Orval is a world-class Trappist ale brewed since 1931 within the walls of Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval in Belgium's Gaume region. This complex high-fermentation beer combines pale malt with a small proportion of caramel malt, supplemented by sugar and a distinctive dry-hopping with hop flowers. The brewery adds fresh primary yeast at bottling for a third fermentation, ensuring ongoing character development in the bottle.

Orval strikes a subtle balance between full body and dry finish. Brown sugar and caramel notes give way to citrus hop bitterness and an earthy, spicy phenolic aftertaste. The fermentation and aging process introduces fruity complexity that evolves over time. The beer's character owes more to hop flowers and yeast than to malt alone, creating a distinctive profile that defies easy categorisation.