Beer Spotlight!

Orval Trappist Ale

$5.99 for the 11.2 oz bottle
Trappist Ale

The story goes that in the late 11th Century (or early 12th), the widowed countess Mathilde of Tuscany was hunting in the land that would one day be southern Belgium. Coming upon a valley, she stopped and knelt by a spring to slake her thirst only to have her wedding band slip from her finger into the water. Bereft at loosing this material symbol of bondage to her dead husband, the countess did what any late 11th (or early 12th) century lady (who was apparently traveling without servants she could just order to wade in and fetch) would do; she found a nearby chapel and prayed. When the countess returned to the spring, a trout broke the surface of the water with the lost band in its mouth. The blessed lady exclaimed, “Cette lieu est vraiment une val d’or!” (“This place truly is a valley of gold!”)

She then unloaded a bunch of her gold on some local monks who used it to establish a monastery, l’Abbaye d’Orval (the Abbey of the Golden Valley). Centuries later, in 1931, the abbey monks decided to start a brewing enterprise, so they hired a brewer and set out to make a strong golden ale … this ale.

The official Orval chalice — designed to spread out the brew’s head. (Sadly, we don’t have any.)

The Orval Trappist Ale is unique among Trappist ales. Forget the world of Dubbels and Tripels and Quads. Orval makes just one strong golden ale that only tastes like itself — a blend of fruity malt and spicy hops.

They ferment the beer with a combination of cultured yeast and wild yeast, so if you get a touch of sourness, you’re not off the mark. In terms of hops, the Orval’s hop character reflects the taste of their original Bavarian master brewer. Plus they dry-hop to elicit fragrant hop aromas. Also, prepare for a healthy head. Ideally, you’ll want to drink this beer out of something with a wider bowl than a pint glass. Oh also, Orval brewers make this beer with water from the same legendary spring the countess knelt before, lo those many centuries ago.

If you’re curious about the world of Trappist beers but are not a fan of rich, malt bombs, then take a break from your hunt and slake your thirst at the Val d’Or.