The Ardwen brewery

This pretty road crosses the southern Ardennes countryside to Launois-sur-Vence, a rural village far from the hustle and bustle of towns and cities. The location of the Ardwen brewery is no trivial matter. The Champagne region is close by, its subsoil brimming with pure water, the basis of all high-quality beers. And the Woinic beer can claim its right to be described as such, since it has been nominated eight times at the Paris Agricultural Show. Recognition like this owes nothing to chance. The young but talented master brewer, Geoffrey Stevenin, loves his work and his range of beers, all made using natural ingredients. “The barley is from Champagne and the malt is from Belgium. But we will never add artificial flavouring to our beers”. The brewery produces a wide range of beers, all different, with very definite characters, just like the Ardennes! The Ardwen Blonde is refreshing and fresh; the Blanche is more lemony, with hints of coriander; the Ambrée is typical of caramelised malts. The Cerise or cherry beer is characterised by a lovely roundness, based on pure Morello cherry juice; the Hop’s Cure is strong in malts and hops. The Bleue has a pronounced bitterness, compared to the Rouge, which is beautifully round, with a fruity taste calling to mind kirsch, while the special Christmas beer, Ardwen de Noël, is more complex, with a subtle blend of spices.

The Ardwen logo depicts the goddess Arduinna, protector of the forest, astride a wild boar: we’ll wager she protects this brewery like treasure, as the worthy heir of Ardennes brewing know-how.