Les Travailleurs de l’Amer
Les Travailleurs de l’Amer brewery in the Manche département produces a range of beers influenced by the sea! Purchase any of these beers and you’ll be paying tribute to maritime trades like fishing, underwater exploration and oceanography, plus if you purchase the limited edition brown ale, 40 cents will also go towards supporting sea rescue operations.
Brasserie Pinte de Saire
Produced at the Pointe de Saire brewery in the picturesque Val de Saire, the name of La Chinquante beer references the Manche département’s post code, and is a local beer not to be missed when in the area. Produced in a former dairy by brewers Frédéric et Charles, it’s said to go down as easy as the milk that was once made there!
Brasserie Ragnar
The name Brasserie Ragnar alludes to Normandy’s Viking roots, and all beers brewed here have been inspired by medieval recipes. In addition to brewing beer at its current site, the Ragnar team is also in the process of converting a church in Rouen into a brewery, due to open in spring 2023, so even more beer to look forward to!
Northmaen
Another producer in Seine-Maritime to have taken Normandy’s Viking history as its inspiration is Northmaen. Boasting 15 different types of beer and cervoise, blond, amber, red and brown, this brewery was opened in 1997, and is constantly evolving and growing, producing 4,500l of beer a day, as well as five whiskies!
Brasserie La lie
Head south of Caen to the village of Saint-Rémy-sur-Orne and enjoy some 100% organic beer at La lie. This brewery produces non-filtered, non-pasteurised craft beers with fun names like Caenette, Quai des Brunes (a play on words on the famous film and brown beer) and Triple à la Mode de Caen (a play on words on a local dish).
Bioterre Brasserie
Based near Alençon in the south of Normandy, Bioterre brewers François and Sabrina offer a range of organic beer, the latest venture from a couple who first started running an organic farm in 2009, then launched their own catering service using all homegrown products. We think these beers were worth the wait!
Bière la Trotteuse
Normandy is great for horse-riding, and this has undoubtedly inspired the name of our next beer, La Trotteuse! Brewed at the Ferme de l’Etre in the village of Saint-Brice-sous-Rânes using the farm’s homegrown barley, this beer’s name is also a nod to nearby national stud, the Haras du Pin, which is nicknamed ‘Versailles for horses’.
Brasserie Spore
Situated in Gravigny (near Evreux), the Brasserie Spore is the happy result of the meeting of friends Flora, Simon and Fred, who together have developed a selection of craft beers including their delicious Apex and a bitter yet fruity IPA, as well as opening a taproom that runs events throughout the year.
Les Deux Amants
Based at the Domaine des Hauts in Val-de-Reuil, a town perched in a picturesque meander of the River Seine, Les Deux Amants brews a wide range of brightly-labelled craft beers. Our favourite has to be an organic, fragrant one that goes by the name of ‘Raoul’.
Brew your own beer at the Château de la Bière
As soon as it’s safe to travel again, we’ll be heading straight for the Château de la Bière in Lonlay-l’Abbaye to enjoy a whole day of brewing our own beer, which involves everything from crushing the malt to bottling the final product!
Other breweries that offer workshops like this include the Abbey of Saint-Wandrille near Jumièges, the Brasserie de l’Odon south-west of Caen, and L’Ecume des Falaises in Granville.
For more information on food and drink in Normandy, visit the Normandy Tourism website.
**Drink responsibly**
Cover photo © Miikka Luotio on Unsplash
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