And the beer was!
(Photos: © Goguette Trotter)
My favorite 2018 is in Clausen. And, no it's not a restaurant, a bar, or even a coffee! What is it then, you ask me? A beautiful, inspiring, different place ... around the beer. Artisanal, please.
It was while searching for a gift for my dear and tender, great lover of beers, that I came across the site of Artisan'Ale. My curiosity Goguettienne (new word yes!) was immediately honed! But what is it, then ? What is the story of this place? How long have I lost to not knowing him?
The history of the place
To answer these multiple questions, I went down to Clausen by the rise of Clausen (huh?) and I met Damien, the master of the place. With hotel training in his pocket, and professional experiences as a sommelier, Damien turned to the world of beer first taste and attraction of novelty!
Artisan'Ale has been open since November 2017. This store specializes in the sale and tasting of craft beer " because I really wanted to offer something else to people ," says Damien.
A craft beer is a beer that is not produced industrially. "The craft beer is defined by the independence of the brewery, a small production and often a young brewery, but not necessarily" , explains me Damien.
Choice and quality!
Once in the shop, you will not know where to turn! There are beers everywhere, and especially nice beers, nicely bottled with nice colorful labels. Information without any interest for beer lovers maybe, but what does it matter is my feminine side that speaks.
I was surprised to see the presence of many beers in a can, which reminds me of the evenings of my 16 years of drinking 1664;) Damien kindly explained to me that I was wrong! " The can is much better than the glass bottle for better beer preservation. The light that goes through the glass is not ideal, and often the bottles are less airtight at the cap! " . So here I am sent back in my a priori as it should!
Damien also offers ultra-colorful beers with funky designs by the American brand, Beavertown (founded by Led Zeppelin's son for the story). And many others !
In terms of selection, Damien does not have the closed mind on the contrary. " I have beers that come from everywhere, France, Belgium, Denmark, but also Canada, USA or Japan! As long as they are craft beers, I am a buyer ", he details.
It also has a wide selection of Luxembourg craft beers : Totenhopfen , Many Lands, Grand Brewing Luxembourg , Bare Brewing , Nowhere Brewing, Stuff Brauerei . As many names as I did not know, shame on me!
You will be able to taste white, IPA, stouts, gueuzes, lambics, trappists ... In short, many choices for a lot of taste ! " I carefully select my beers. For example, I am testing gluten-free beers or non-alcoholic beers, but I do not want to select them by default or in a hurry. The taste of beer must be present! ".
You are warned, new beers will make their appearance to satisfy the greatest number.
How it works ?
At Artisan'Ale, several choices are available to you: you can push the door, go through the selection of your little eyes and make your choice, assisted by Damien's advice (or guided by the beauty of the labels, your choice!).
The option " Click and Collect " on its website is another possibility: you select the beers online, and you pick them up at the shop! The delivery place right in front of the entrance will make your life easier! Damien also offers to deliver to you, to see him for details.
And, finally, Artisan'Ale has a Growler! What will you say to me? A machine that allows you to leave with bottled draft beer before your amazed eyes . " Thanks to a CO2 recirculation system, the beer does not come into contact with oxygen, which allows it to maintain its quality and enjoy a draft beer as if it was coming out of the drum, " describes Damien .
And this in a very beautiful ecological bottle stamped Artisan'Ale! Judge by yourself :
He has also been awarded the Tropheco "End of Life" prize ( eco- friendly packaging prize) organized by Valorlux for its eco-friendly bottle.
How does the Growler work? In addition to being ecological, it's very simple!
For starters, you have to buy a 1 liter glass bottle (for 10 euros). Then you choose your draft beer. " I usually offer 3 choices of beers, which vary often ". Damien bottles before you and you leave with your bottle to be consumed within 2 weeks (challenge accepted!). You come back then (more or less fast according to your consumption;) ) with the empty bottle (previously well rinsed and drained) for a refill! She is not beautiful life?
Damien also organizes private tasting evenings for individuals, from 6 people, up to 20, in his shop. " I usually suggest tasting around 5 beers (white, IPA, stout ...) for 25 euros / person. The evening lasts between 1h30 and 2h, because the idea is also to exchange around the beer of course! ". If you have a specific idea at the top of the beers you want to discover, you can also tell Damien to organize a personalized evening.
Companies are also demanding! " I also do a lot of team building parties around beer tasting. For these events, I move ".
here is a nice discovery of a young, dynamic company that I like a lot. You know what you have to do: direction Clausen, to revisit your beer with Artisan'Ale!
Revisit your city. Revisit your life.
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