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14/01/2016JAQEN – Craft beer moves uptown
JAQEN Craft Beer
Bordeaux Expats recently got in touch with JAQEN Craft Beer for a few words on the latest beer shop to arrive in the city’s hoptastical beervolution. They have taken pride of place on place Saint-Christoly outside Mama Shelter (the back entrance to the shopping centre near Pey Berland) and are set to open in a couple of weeks…
Benjamin and Cédric started JAQEN Stock in May 2014, with the aim of bringing the world of craft beer to Bordeaux. Unimpressed by the total dominance of standardized industrial beers in local pubs, bars, restaurants and supermarkets, they decided to take up arms in France’s craft beer revolution.
They began distributing a selection of French and German craft beers to various outlets around Bordeaux. They also started going to local events, mainly food-related but also sporting, as well running a market stall (to put them in direct contact with their customers).
They are still developing JAQEN Stock with direct imports, targeting craft beers that are new to the French market with the aim of going nationwide. From the outset they have had an eye on developing a shop/bar concept.
“We have always wanted to have our own point of sale to develop our local awareness and reach customers in a direct way”
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| The lads at the Xmas market… |
JAQEN Craft Beer, set to open in a few weeks is a temple devoted solely to the gods of craft beer..! Located in the heart of Bordeaux, behind Saint-Christoly and a stone’s throw from Pey Berland (5 rue Beaubadat), JCB is a “shop and drink” brew palace. It’s a hybrid off licence/craft beer bar where you can buy takeaway beers or hang out to sample the selection of bottled or draft delights. They will be providing food such as toasties, cheese/deli plates, pastries etc. and they are hoping to get permission for terrace seating on Place St Christoly. Fingers crossed, you’ll also be able to get a bit of sunshine with your cold bevs…
They plan to organize regular craft beer tasting events, open to all, with a myriad of themes such as ‘meet the brewer’, food/beers pairings with blind tastings, etc. They will also be putting together English speaking tastings and other events aimed at expats and international students.
During the month of November they are running a crowdfunding campaign on Ulule, to help them finance their draft beer installation. Anyone taking part and donating will be eligible for a hefty amount of craft beer rewards and will become a lifelong friend of the JAQEN movement. Here is the crowdfunding campaign link to get on board –
https://fr.ulule.com/jaqenbeerup/
Please don’t hesitate to spread the word far and wide!
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| Some of the tasty rewards on offer – GET SPONSORING!! |
They have just reached 50% of the total amount in less than 4 days and are looking forward to hitting the final target so they can order and set up all the machines behind the bar to be ready to Kill The Kegs..!!
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| A worthy quest..!! |
They can be followed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Untappd (a social network for the craft beer lovers where you can rate, chat and rant about beers in the online community).
Here’s what they had to say when I threw a few questions their way…
What are you bringing to the saturated Bordeaux craft beer market that’s different?
We will be the first beer shop in town where people can bring their beers home, but also sit in and try the beers, along with various food pairings. We will serve all our beers in specific craft beer glasses (from Spiegelau, a famous German glass company specialized in wine and spirits glasses), that are tailored to each style of beer (hoppy beers, dark beers, wheat beers, Belgian ales etc.).
We will also have draft beer racks on offer, with a sample 4 x 15cl selection among our 6 different draft beers. People can try various styles, from the lightest to the strongest brew, while enjoying food at the same time. And as we have the import and retail activity, we can also bring in brand new craft brews (bottles and kegs) to Bordeaux’s rich beer market.
Ayinger Braüweiss – a Bavarian wheatbeer, pale and creamy, with a yeasty flavour reminiscent of banana
Crew Republic Drunken Sailor – a Munich IPA with a hoppy hint of exotic fruits
La Débauche Menestho – a rich beautiful dark colour which reveals caramel, pepper and ginger aromas
Siren calypso – an English style Berlin wheatbeer, with citric notes and accompanied by strong mandarin flavours
La Débauche Cognac Barrel – a lovely tanned colour with hints of ruby, the luxurious taste of cognac, caramel, ripe fruit, and a strong personality!
Don’t delay in getting your drinking shoes on to support the local craft beer movement with the grand opening of JAQEN in a few weeks.
