A document written by the abbot in 1628 directly refers to the consumption of beer and wine by the monks.

In 1931 the present day brewery became in use, employing lay people and intended to provide a source of funds for the monastery reconstruction.

As with other Trappist breweries, the beer is sold in order to financially support the monastery and some other good causes.

All of the profits from the sale of the beer are distributed to charities and for community development around the region.

[2] It was first made in 1931, and has a complex and unusual flavour and aroma produced by a specific strain of yeast: Brettanomyces bruxellensis.

Beer critic Michael Jackson considered Orval to be "a wonderful aperitif", and a "world classic".