good bottle opener securely held in the hand. Never use another object for this such as a lighter, a knife, etc. When opening, apply some pressure to the cap so that it stays on the bottle. You will hear the pressure escaping from the bottle. When removing the cap, you will notice that it stays on the open bottle.
Slowly pour the beer into a special Orval glass without shaking the bottle. Hold the bottle horizontally and slightly tilt the glass. In a flowing movement, slowly straighten it until only one cm is left in the bottle.
Enjoy!
Located within the confines of the Abbey, the Orval Brewery was created in 1931 to finance the enormous reconstruction works of Orval. It has hired lay workers from the outset, including the master brewer, Pappenheimer, who invented the recipe.
