Discover the Best Craft Beers in Provence at These 10 Microbreweries
Provence is a famous winemaking (and drinking) country. The region has a justified reputation in wine circles for terrific rosé blends, celebrated reds and coveted whites from Châteauneuf du Pape, and the outstanding production of crus from the Côte du Rhone vineyards. So, perhaps it’s unsurprising that beer is not a beverage one typically associates with the South of France. However, on a hot day, no one will argue with the craving for a refreshing, cold beer. Below is a list of microbreweries producing craft beers in Provence worth sampling.
Photo ©AixPression
Historical Brews
Alcohol occurs via fermentation, a chemical process that uses sugars and yeast. Today, alcohol production for spirits, including wine and beer, is a scientific process monitored and regulated. In ancient history, alcohol was likely accidentally produced when fruit spoiled. There is plenty of evidence of wine production during the Roman era in Provence. By the Middle Ages, monks made wine and distilled alcohol such as Frigolet, a thyme-based liqueur, and beer.
Photo ©AixPression
Craft Beers in Provence
As the term micro indicates, we feature small breweries, not large manufacturers. The industry is evolving in Provence as customers’ tastes change and the desire for lower-alcohol options alters consumption patterns. So, the microbreweries featured below are only a tiny sample of the options in the region.
The craft beer industry in Provence is relatively new to the region. However, many professionals in the micro-brewing industry have direct or indirect experience with the wine trade, so they are leveraging best practices. Many, if not all, of these microbreweries are certified organic (bio); at least 20 are members of the La Bière de Provence Association and focused on the future. The organization’s vision is a sustainable and environmentally conscious industry with agricultural partners such as barley growers in the region.
Cheers to that!
Brantes
La Géante de Provence is in the perched village of Brantes that sits on the border of Vaucluse and Drome. Naming the beer might have been the easy part of a process that has taken the co-owners Rory White and Pascale Merlette-Lagarde well over two years of talking, planning, ordering and finally brewing. As brewmasters, this duo might seem like an unlikely pair. Rory was in the recruiting field in the United Kingdom for 25 years, and Pascale remains involved in her local vegetarian/vegan restaurant, La Poterne. However, fate and Brantes’ jaw-dropping setting brought them together.
La Géante de Provence
84390 Brantes
Telephone: +33 (0)4 75 28 29 13
Facebook Page
Alpilles Abbey
The Saint-Michel de Frigolet Abbey sits on a hilltop between Avignon to the north and Tarascon to the west. A community of Premonstratensian (White Canon) monks continues to live and operate the monastery. Saint Norbert established the order on December 25, 1121, in what is today the Netherlands. It wasn’t until 1858 that the religious order established the Saint-Michel de Frigolet Abbey. Gathering local plants (think herbs de Provence), the monks were able to create herbaceous liqueurs using the local plants. Today, besides the three liqueurs produced on site, there are two beers – blond and amber brews.
Abbaye Saint Michel de Frigolet
13150 Tarascon
Telephone: +33 (0)4 90 95 70 07
Website
Brasserie Artisanale des Alpilles
Eygalières Made in the Alpilles
La Brasserie Artisanale des Alpilles is in the industrial zone outside the Eygalières village. Two long-time winemakers have turned their attention to making craft beers in the heart of the Alpilles. They produce 100% organic beers, using malt and hops grown nearby. The brasserie’s range includes Blonde, white, amber, and IPA beers.
La Brasserie Artisanale des Alpilles
2874 route de la Gare
13810 Eygalières
Facebook Page
Photo ©Brasserie Artisanale des Alpilles
Brews near Aix-en-Provence
Brasserie AixPression is the product of Steven Giroud’s entrepreneurial energy. At the barely legal drinking age of 18 and still in high school, he convinced his mother, Sylvie, a winegrower, to participate in his vision for a microbrewery. AixPression came to life in 2015. Today, it offers six beers, including blonde, white, amber, and dark brews. Visit the brewery and taste a flight of its beers.
