Orval

To the third of the six Trappists - Orval. The name is derived from Gold ('Or') and Valley ('Val') and the Cistercian monastery is located in what is presumably a golden vale in Wallonia.

The beer itself is one of my favourites, very bitter, but also with a good refreshing taste and full of complex flavours. The monks aim to make only one type of beer, and to make it well. The glass is a nice chunky goblet similar to the Chimay chalice but with more sloped sides. The decoration of the stem and the design of the bottle give it a very art deco feel in my opinion.

The symbol of the beer is a fish with a ring it its mouth. The delightful story behind this is that a beautiful princess was passing that way in ancient times, and while crossing a lake, let fall her gold ring from the boat into the depths. She exclaimed that if god returned the ring to her, then she would make a donation to fund a holy place at the lake. And indeed a trout obliged by bringing up the gold ring from the deep in its mouth. And so the monks established themselves and despite Napoleon's efforts, were able to bring this wonderful beer to the world.