Brasserie d’Orval
Orval
A dry-hopped Trappist ale refermented with Brettanomyces, deliberately designed to be a different beer at three months and at three years.
- Strength
- 6.2% ABV
- Style
- Belgian pale ale
- Brewery
- Brasserie d’Orval
Orval is the most useful beer in the world for demonstrating what ageing does, because it is widely available and its change is dramatic and intended. Young, it is bright, dry and noticeably hoppy. With a year or two the hop character fades and the Brettanomyces develops leather, hay and orchard fruit, and the beer becomes drier still.
The brewery bottles the date, which makes it possible to buy two and compare directly.
What it tastes like
Inherited from Belgian pale ale, because this beer sits within the normal range for it. BeerHQ’s comparative scale, not a measurement.
Why BeerHQ carries this beer
| Reason | Carried because of how it is made |
|---|---|
| Strength | 6.2% ABV — checked 2026-08-16. Strengths differ by market and change without announcement, so this is dated rather than absolute. |
| Record stability | Stable — this product has changed little and is not expected to. |
BeerHQ records no recipe, hop bill, malt bill, yeast strain, IBU or calorie figure for any commercial beer unless it is sourced. Nothing on this page is inferred from what the beer tastes like.
What is distinctive about it
- Dry-hopped and then refermented with Brettanomyces in the bottle
- The only beer the abbey produces for general sale
- Changes so substantially with age that buying two of different dates is a genuine tasting exercise
If you like Orval
Worked out from what this beer actually tastes like rather than from what its style typically does. Three kinds of move, because “what should I try next” is three different questions.
Closest to it
Very similar in structure and flavour. Safe ground rather than discovery.
Best bitter — try Fuller's London Pride or Marston's Pedigree
A close structural match for Orval — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: noticeably less carbonation (moderate → trace).
May not suit: Noticeably less carbonation than Orval.
English pale ale — try Bass Pale Ale
A close structural match for Orval — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: noticeably more dryness (none–trace → moderate–high).
May not suit: Noticeably more dryness than Orval.
Ordinary bitter — try Greene King IPA or Adnams Southwold Bitter
A close structural match for Orval — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: noticeably less carbonation (moderate → trace).
May not suit: Noticeably less carbonation than Orval.
Similar, but different
Keeps what you probably like about it and changes one or two things. Usually the most useful answer.
Strong bitter — try Timothy Taylor Landlord or Old Speckled Hen
Keeps most of what Orval does and shifts dryness.
Different: noticeably more dryness (none–trace → moderate).
May not suit: Noticeably more dryness than Orval.
American amber ale — try New Belgium Fat Tire
Keeps most of what Orval does and shifts bread & biscuit.
Different: slightly less bread & biscuit (moderate → low).
May not suit: Very close to Orval; if you wanted a change, this is not it.
Irish red ale — try Smithwick’s Irish Red Ale
Keeps most of what Orval does and shifts dryness.
Different: noticeably more dryness (none–trace → moderate).
May not suit: Noticeably more dryness than Orval.
A bigger jump
Genuinely different, but connected by something specific — the shared trait is named so you can judge whether the bridge holds.
Czech amber lager — try Bernard Polotmavý ležák
Both carry real malt intensity, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about Orval.
Different: slightly more caramel & toffee (low → moderate).
May not suit: Very close to Orval; if you wanted a change, this is not it.
Vienna lager — try Samuel Adams Boston Lager or Brooklyn Lager
Both carry real malt intensity, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about Orval.
Different: noticeably more dryness (none–trace → moderate).
May not suit: Noticeably more dryness than Orval.
Altbier — try Uerige Altbier
Both carry real malt intensity, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about Orval.
Different: noticeably more dryness (none–trace → moderate–high).
May not suit: Noticeably more dryness than Orval.
Likely fits rather than promises. Taste varies, and a recommendation engine that claims certainty is claiming something it cannot know.
What to eat with it
Inherited from Belgian pale ale. BeerHQ does not duplicate pairings onto individual products unless the product genuinely differs from its style.
Keeping it
Belgian pale ale shows best within 3–8 months of packaging. After that it declines in quality rather than becoming unsafe.
No benefit from keeping. Sound for its window and then slowly less good. Nothing bad will happen quickly, but nothing good happens either.
Derived from Belgian pale ale. See storage and freshness for the full model.
BeerHQ carries a small set of reference beers to anchor styles, not a catalogue. There is no rating here and there will not be one. Last reviewed 2026-08-16.