Seven key persons to understand the Walloon beer sector

According to historians, the first beers brewed in what is now Belgium date back to the 6^th century. At that time Germanic tribes occupied the region, and brought with them their knowledge of how to obtain beer from the barley they grew. But the definitive push for brewing in the area came a few centuries later from the hand of Emperor Charlemagne, who encouraged its orderly and large-scale production in the monasteries of the Holy Roman Germanic Empire.

Since then, beer in Belgium has not stopped growing in terms of quantity, quality and variety, and today it is one of the most emblematic products of the country and a true Belgian ambassador abroad. In fact, its high quality is so appreciated worldwide that in 2016 UNESCO recognized Belgian beer as Intangible Heritage of Humanity, distinguishing it as a drink of great tradition, cultural and social relevance in the country.

But behind every beer consumed in Belgium there are a large number of brewers who fight every day to maintain the local traditions of their ancestors, preserving the legacy of a drink that for centuries has been a driving force of the Belgian economy. It would be impossible to mention all the professionals in the beer sector, but as an example we will review seven key figures in the beer industry from Belgium who carry out their work in the Walloon region.

Anne-Françoise Pypaert, pioneer in beer monasteries

For many fans, talking about Belgian beer means referring to the beer monasteries. Since the Middle Ages, there have been several religious communities that, following the precept of ‘Ora el Labora’, have combined their prayers and liturgies with the production of craft products such as beer.

The elite of these beer abbeys are those attached to the Trappist Order, a select group of European monasteries that produce beers highly coveted by experts in the sector. Five of these monastic breweries are located in Belgium, three of them are placed in the Walloon region, and one has been run by a woman since 2013.

Anne-Françoise Pypaert graduated in biochemistry from the Institut Meurice from Brussels, and shortly after began his professional career at Brasserie d'Orval, the brewery associated with the Abbaye de Notre Dame d'Orval in Walloon Luxembourg. At that time, no woman had ever been employed in a monastery brewery, but she took over as head of quality control department from 1995. In 2013 she replaced Jean-Marie Rock as brewmaster, becoming the first woman in the world to be in charge of a Trappist brewery.

Today Anne-Françoise is the head of production of Orval, a trappist Belgian pale ale that is highly appreciated by beer enthusiasts, of which up to 77,000 hl are produced per year by 32 lay workers. She is also responsible for the production of cheeses made with milk from cows raised on farms near the abbey.

Pierre Tilquin, the science behind lambic

Although it may seem like a very artisanal and rudimentary process, brewing is based on a solid scientific foundation, in which disciplines such as biology and chemistry are involved. A good example of the relationship between science and beer is Pierre Tilquin, the leader of the only lambic brewing project currently active in the Walloon region.

Pierre is a bioengineer and holds a PhD in statistical genetics, but his passion for beer led him to study brewing science at the University of Leuven. After his training, he began working as an apprentice at Huyghe Brewery, one of the largest breweries in Belgium, and later 3 Fonteinen and Cantillon, two of the most reputable lambic breweries.

In 2009 he opened his own brewery in Rebecq, just 200 metres from the border between Wallonia and Flanders. Tilquin is a gueuzerie or blender, so its facilities produce lambic beer from wort made in other breweries, such as Boon, Lindemans, Girardin and Cantillon. Pierre and his team are responsible for blending one-, two- and three-year-old lambics and aging them in their impressive wood barrel warehouse, also adding various local fruits to get excellent gueuzes and fruited lambic beers.

The beers made by Pierre Tilquin are in high demand abroad, mainly in the United States. 75% of production is destined for export, and 40% of this fraction is sent to the US. The brewery continues to increase its volume, and it is expected that it will soon even be able to produce its own wort.

Nathalie Eloir, ‘rocking’ in the abbey

In a sector as traditional and rooted in popular culture as the beer industry in Belgium, being the first in something is a great achievement. The competition is fierce, and there are hundreds of brewers making excellent beers throughout the country, so it is not easy to stand out among them.

But with effort and passion for a great job, anything is possible. That is what Jean Pierre Eloir must have thought when in 1979 he decided to found a craft brewery called Abbaye des Rocs in the town of Motignies-sur-Roc. His company was the first to obtain approval to set up a micro-brewery in Belgium, but the beginnings were not easy. At that time, access to raw materials and equipment was very complicated for a small local brewery, and Jean Pierre was forced to reuse and adapt machinery intended for uses other than brewing, such as washing machines or dryers. But the brand made this 'upcycling' one of its hallmarks, and still considers it one of the company's core values.

After her father's initial hard work in establishing the brewery, in 1991 Nathalie Eloir took over the reins of the family business. Under her leadership, Abbaye des Rocs has seen a significant increase in demand for its beers, and has needed to implement a quality system and a new brewhouse that increases production capacity to 4,000 hl. In addition, Nathalie has made a determined commitment to improving the environment of her brewery, acquiring, restoring and integrating into the brewery an old 12th-century water mill located on the banks of the nearby Honnelles river, which belonged to the town's castle and abbey.

The beers produced by Abbaye des Rocs proudly display the year '1979' on their labels, the year in which the brewery took its first steps. Its recipes are characterised by intensity and strength, giving priority to malty and roasted flavours over the aromas of hops, which come exclusively from plantations in southern Belgium. Some of them have been recognised in official competitions as the best Belgian strong ales in the world, and many beer experts include them on their lists of essential beers. Looking ahead, Abbaye des Rocs is decided to maintain the quality of its beers and its commitment to the environment, working to reduce energy consumption, emissions and waste in its brewery.

