RSS
Home
Orval, the Queen of Trappists
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
The medieval Countess Mathilda of Tuscany was visiting the Gaume region of Belgium (as the legend goes) and dropped her wedding ring in the lake. She prayed for its return and a trout emerged with the ring in its mouth, to which she exclaimed, “Truly this place is a Val d’Or!”
And so, the Val d’Or (“Valley of Gold”) lent its name to the foundation of the Cistercian Abbaye Notre-Dame d’Orval in Villers-devant-Orval, Belgium, some thousand or so years ago. The modern brewery was built in 1932, although the monastery has been brewing longer than anyone can recall.
Orval is unique among the Trappist breweries, in part because they only produce one product. The eponymous beer has been available in Texas for years, and if you haven’t tried one already, you are long overdue for one of the greatest beers ever made anywhere.
Another reason Orval stands out from the other Trappist beers is the brewing process itself. Orval brewers dry-hop their beer, meaning whole-leaf hops are placed in the beer after fermentation to extract some of the essential oils from the plant. Along with the dry hops, a shot of Brettanomyces is also added to feast on what little sugars remain during maturation.
What results from these methods is a beer of immeasurable flavor complexity. Pour the beer into a glass and then pause before taking a sip. Inhale deeply from the thick, billowy white head for a weave of malt, syrup, plums and tart sour yeast. (This beer has the greatest aroma of any beer I’ve ever encountered.)
The flavors follow suit, with moderately bready malt and elements of dark fruit, rum, apples, yeast and even bubblegum. The Brett lends its own tartness but not enough to sour the entire beer, just enough to add to the intricate palate. At only 6.9% ABV, this is not a terribly strong beer but it has more flavor elements than can be counted, and will only improve through years of aging.
Availability: Distinctive 330-ml bottles are found in better beer bars, pubs and retailers, at around $4 to $5 per bottle. It is widely distributed in Texas, although I’ve never seen it on draught.
Cheers!
Related Articles:
Comments
.jpg)
