Breweries

A-Z Breweries » Abbaye Orval

Abbaye Orval

Orval Brewery (Brasserie d"Orval) is a Belgian trappist brewery located within the walls of the Abbaye Notre-Dame d"Orval monastery in the Gaume region of Belgium.
Beers:  Orval
Accessories: 
Orval 33cl Orval 33cl
Address:  Europe» Belgium» Florenville
6823 Orval 2
Province:  Luxembourg
Founded in:  1529
Phone:  +3261311261
Fax:  +32 61 31 29 27
E-mail:  brasserie@orval.be
Web Site:  www.orval.be
Throughout the long history of Orval, there has probably always been a brewery at the monastery. Various facts corroborate this idea : topographical references on old drawings; a detailed description of production left by a Franciscan visitor three hundred years ago; an area called the "hop-field" very close to the monastery.To brew beer was customary in these areas little-suited to vine-growing. Beer was first and foremost considered for its nourishing properties : it was called "liquid bread".
In 1529, the Emperor Charles Quint granted the monks authorization to establish a foundry which would provide the necessary revenues for the repair of war damages. Since that date, Orval has always known an economic activity more important than that strictly necessary for the basic economy of the Community.
When Orval began to rise again from its ruins after more than 130 years, the enormous task of rebuilding the monastery required considerable financial means; a brewery was established to assume the rôle of the former foundry.
In 1931 the Brewery was not, therefore, set up as a further economic activity of the monks who were already producing bread and cheese; from the very outset, the Brewery employed lay-people. The first master brewer was a German by the name of Pappenheimer; he is buried at Villers-devant-Orval.
The paternity of this very distinctive beer can probably be attributed conjointly to Mr. Pappenheimer and to the Belgian, Honoré Van Zande who was present in the brewery at the same period. They were daring : the combination of production methods which they thought up is nowhere else to be found. Several of these methods, such as "dry-hopping", are English. This results in a beer whose characteristic aroma and taste owe more to the hops and to the yeast than to the malts. In the same way as the secret of fabrication, the specific beer-glass, the bottle and the label, which we still know today, are witnesses to the origins in the early "30"s.

Brugse Zot blond from Brewery De Halve Maan is available in the Beer Store