There may be no beer or brewery more respected by brewers around the world than Orval. The singular focus of these Trappist monks and the depth and character of the beer they produce is (arguably) unmatched. Here, we’ve asked brewers to share their thoughts about why this beer means so much to so many.
“You drive through the woods in Belgium, and suddenly there’s this beautiful monastery,” says Steven Pauwels, the brewmaster at Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City. The Belgian-born brewer is talking about Brasserie d’Orval, a Trappist brewery inside of the enchanting Abbaye Notre-Dame d’Orval in the country’s Gaume region.
The brewery’s Orval ale is brewed with springwater, 2-row spring barley, and liquid candy sugar. It is top fermented and dry hopped before undergoing further fermentation with Brettanomyces in the bottle. It’s the only beer that the monastery brews, which many brewers say gives it strength in its simplicity.