BRASSERIE DES VOIRONS
Bière Vivante Bitter Orange 2023 [1.5 L]
Savoie, France
This fascinating beer is a blend of two blondes. One aged in sandstone amphorae and infused with eighty kilos of bitter oranges from Nice and another vat which was infused with herbs, roots, spices and citrus zest, in the manner of a vermouth. The result is a beer of kaleidoscopic complexity that just screams apéritif.
Available only in magnum, just a handful made it to our shores.
Bitter Oranges, Herbs, Roots, Spices, Citrus Zest, Hops
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
The Brasserie des Voirons is run by Christophe Grellier in the Haute-Savoie village of Lucinges, which sits some seven hundred metres above sea level in the shadow of Mont Blanc.
Christophe worked as a chef in haute cuisine temples such as Tour d’Argent and Marco Pierre White before settling in Lucinges in 2003, opening a small auberge serving food from the region alongside his favourite wines. He ran it for a decade before closing its doors in 2013 to take over the village’s tiny brewery.
The beers are brewed with the pristine alpine water of Voirons, which draws from the same source as Evian. The quality of the water lends the beers a luminous, nourishing character which provides the perfect foundation for the creativity that ensues. All other ingredients are of the best quality and are sourced with the utmost respect for nature, and the brasserie has been certified as organic by Nature et Progrès.
Some are aged on the lees of the wines of some of France’s most decorated vignerons, often in the same barrels in which the wine was raised, others are infused with citrus, berries, wildflowers or foraged herbs in sandstone amphorae.
Bottled unpasteurised and unfiltered, they evolve beautifully over time and are amongst the most delicious and compelling beers we have tried.