Beer can save the worst of days from time to time. The Brasserie d'Orval proves that beer can even save an entire abbey. After the horrors of the French Revolution and the political unrest that preceded it, the Orval monastery was completely destroyed. In order to continue its more than 900-year history, it was decided in 1936 to rebuild the abbey. The reconstruction of the old monastery walls required huge sums of money, which was raised by quickly establishing the monastery's own brewery.
Beer with award
Beer and monks have a long history together, so the founding of a monastery brewery was not far off. In addition to the delicious barley juice, cheese is also produced to this day. The Trappist monks, to whom the Oval Abbey belongs, have a long tradition in the brewing and cheese-making trade. In addition to the contemplative work with God and intensive prayer, the manual work in production and agriculture serves as physical balance and also provides financial resources, which are largely dedicated to charitable causes. The latter is of enormous importance for the Brasserie d'Orval, because in order to be allowed to bear the "Trappist beer" seal, three criteria must be met. In addition to donating profits to social causes, the beer must also be brewed in a real Trappist monastery. In addition, the administration of the brewery must be carried out by monks. Only if all three aspects apply does the beer count as a Trappist beer - an extraordinary honor that only a few breweries worldwide receive.
(Not) a Pappenheimer for Orval
In order to raise the large sums of money needed to save the abbey, a very special beer had to be brewed. The excellent beer from the Brasserie d'Orval is based on a recipe by the master brewer Pappenheimer, who was not a Pappenheimer at all and knew a lot about the brewing trade. Like all the other brewers at the Brasserie d'Orval, he was also a layman and was employed by the monks to save the monastery with masterful beers such as the Orval . The beer is still brewed according to Pappenheimer's recipe to this day. No wonder, as it is characterized by its wonderfully round, wonderfully bitter taste. Through the high fermentation process and the long maturation period, the beer develops complex aromas that are fruity and hoppy-bitter at the same time.
An extraordinary beer with a very special story!
