Send in the Gnomes

To a Belgian beer nut like me, the Ardennes region seems like a dream.  The Ardennes lies largely in Belgium, covering much of the French-speaking Wallonia territory, but stretching into Germany & France as well, comprised of lush forests & rolling hills with villages tucked all along the way.  The geography is inspiring, & not coincidentally, the area holds some great Belgian breweries.  Three of Belgium’s Trappist breweries are here: the Abbey of Notre Dame, Scourmont, makers of the worldwide ambassador brand, Chimay; the well-cloistered Abbey of Notre Dame de St-Remy, makers of the Rochefort beers (which, in my opinion, rival those of Westvleteren); & an abbey with its own share of historical mysticism, the Abbey of Notre Dame d’Orval, makers of the idiosyncratic Orval.  The town of Hoegaarden lies here, with its own mark on the evolution of Belgian beer.  Cult favorite Brasserie Fantome  haunts the Ardennes, with its family of funky farmhouse ales.  Brasserie Caracole, with its cutely quirky snail-adored labels, brewers of Saxo, also reside in the region.  And there are at least a half-dozen others I don’t even recognize & would love to explore & discover for myself.

An Ardennes-based brewery that holds a special place at The House is Brasserie d’Achouffe.  Named for the nearby town, you may recognize d’Achouffe by its mascot Chouffe, the gnomes that legends tells of populating the surrounding woods.  D’Achouffe has seen international success following its humble beginnings in 1982, when it was founded as a hobby by brothers-in-law Chris Bouweraerts & Pierre Gobron, who built out the brewery gradually from an 1805 farmhouse.  Within a few years, both men quit their day jobs to focus full-time on brewing their flagship golden ale, La Chouffe.  Since then, they’ve produced a cozy but solid stable of excellent ales, like the Scottish-inspired McChouffe; the Christmas staple N’Ice Chouffe; & my personal favorite, their American-inspired Houblon Chouffe, an American-hopped Belgian IPA.  Pictures of the brewery now are idyllic: farmhouses, white fences, nestled in the rolling green mountains of the Ardennes.  I love the section on Brasseries d’Achouffe in Michael Jackson’s Great Beers of Belgium.  Jackson tells of the brothers-in-law meeting him on a hillside at 7:00 AM, where they demonstrated their electric hobby plan, sporting a Chouffe on a bike!  It’s this playful spirit that continues to define the brand, even since their sale to Duvel Moortgat Brewery in 2006.

Gnomes invade The House this Saturday, when we tap their collaboration with Moortgat brethren Brewery Ommegang, aptly named Gnomegang.  Then we reprise last year’s World’s Smallest Toast by toasting with those sweet red elf hats, tiny glasses, & mentally whisk ourselves away to the beer-making, gnome-inhabited wonderland of the Ardennes.