Brouwerij van Achouffe in opdracht van de Confrérie du Tchesté de Neufchâteau

In the secluded Ardennes hamlet of Achouffe, a home-built brewing experiment grew into one of Belgium’s most recognizable specialty breweries. Founded by brothers-in-law Pierre Gobron and Chris Bauweraerts, Brouwerij van Achouffe began with a modest first batch before developing into a full-time brewery whose beers remain tied to their rural birthplace and distinctive Chouffe identity. From garage to farmhouse The brewery’s roots reach back to the late 1970s, when Gobron and Bauweraerts began brewing in the garage of Bauweraerts’s mother-in-law. Their first batch was produced on 27 August 1982. Four years later, they bought the farm where they had been brewing and turned the project from a hobby into their livelihood. A local brewery with expanding reach A new brewhouse in 1992 increased batch capacity from 22 to 70 hectolitres and raised annual production from 3,400 to 5,000 hectolitres. The brewery joined the Duvel Moortgat group in September 2006, gaining room to grow while continuing to brew in Achouffe. Its range expanded beyond La Chouffe and Mc Chouffe, including Houblon Chouffe, later renamed Chouffe IPA. Beer and glass as one identity The Belgian Beer Glass Museum records La Chouffe as a Belgian strong blond associated with Achouffe in Wallonia and documents its characteristic 33-cl tulip glass. The Museum also notes Marcel, the red-capped gnome used across La Chouffe labels and glassware since 1983. These details show how the brewery’s place, beer and visual identity developed together. A Belgian Ardennes brewery whose garage-born beginnings remain inseparable from Achouffe, La Chouffe and the enduring Marcel identity. Achouffe, a hamlet in the Belgian Ardennes, Wallonia, Belgium 1982 1982: Pierre Gobron and Chris Bauweraerts produce the first batch of La Chouffe on 27 August. 1986: The founders purchase the farm where they had been brewing and begin operating full-time. 1992: A new brewhouse raises batch capacity from 22 to 70 hectolitres. 2006: Brouwerij van Achouffe joins the Duvel Moortgat group. 2009: La Chouffe becomes available in 33-cl bottles.