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28th May 2021

LA CHOUFFE – IN A LEAGUE OF ITS GNOME

CELEBRATING ‘INTERNATIONAL GNOME WEEK’   w/c 21st of June.

International Gnome Week’ will see La Chouffe celebrating 30 on-trade tap takeovers across the UK and give drinkers a chance to purchase the Chouffe variety Gift Pack, which contains four creatures of extreme deliciousness: La Chouffe, McChouffe, Houblon Chouffe, Cherry Chouffe, and a celebratory chalice.

The brewery of Achouffe was born in 1982 in a deep dark forest in the Valley of the Fairies in Belgium. Two brothers-in-law, Pierre and Chris, decided to create their own beer and where better than Chris’s mother-in-law’s garage.

The first brew was a meagre forty-nine litres, but within 10 years a new brewhouse had been built to increase each brew to 70 hectolitres (that is 12,318 pints, in English). As the brewery grew, so did its workforce of forest gnomes, and it is now one of Belgium’s craft beer success stories.

In May, the Gnomes behind the beers of Chouffe returned to the brewery to cope with the surge of orders in Belgium and in their growing number of export markets. Released from making Ardennes paté for food boxes – the gnomes are utilising their considerable magic to curate these special brews.

Marcel (the blond La Chouffe) and Malcolm (the dark Mc Chouffe) have found new companions in the shape of the small but perfectly-formed Matthew (hoppy Houblon Chouffe) and now Micheline (bright red Cherry Chouffe). Each gnome represents one of the beers in the range, and each has their own story and individuality.

Achouffe Brewery’s Jonas Rosales comments:

“They tell me that there is currently a shortage of garden gnomes in Europe; but Marcel and his team say that there is absolutely no shortage of his beers. The Beerhunter webshop is offering a 10% discount on a mixed case of La Chouffe, and maybe even a free La Chouffe can in every order on any of their beers for June. La Chouffe is also available in Booths and Majestic”.

“In the On-Trade, La Chouffe is partnering with 30 fantastic bars and restaurants for tap takeovers across the UK, including The Lowlander and The Dove in London, Cherry Reds in Birmingham, Belgium and Blues in Southampton and Bournemouth, and Trappist House in Hoylake. This will mainly happen in the week of the 21st of June.”

The La Chouffe range in the UK:

  • La Chouffe 8% abv (33cl Bottle, 75cl Bottle, and 20L Keg) pale gold, pleasantly spicy, hints of coriander; bouffant head.
  • Mc Chouffe 8%abv (33cl Bottle) dark ruby red, spicy aniseed and liquorice flavours, superbly complemented by full-bodied caramel notes.
  • Chouffe Soleil 6%abv (33cl Bottle and 20L Keg) lemon coloured, sweet aroma of elderflower and chamomile. Delicious citrus flavours – mandarin and lime, enhanced with a touch of vanilla and peppery notes.
  • Houblon Chouffe 9%abv (33cl Bottle) Houblon Chouffe is the first Belgian IPA. Taste this magnificent beer and you can appreciate its Tomahawk, Saaz and Amarillo hops and its subtle grapefruit notes.
  • Cherry Chouffe 8%abv (33cl Bottle and 20L Keg) This is the latest addition to the Achouffe Brewery, with aromas of cherries to the fore. It also reveals notes of strawberry, almond, spices, and sweet Port. Round-bodied, soft, and delicate, Cherry Chouffe is a favourite of gourmands. It has along finish with a very slight bitterness.

Editors G’notes:

The word ‘gnome’ comes from Renaissance Latin ‘gnomus’ and might be the invention of Paracelsus, a Swiss physician and philosopher from the 16th Century. Though the cultural anthropology of gnomes has since then been reinterpreted by the myriad of shallow storytellers, gnomes are by inclination small humanoids living well beneath the ground.

The English word appears in the early 18th Century, and gnomes were featured in Alexander Pope’s ‘The Rape of The Lock’. They are often contrasted with elves or fairies in 19th Century fiction: But, by the 20th Century, they had lost their association with ‘underground’ and become synonymous with other terms for “little people” such as goblins, leprechauns etc.

Twenty-one of them are thought to have been released from captivity in Germany in 1847 by Sir Charles Isham of Northamptonshire, but all bar one of these were set free by his outraged children on his demise.  Made of terracotta, the gnomes sent waves through the country when they set foot on British shores.

Ends


Press release from R&R Teamwork on behalf of Duvel UK

For further information contact Rupert Ponsonby rupert@randr.co.uk | 020 7384 1333 | May 27 2021