Brasserie d’Achouffe Brews the First La Chouffe

On August 27, 1982, brothers-in-law Pierre Gobron and Chris Bauweraerts brewed the first batch of La Chouffe in Achouffe, a small village in the Belgian Ardennes. The improvised brewing project began as a hobby, and the first batch amounted to only 49 liters. La Chouffe developed from this small beginning into the foundation of Brasserie d’Achouffe. As the brewery expanded, its strong blond beer, gnome imagery, and growing international distribution became prominent examples of the new generation of independent Belgian specialty breweries that emerged during the 1980s.