Belgium: Orval Trappist, Villers-devant-Orval

Orval. This is the nicest little bottle of ale in the hand. Shaped like a Perrier bottle in brown, decorated with a fish on a gold ring, it is the product of Trappist monks – one of the five (or is it six?) real Trappist ales going…well, except St. Sixtus of Westvleteren which you have to go yourself to the Abbey to buy.

If you want to know what Belgian hops are like, antique and dignified like brittle lace, this is a great beer to try. Rajotte says it is dry hopped for a month and its taste is primarily a play of wild twiggy herbal yeast and hop with only a supporting role for the malt. As a result, it has a fairly light body with a mouth filled with rustic flavour, thyme and lavander.

As with a good clovey southern German hefeweizen, a pork roast would do very well sitting in Orval for half a day before meeting the fire.