Janice Brooks, ‘Les Bonnes Causes de Céline’ and Arnaud Faugas
22/08/2015
Bordeaux Let It Beer 2015 – an exclusive interview with the Artibrassage87 brewery
01/09/2015The Official 2015 Bordeaux Let It Beer Festival (aka the BLIB)
“Beer, so much more than just a breakfast drink…”
Ladies and Gentleman, the event of a lifetime is finally upon us. Unprecedented in the history of Bordeaux, the time has come for the alemighty brewski to take centre stage.
No it’s not a hoptical illusion… the brewphoria is already starting to foam… it is our distinguished honour to announce the first ever, 2015 Bordeaux Let It Beer festival, aka the BLIB..!!!
Taking place over the 1st, 2nd and 3rd October the BLIB will be hosted by the crème de la crème of Bordeaux’s beer shops and bars and will feature select local guest brewers.
Among the highlights will be:
- Brewing workshops
- Beer/food – Beer/Cheese pairing demos
- Special tasting events for a wide spectrum of beers from the Grand Sud Ouest and elsewhere
- Head to head tasting crossovers – Wine vs Beer, Beer vs Whisky
- The chance to meet local brewers
- Beer cookery workshops
- Guest brewer tap takeovers
- And special surprise offers…!!!
The Beer Shops/Bars
Spearheaded by the Bordeaux Beer Shop, l’Amirale Bière and the Cave des Moines, there will be a range of events including specialist tasting sessions, guided beer food/pairing, cooking with beer and tap takeovers. You will also have the unique opportunity to enrich your beer and brewing knowledge with top local brewers from South West France. Le Lucifer will also be hosting a range of events over the three days and hold tight for news on the Black Sheep on the St Michel quais.
The event will take place in a beer zone with all the bars and beer shops easily accessible on foot. Each of the shops will post the details of the events they’re hosting nearer the date. Watch this space..!!!
The Local Brewers
BLIB is lucky enough to have the participation of several guest brewers exclusively from the local region. A fantastic opportunity awaits for amateur brewers and budding beerologists to gain first hand brewing knowledge from professionals while sampling their finely honed products. Those present will be:
Aliénor – Aliénor (named after Eleanor of Aquitaine) is run by a Belgian guy called Laurent Lefebvre who arrived here in 2006 and began producing not long after. Beers on offer are Aliénor Blonde (6.5%), Aliénor Blanche (5.9%) and Aliénor Brune (6.5%).
Artibrassage87 – Launched in 2012 by English amateur beer enthusiast Steve Ellis, the vision was to create a range of entirely original beers. He brews regular beer styles such as Bitters, Pale Ales, Wheatbeers, Stouts and IPA’s; but also limited edition beers such as Black IPA’s or beers brewed with wild yeasts, with locally pressed apple juice, beers with Bordeaux grape must, spiced beers, pumpkin ales, Imperial Stouts with mollasses, cocoa nibs and coffee beans and more…
BAM – the Brasserie Artisanale Marsac is based in the village of the same name near Périgueux. Having learnt their trade in Quebec they are aiming to bring a new angle to local French brewing. Their beers include: Hildegarde blonde, Tatou summer ale, Old Man Winter Baltic porter, Hombre amber ale and Pretium Doloris 9.6% English Barley wine amongst others. Venues and details TBC.
Brasserie Corrézienne – Born in 2008, they are based in Curemonte in the Corrèze. They offer a variety of beers from blonde, dark beer and triple Belgian to some fascinating other additions such as Prairal, Floreal, the Chaleureuse, Hophophop, wheat beer, the Dordogne Valley and a black beer called the Boris Goudenov..! TBC but they are provisionally down for the Black Sheep of the Amirale Beer annexe bar next to Marché Victor Hugo.
La Débauche – based in Angoulême, they have an intriguing range of beers including their Summer Ale, Summer Oddity, Cognac Barrel beer and their fugitive beers such as Slap-A-Banker and the Black Ale India Stout. They are being hosted by Le Lucifer on 35 Rue de Pessac. Further details to follow.
Gasconha – Brewed in Pessac they produce additive and preservative free beers based on the English real ale tradition as well as the Bières de Garde of the north. They have a blonde, brune, ambrée, blanche as well as the Alouette range.
They will be taking over the taps and serving their beers on draft in partnership with the following bars:
- The Lucifer
– La Débauche will be on tap there all weekend, with a chance to meet the brewers. There will also be a closing party on Saturday (3rd Oct) night with a 15 tap brewer takeover including – La Corrézienne, La Débauche, Artibrassage87, BAM and others… A monster tasting session not to be missed!
- The Black Sheep
– they will host Corrézienne with 5 separate taps on Friday 2nd October…
– La Débauche will be on tap there all weekend, with a chance to meet the brewers. There will also be a closing party on Saturday (3rd Oct) night with a 15 tap brewer takeover including – La Corrézienne, La Débauche, Artibrassage87, BAM and others… A monster tasting session not to be missed!
– they will host Corrézienne with 5 separate taps on Friday 2nd October…
The Local Restaurants
La Taupinère – next door to the Black Sheep, they will be putting on a special beer dish throughout the weekend (TBC)
Le Tapa’l’Oeil – place Renaudel – opposite the St Croix church in St Michel. They are laying on a special beer-based-cuisine menu including starters, mains and desserts.
In addition to the local brewers you will have the chance to sample a wide range of beers from across the globe… Be inspired by hoppy US pale ales, deep complex Belgian monks’ brews, subtle flavoursome British bitters or dark mysterious chocolate coffee stouts, all with the friendly guidance of the beer experts on hand. There’s also rumoured to be a guest appearance from the Bordeaux Brewers Club…
A word from the brewers…
The BAM:
“We are delighted to be taking part in the 2015 BLIB. It will be a great opportunity to meet all the local beer enthusiasts as well as all our fellow brewers.
The fact that we are attending demonstrates out commitment to and investment in the Aquitaine brewing network. As for the competition posed by our counterparts in Paris, we’re not in the least bit worried. It has been shown time and again that local brewers based in rural France or in small/medium size towns have a strong reputation and are highly appreciated by the Paris beer market as well as other cities in France”.
Artibrassage87:To have a beer festival in Bordeaux, a place synonymous around the world with wine, is nothing short of wonderful. I am excited and very proud to be a small part of the developing beer scene here. I think it’s an exciting time in France right now and I see local craft brewing continuing to grow and develop. We have a new generation of open minded brewers, keen to push boundaries and work with ingredients from around the world to create good, tasty and aromatic beers.
See you at the BLIB..!!!
https://bordeauxletitbeer.wordpress.com/
And for your perusal, here’s a recent article from the Half Pint Gentleman about the Bordeaux beer scene…
