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  • Orval at The Beerhive, Edinburgh. Free UK shipping.
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Orval

Orval

£4.00
£4.00
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Producer Orval
Country Belgium
Region Wallonia
ABV 6.20%

Tasting Notes

Brettanomyces, Citrus, Hops and Dry Finish

Explore Further

Amber Belgium Trappist Wild

This Pairs With:

Szechuan Food Oysters Seafood Pork Light Salad

Don’t forget your bottle opener!

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More About Orval

A truly unique Belgian Trappist ale brewed at the Abbey of Notre-Dame d’Orval, and famous for being one of the most distinctive beers in the world, and also one of the only Trappist breweries to produce just one core beer.

What sets Orval apart is its dual fermentation with Brettanomyces (wild yeast) and traditional bottle conditioning, plus a generous dry-hopping regime. This combination creates a beer that actually changes significantly with age, shifting from bright and hoppy when young to earthy, funky and deeply complex over time.

In the glass it pours a hazy amber-orange, with a big, foamy head. Aromas move between herbal hops, orange peel, spice, leather and subtle barnyard funk.

Meet the Producer, Orval

Orval

Style: Brewery

Orval occupies a strange place in beer because people talk about it with the kind of reverence normally reserved for ancient religious texts or extremely expensive Burgundy. Fairly understandable once you drink one properly though.

Brewed inside Orval Abbey in southern Belgium, the beer stands apart from nearly every other Trappist ale stylistically. Rather than dark strong ales packed with caramel and dried fruit, Orval leans pale, dry, bitter and unmistakably alive thanks to Brettanomyces added during bottle conditioning.

Fresh bottles carry citrus, peppery hops, herbs and firm bitterness, while older bottles gradually develop earthy funk, leather and farmhouse complexity as the Brett evolves over time. Few beers change so dramatically with age while still remaining recognisably themselves. It’s one of the reasons beer obsessives quietly fill cupboards with bottles “for later” before drinking them too early anyway.

What makes Orval particularly brilliant is balance. Despite the wild yeast character, nothing feels excessive or messy. The bitterness, dryness and funk all lock together with remarkable precision. Even the famous curved bottle somehow feels perfectly suited to the beer’s slightly monastic eccentricity.

The abbey itself adds enormously to the atmosphere too. Trappist brewing remains rooted in monastic life rather than marketing mythology, and Orval still feels deeply connected to that tradition despite becoming one of the world’s most influential beers.