Orval is a devotional beer, not just for the reason it is brewed in an abbey by a secular workforce, but devotional because there is a sense of mystery and eloquence about its impact on the palate that can awe even the most hardened of beer-lovers. Writer and Belgian beer expert Tim Webb once called Orval “God’s homebrew” and Tim is typically a very grounded person.

Mystery is perhaps the wrong word, as in some ways Orval is a simple beer, refreshing and easy to understand. Yet it is also complex and needs time to move from being a beer that novices—who have heard of its reputation—sip carefully, to one that has its own cool, brooding identity and is adored by even the most seen-it-all beer-lovers.