Whimsical, but then again one would expect that from a brewery that features a little hop-seeking gnome on its labels. A lot of Belgian breweries are surprisingly tiny operations, but that can't be said about the Chouffe. In 2006, the brewery was purchased by the much larger Duvel Moortgat, and it shows. This brewery and its surrounding area is really quite the enterprise by rural Belgian standards - there's the brewery itself, a tap room, another tap room that serves food, an adjacent full-service restaurant with a stocked trout pond behind it, and a gift shop. This all seems a bit "commercial" and United States/Disney-esque, especially after you've been traipsing around Belgium and rural France visiting decidedly non-commercial breweries that half the time were closed, much less have a freakin' gift shop. There's even a pond with a little island with a gnome-hut on it. It would have to try pretty hard to be more cutesy. Still, there's something to be said for this kind of corporatist professionalism, even if it does somewhat resemble visiting the Epcot Center, if it had a "Belgium" pavilion. You don't have to worry about it being open, which was a constant problem in visiting other breweries throughout the region. There will always be a wide, complete range of its beers available, both for on-site consumption and to take home. And of course, plenty of merch and swag featuring that lovable gnome! A Chouffe tulip glass is a must - and there's even Chouffe coffee and cream liqueurs available, of which we purchased a couple small samplers. Of course, there's also the beer. Even after the Chouffe's purchase by a larger brewery, the flagship La Chouffe strong blonde ale hasn't suffered all that much - it's still one of the better examples of the popular "Belgian Strong Pale Ale" style. I think it's got more going on than either Duvel and Delirium....more fruity, spicy, yeasty, while at the same time being a little cleaner than a La Fin Du Monde. I'd still rank it as my favorite easily-accessible example of the style. read more

Brasserie d'Achouffe - Breweries Near Me - Wibrin, WLX

McChouffe was my first, and as such, holds a special place in my heart. You never forget your first, and I remember the exact time and place I sampled her greatness. I vowed then and there, at the Brickstore in Atlanta, GA, to travel to this magical land called Belgium. My pilgrimage finally took place in 2011, while I was temporarily living in Stuttgart. I emailed ahead of time, and happily they had a tour scheduled the day I was planning for, albeit in Flemmish. Nevertheless, they allowed this American on the tour. At the time, it was free for Americans. And, with your tour, you received two complimentary glasses of beer in the brasserie, a souvenir glass, and your choice of a bottle opener or gnome hat. I went for the bottle opener and still use it to open all my bottled beers, even twist-offs! All of this, for me, for free. Yes, please! I would easily have paid for all of it. McChouffe on tap is just phenomenal, and so much better than the bottle. It was everything I hoped it would be, and more. I hit the restaurant and the gift shop. Had rabbit for the first time, which featured a McChouffe sauce, and was quite tasty. I scored several awesome additional souvenirs, but I can't say it felt like a commercial wasteland, the shop and grounds in general are very small and reasonably priced. For the beer, their hospitality, and exceeding the already unreasonable amount of hype I made you responsible to live up to, I thank you, Brasserie d'Achouffe. read more

I have lived in Europe for years and have come to accept poor service at restaurants. This one took the cake. I sat there for more than 20 mins and was not approached one time for service. There were multiple tables that came in after me and folks were served directly. I am 6'11" or 210 cm tall. Clearly the biggest person in the restaurant, so there is no reason I could not have been seen. Huge let down after traveling from Hawaii to my favorite brewery. read more

Big fan of the Belgian beers. Having been over in Flanders for a while I never really got to try too many selections from the Arden/Wallonia. Achouffe makes a whole range of really dark to light beers for all seasons. However I tried a fruit beer that was more like a cider. I think it was something that is limited edition as I cant find it on their site at all. It was pretty tasty so now I need to seek out their darker selections as a normally dark beer fan read more

We came to Belgium to head out to the breweries and this was one of the main reasons. This was one of my favorites. Not only do I love Chouffe beer, but this place was amazing. Nestled out in the middle of nowhere, and I do mean nowhere (GPS is a MUST), you can sit back in a gorgeous setting and enjoy lunch and perfect beer here. When you first pull up you will note that the brewery itself is there. Then there is a gift shop. However if you want to have a meal and drink the beer, you need to walk down the road along the river a bit (2-3 minutes) That is THIS location. Unless you do the tour, you cannot drink in the official tasting room. This brasserie is beautiful. Set on a large pond, you can sit inside or out on the massive patio. Serving a full menu and all Chouffe beers, you can't go wrong. One friend got the salad with salmon: delicious. and aother friend and I split the charcuterrie board with pate, pickles, meats, cheese, bread, etc. More than enough for the two of us and delicious. Make sure you head further up the hill for yet another local brasserie that also has a patio and Chouffe tastings. read more