Roger Caulier, from miners to brewers

The province of Hainaut is one of the most agricultural and livestock-raising in Belgium, but until just a few decades ago one of its most important productive sectors was mining. During the 19th and 20th centuries this region was home to numerous mines, which supplied Belgian homes and industries with coal. Charles Caulier began his professional career in one of these mines, but soon discovered that his future did not lie in mining. In 1933 he decided to leave his job to set up as a beer merchant in Bon-Secours, a small municipality belonging to the Walloon town of Péruwelz.

The beginnings were so hard, since at that time people almost exclusively consumed a very simple and cheap table beer, and due to the lack of better technical means, the distribution and delivery rounds around the village had to be done using wheelbarrows. But Charles managed to make his small beer company prosper, and in 1960 he passed the business on to his sons Roger and Christian. The two Caulier brothers continued to distribute beer to individuals, but opened the company to other areas with the creation of their own cafés, while looking after the family farm.

20 years later Roger's son (with whom he shares his name) and his wife Linda took over the family business, giving it the final push by purchasing the buildings of a former local tannery as warehouses for their beers. In the early 1990s Roger decided to start brewing and marketing his own beers and so Bonsecours was born, a range of classic ales bearing the name of the town where the family grew up. In 1996 the company acquired the equipment of an old local brewery and set up its first brewery with it.

From 2012, the fourth generation of the Caulier family joined Brasserie Caulier with the participation of Roger's three sons (Laurent, Bertrand and Vincent). As a result of working side by side with his father, two new references were born in the brewery: Paix Dieu, a Belgian tripel brewed once a month to coincide with the full moon; and Stuut, a range of ephemeral beers that covers very diverse and original beer styles. In 2018 Caulier was adapted to the growing demand for its beers, tripling its production capacity by expanding the brewing room with new fermentation and storage tanks. For the past two years the brewery has been immersed in another expansion process, with the construction of a new building that will house a second brewing room. A major additional step in the fourth generation of this family of brewers which, still led by Roger, keeps alive the beer dream of the miner Charles Caulier.

Pierre Gobron and Chris Bauweraerts, the 'fathers' of world-famous gnomes

The Ardennes region is popular in Belgium and the rest of Europe for its hills and ancient forests, which are home to two National Parks and several valleys surrounded by rivers that complete this beautiful natural setting. They are also home, if only figuratively, to a family of gnomes wearing striking red hats who are big beer fans. They are the best-known symbol of Achouffe, a renowned brewery that celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2022.

There is a belief that many craft beers are made among friends and in small garages or storage rooms, and in the case of Achouffe it can be said that it all started like this. The story begins in the 1970s in the Vallée des Fées region and at the hands of Pierre Gobron and Chris Bauweraerts, two brothers-in-law who decided to create their own beer in Chris's mother-in-law's garage. They did it with few resources and a limited investment but with great enthusiasm, and on August 27, 1982, the first 50-liter batch of La Chouffe was released.

Although initially considered a hobby, Pierre and Chris' beer soon gained popularity among local beer enthusiasts, and after purchasing the farm where they began brewing, they embarked on a full-time brewing business in 1986. Just 10 years later their production had reached 5,000 hl per year, which they distributed in small 20-litre barrels and large 75cl bottles.

International success came in 2009 with the marketing of 33cl bottles, which have reached and conquered beer fans around the world. And with it has also grown the friendly family of gnomes associated with the brand and its beer labels, inaugurated in 1983 by Marcel for the Belgian strong golden ale La Chouffe and by Malcolm for the Belgian strong dark ale Mc Chouffe, and now expanded with Matthew for the Belgian IPA Houblon and Micheline for the Cherry Chouffe. Pierre and Chris are the living example that even a beer with a name without any meaning and difficult to pronounce can still succeed and become a symbol quality for the Belgian beer sector.

Nathalie Louis, a true beer merchant

In order for beer to reach the final consumer, it is not enough to brew it; you also have to know how to sell it, and Nathalie Louis is very knowledgeable about both aspects. She is a beer producer and marketer based in Bouillon, a beautiful medieval town with 5,000 inhabitants that many Belgians associate with the holiday season. This flagship destination in the south of the country is bathed by the Semoy river (one of the tributaries of the Meuse), offers its visitors numerous sporting and cultural activities in its natural and historic surroundings, and when the weather is sunny, the terraces of the local cafés are filled with people enjoying regional beers.

Nathalie took her first steps in the world of beer in 1996 with the Brasserie de Bouillon, a small, local craft project that she shares with her partner Jacques Pougin. Her first recipe was the Cuvée de Bouillon, a spicy, fruity and complex taste but easy-drinking Belgian blonde that became the favourite beer of local consumers and many visitors from France, who crossed the border that separates the town from the French department of Ardennes to taste it. Its demand increased so much that in 2005 Nathalie and Jacques decided to move the production to a brewery located in a nearby village, where they created, among others, a medieval-inspired beer and several seasonal references for the winter and Christmas time.

But in addition to brewing a lot of very good beer, Nathalie takes care of getting it directly to the final consumer through her own shop in Bouillon. Since 1994 she has run Le marché de Nathalie, an impressive commercial space in the heart of the city that houses both Brasserie de Bouillon's beers and a multitude of references from other Belgian brewers, far exceeding 400 different beers and giving great importance to small-scale crafts products.

The shop is a true paradise for beer lovers, where you can spend hours browsing the shelves to find the beer that best suits your tastes, from traditional Belgian styles to very novel and striking recipes. Whether you prefer malt or hops, sweetness, bitterness or sourness, Nathalie will be able to help you find the beer you have been dreaming of for years, and will be happy to share with you all her knowledge and passion for beer.