Brasserie AixPression (website)
4674 Route de Bealieu D14C
13840 Rognes
Open Tuesday to Friday from 14h to 18h
Photo ©AixPression
Rousset Artisan Brewery
Rousset is a small Provencal village located 20 minutes from beautiful Aix-en-Provence. It’s a quiet town surrounded by vineyards with views of Mont Sainte Victoire and views everywhere in town. The village is lovely for its proximity to the centre of Aix and the hiking trails on Sainte Victoire. As a bonus, it is also home to the Brasserie Artisanale de Provence (BAP), established in 2016, and a brewpub where you can sample their BAP and South Brew lines.
Brasserie Artisanale de Provence
ZI de Rousset Avenue Olivier Perroy
Lieu-dit La Marnière
13790 Rousset
Instagram: @brasserieartisanaledeprovence
Sipping in Marseille
Since 2013, the team Brasserie de la Plaine has brewed craft beers in Marseille. After more than a decade, they have produced an award-winning line of classic beers that are certified organic. Using local or regional ingredients whenever possible is core to the company’s DNA.
Brasserie de la Plaine – St Pierre ()
16 rue Saint-Pierre
13006 Marseille
Instagram: @bieredelaplaine
Les Milles Near Aix
La Brasserie des Milles founder Jérémi practically has beer in his blood. He has honed his skills by taking courses from brewmasters and making microbrews. The expression “it takes a village” also applies to brewing craft beer. It’s a long and involved process that Jérémi and his team have mastered for their beer line. Join them for a glass.
La Brasserie des Milles
735 Rue du Lieutenant Parayre,
13290 Aix-en-Provence
Instagram: @brasserie.des.milles
Sipping on the French Riviera
If you want to visit seaside Hyères, let the award-winning Brasserie Carteron be your excuse. In 2013, Thomas Carteron founded the microbrewery in St Tropez and was recognized as a Maitre Artisan the same year. A Maitre Artisan is a celebrated title for an individual who has not only taken all the courses but has worked in their field for an extended period, sometimes as an apprentice to learn the trade.
Thomas Carteron was a winemaker first at the Domaine de Tamary. During the 2008 grape harvest, Carteron and some friends discussed making beer using local ingredients from the Var. Brasserie Carteron began brewing La Trop in Saint-Tropez in 2013. Today, they have a full range of organic beers under La Trop and La p’tite brasserie de Provence.
Brasserie Carteron (website)
Parc d’activités Saint Martin
412 rue Philémon Laugier
Hyères Ouest
83400 Hyères
Guided brewery visits are available.
Ales in the Vaucluse
A cold beer is the perfect refreshment after climbing Mont Ventoux on a bike. Alexandre de Zordi launched Brasserie Artisanale du Mont Ventoux in 2015. A Vaucluse native, he understands the Mont Ventoux biosphere and the wine terroir of Ventoux AOC. The entire line of beers is 100% organic, and the names are associated with the mythical mountain.
Brasserie Artisanale du Mont Ventoux
558 avenue du Mont Ventoux
84200 Carpentras
Open Tuesday through Saturday
Any brewery tours must be booked in advance.
Instagram: @brasserieventoux
Photo ©AixPression
Crafted in the Durance Valley
Based in Sisteron, la Bière de la Durance began brewing in 2018. The brewery team follows traditional methods and uses organic malts and hops. Maybe it’s the proximity to the beautiful river, but they have a wonderful range of craft beers. Whether you like a wheat beer, a stout, an IPA, or a lager, maybe you prefer lemonade. They have them all.
La Bière de la Durance
27 All. des Frênes,
04200 Sisteron
Telephone: +33 (0)4 86 89 32 87
Facebook Page
Association of Craft Beers in Provence
Since 2012, La Bière de Provence has been a brewing industry association based in Provence that covers the entire PACA region. The organization supports its members by promoting the brewing industry, merchants, and producers of hops and malt. The website has a current list of members, and you can follow their Facebook page.
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