Orval
Orval Brewery is a Belgian Trappist brewery located in the Guame region of Belgium. Its flagship beer, Orval, is known for going through a secondary fermentation in the bottle with a single strain of Brettanomyces bruxellensis.[1][2] Beer historian Ron Pattinson has claimed that there is evidence to suggest that Orval is a close relative and perhaps even reflective of historical English pale ale.[3]
Contents
MTF Threads
- Discussion of cloning ingredients/microbes, and possible sources of microbes (WLP650 and WLP510).
- Discussion on using Orval dregs.
- Walter P. Pfliegler isolates S. kudriavzevii from two bottles of Orval.
See Also
Additional Articles on MTF Wiki
- Search the Brettanomyces commercial cultures wiki page for 'Orval' (use CTRL + F in your browser) to find commercial strains isolated from Orval.
- The Brett experiments on the wiki use a Brettanomyces isolated that Mark Trent isolated from Orval bottles.
External Resources
Clone Recipe
Wyeast Orval Clone Recipe
ORVAL CLONE - Overview
- The brewing techniques similar to those of pale ales and bitters.
- A two or three step infusion mash is done using a blend of malts to yield bright orange wort.
- Styrian Golding and Hallertau-Hersbrucker hops are used throughout the boil to contribute flavor and bitterness around 33-35 IBUs.
- Belgian candy sugar is used to boost the gravity in the kettle.
- Primary fermentation is carried out with a mild Belgian strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
- The beer is dry hopped in the secondary to produce a delicate spicy hop aroma.
- Brettanomyces culture in the secondary and for bottle conditioning.
- This gives the beer a very unique flavor profile.
- Beer develops flavors and aromas reminiscent of pie cherry and other Brett characters.
- Ferments some of the remaining complex sugars present in the beer, which gives it a high level of carbonation.
BREWING TECHNIQUES
Malt Bill
- Pale 2-Row 49%
- Pilsner malt 31%
- Munich 10L 10%
- Carapils 10%
- Crystal 60L 1%
Mashing
- Mash in malts at 142 °F (61 °C) and rest for 15 minutes.
- Heat mash to 154 °F (67 °C) and rest for 25 minutes.
- Heat mash to 162 °F (72 °C) and rest for 30 minutes.
- Heat mash to 170 °F (76 °C) and rest for 10 minutes.
- Sparge at 170 °F (76 °C) until kettle is full (1.042 specific gravity).
Boil
- Add Belgian candi sugar to increase gravity to 1.054.
- Boil for one hour, adding hops at the following times:
- At the beginning of the boil add 1 part Styrian Golding and 2 parts Hallertau-Hersbrucker to contribute ~23 IBUs.
- 30 minutes into the boil add 1 part Styrian Golding and 2 parts Hallertau-Hersbrucker to contribute ~10 IBUs.
- End of boil add Styrian Goldings for finish hops.
- Cool wort to ~63 °F (17 °C).
Fermentation
- Pitch with a mild Belgian ale strain (Wyeast 3522).
- Ferment at 65 °F (18 °C) for 4-6 days.
- Rack to secondary.
- Add the Brettanomyces culture (Wyeast 5526)
- Add Styrian Golding whole hops.
- Condition for two weeks in secondary at cellar temperature (50-60 °F/10-15 °C).
Bottling
- Prime with dextrose or malt extract and bottle.
- Condition at cellar temperature for 6 weeks.
- This beer can be stored for months to years, during which the hop aroma will subside and the Brett character will become more pronounced.
External Resources
- Candisyrup.com clone recipe.
- Orval's website details how the beer is produced.
- "A visit to Orval brewery", Ed's Beer Site - information about recipe, process, and fermentation profile.
- "Coming to an understanding with Orval yeast", Ed's Beer Site.
- "Inside Orval" by Christian T. DeBenedetti, BrewingTechniques, 1998.
- Gus Addkison's "Inspired Beer - Orval."
External Links
- Official Website
- Martyn Cornell discusses the history of Brettanomyces in IPA and makes a comparison to Orval as representing historical IPA; The Craft Beer Channel (~8:30 mins in).
- MTF post by Ed Wray and link to his experiences at Orval.
- Orval recipe by John Holl; Sept 2020 Brew Your Own Magazine.