06 48 14 00 38
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| His Imperial Majesty |
Will you be joining forces with any other businesses in Bordeaux?
Yeah sure! We are already working with Edmond Burger, with four of our beers on their menu. We think that working with local businesses is a superb way to communicate our concept and send out a positive image – we aim to build on our strong partner relationships moving into the future. When we distribute our beers, we are thinking longer-term than the simple textbook supplier/customer relationship. This is why we organize frequent events with our customers, like beer tastings for our wine cellar partners, or for restaurants and bars.
Yeah sure! We are already working with Edmond Burger, with four of our beers on their menu. We think that working with local businesses is a superb way to communicate our concept and send out a positive image – we aim to build on our strong partner relationships moving into the future. When we distribute our beers, we are thinking longer-term than the simple textbook supplier/customer relationship. This is why we organize frequent events with our customers, like beer tastings for our wine cellar partners, or for restaurants and bars.
We already have a decent portfolio of Bordeaux businesses we work with – there are artists such as Julien & Julien from SKINJACKIN, or the NOIR D’ENCRE tattoo shop who have designed beer related tattoos for their customers. We are looking forward to putting some of these on display when we open our doors to the beer-loving public! We have also sponsored art exhibitions at Edith (the concept store located on place Fernand Lafargue), and art sessions with EDITO byVania Laporte, a barber shop (in Saint-James street).
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| JAQEN @Edmond Burger during the recent BLIB |
Do you have a specific opening date yet?
We plan to open on the 28th of November– an epic date for the diary!! J
We plan to open on the 28th of November– an epic date for the diary!! J
Will you be brewing your own beers in the future?
It’s on the cards, but it’s not a plan for the immediate future as we know how hard it is to brew decent beers. We would only start brewing if we felt confident that we could create a high quality brew. However, we plan to work alongside a brewery to establish a bespoke recipe and create our own custom beer with the brewer. This way we could sell JAQEN’s very own specially brewed craft beer. Watch this space…
It’s on the cards, but it’s not a plan for the immediate future as we know how hard it is to brew decent beers. We would only start brewing if we felt confident that we could create a high quality brew. However, we plan to work alongside a brewery to establish a bespoke recipe and create our own custom beer with the brewer. This way we could sell JAQEN’s very own specially brewed craft beer. Watch this space…
How do you see the future of beer in Bordeaux bearing in mind the recent BLIB, Bordeaux Brewers Club and 7/8 beer shops now in the city?
I think there is still a lot of room for craft beer in Bordeaux. In our opinion, it is just the beginning of the movement, as can be seen in all the major cities across France, Europe and the world. The market is growing fast, and people are only beginning to get to know and understand real craft beer. They are starting to see it as a genuine gastronomic product, and not only something you drink watching football games with pizza (even if this is one of the infinite occasions to drink beer!).
The beauty of Bordeaux is that we have a great relationship with all the major beer players in the city. We distribute beers to many of the existing beer shops and we sometimes arrange group purchasing with the Bordeaux Beer Shop as well as organizing collaborative events (such as the BLIB).
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| The eight commandments… Move over Moses |
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| Anyone up for a foam party..? |
Here are some of the beers they’ve planned for the opening…
Kout 10 – a refreshing Czech Pilsner, a golden colour and strong character
Ayinger Braüweiss – a Bavarian wheatbeer, pale and creamy, with a yeasty flavour reminiscent of banana
Crew Republic Drunken Sailor – a Munich IPA with a hoppy hint of exotic fruits
La Débauche Menestho – a rich beautiful dark colour which reveals caramel, pepper and ginger aromas
Siren calypso – an English style Berlin wheatbeer, with citric notes and accompanied by strong mandarin flavours
La Débauche Cognac Barrel – a lovely tanned colour with hints of ruby, the luxurious taste of cognac, caramel, ripe fruit, and a strong personality!
Don’t delay in getting your drinking shoes on to support the local craft beer movement with the grand opening of JAQEN in a few weeks.
I’ll be joining you for a round or twenty…
JAQEN Craft Beer
twitter https://twitter.com/JAQEN_Stock
instagram https://instagram.com/jaqen_craftbeer
5 rue Beaubadat,
Bordeaux
06 48 14 00 38
