Brasserie De Blaugies
In the ranks of great Belgian brewers, Brasserie De Blaugies makes what are arguably the finest authentic old-style Saisons of any Belgian brewery. Blaugies is a small family brewery in the town of Blaugies in the Hainaut province, near the French border. Master Brewer, Kévin Carlier took over the brewery operation from his parents, Pierre-Alex Carlier and Marie-Noëlle Pourtois, who had founded the brewery in 1988.
Blaugies’ Modern New Brewery
When we visited Brasserie De Blaugies in 2019, Kévin Carlier gave us a tour of the recently opened new brewery building and modern equipment. Amazingly, Kévin runs the large new brewing system pretty much by himself, which is no small feat. He is helped by his wife and uncle and other family members run the family’s restaurant, La Fourquet, across the street.
The Old Brewery
Upon touring it, we remarked on how spacious and new the brewery is. Kévin smiled and said “Let’s walk over to the old brewery next door.” The small brick building houses a custom-built 7 hectoliter brewhouse that brewed beers until very recently. I have never seen a more crowded building; the equipment was packed in so close together that it was impossible to slither between the tanks and kettles. A tried and true brewery to be sure, but not expandable to accommodate the increasing demand for Blaugies beers. “My parents built this in 1979. It has served us well,” Kévin told us.
The Beers
After our tours, Kévin took us to the back of the brewery and pulled a number of Champagne-style bottles from a cooler. These are all of our currently available beers. The beers included:
De Blaugies Beers
Blaugies La Moneuse – a classic Saison with 8.0% alcohol and an earthy aged aroma and flavor profile. Fresh hoppiness, combined with yeasty and fruity flavors and a touch of mustiness make for a very approachable Saison.
La Moneuse Triple X – A 10% alcohol version of La Moneuse with a similar flavor/aroma profile.
Bruz Till the Earth Saison Is Brewed in the Rustic Style of De Blaugies Beers.
Saison d’Epeautre - a traditional Saison of 6% alcohol that uses spelt and barley malt. It is dry and light-bodied with strong carbonation, a big moussey head, a somewhat musty aroma and a refreshing Champagne-like character.
Blaugies Darbyste – a 5.8% ABV Saison made with wheat and fig juice that resembles a Witbier. Figs do not dominate the flavor profile, which is citrusy, light and dry. Very spritzy, Darbyste announces its opening with a loud “pop.” This beer was voted one of the five best in the world by the New York Times.
Blaugies/Hill Farmstead La Vermontoise – a collaboration between Brasserie De Blaugies and Shaun Hill at Hill Farmstead brewery in Vermont. It is a 6% ABV traditional spelt/barley Saison that uses a good charge of citrusy Amarillo hops.
Brasserie De Blaugies sits at the opposite end of the Saison spectrum from Brasserie Dupont, the market leader. Both breweries make excellent beers. In the past, Dupont was a lot easier to find in the market, but with its new, larger brewery, its tradition of authentic rustic Saisons, and a good measure of family pride and expertise, Brasserie De Blaugies may just change all that.
La Fourquet Restaurant