| Countless breweries will tell you how special their water is, but I can think of only one brewery that has a magical folklore attached to theirs – Achouffe. In this case, truth is stranger than fiction.
Deep in the Ardennes Forest, in the land of Walloons and the county of Houffalize, lies the Vallée des Fées (valley of the fairies). At the edge of this valley is the highest altitude natural spring in all of Belgium, called Cédrogne. Local legend has it that the town of Achouffe (the town’s name means "gnome" in French), is inhabited by the little creatures and they settled here because of the magical waters. At one time, gnomes were mute, and when the long-bearded little people drank the magical waters of Cédrogne, they were suddenly able to speak. Because of this, they claimed the Vallée des Fées and the town of Achouffe as their own.
You have no doubt heard of the cookie-baking Keebler elves, but have you heard about the brewing gnomes? Gnomes haven’t had it easy the last couple of decades, with urban sprawl and more people living in apartments. They don’t have as many gardens to guard and only one lucky gnome gets to jet set around the world – the Travelocity celebrity gnome. Gnomes, ever fearful of natural predators, gave the brewery a scary address – 6666 Chouffe Road (one six scarier than Satan himself did). This allows the gnomes to brew this beer in relative privacy and maintain their secret brewing methods. (Note to the reader: this is the actual address of the brewery).
The brewery sits quietly nestled amongst picturesque farmland and the rolling wooded hills of the Ardennes forest. The area seems as if lost in time and it is one of the prettiest parts of Belgium. I didn’t see any gnomes when I visited – mind you, no beer was being made that day. I have been told the gnomes outnumber the humans there by about 50 to one, yet both live in perfect harmony.
The water used to make both of Achouffe’s regular beers is truly magical. Both beers have a unique spiciness, even though only one contains a small amount of coriander.
La Chouffe is a golden ale that has a large ivory head and a spicy floral nose of citrus, cinnamon and coriander with just a hint of black pepper. It tastes less spicy than it smells and has a light maltiness that twists quickly to a dry, tannic finish. La Chouffe’s dryness makes it nice with any food you might ordinarily pair with a white wine, and the coriander and pepper aromas would be a nice companion to ethnic food. For fans of cheese and beer, this works exceptionally well with caramelized onion cheddar.
The McChouffe is inspired by the Belgian love of Scottish styled ales and has a nose that is fruity, woody and smoky – reminiscent of a walk in the Ardennes forest. This dark nectar has a firm, bubbly head with hints of chocolate and spice, and is dangerously drinkable at 8.5 percent. Springbank Cheese has a semi-soft cow’s milk cheese from Quebec whose rind is washed with this beer. The cheese is called Le Grand Chouffe and is worth seeking out, as it’s outstanding, especially when paired with this beer.
If water from the Valley of the Fairies can cause gnomes to speak, imagine what the beer will do to humans. Whether you believe the story of the gnomes or not, believe the company motto: "Don’t waste water, drink Achouffe." |
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