Brasserie de l'Orne

Mont-Saint-Guibert has a long tradition of brewing. At the end of the 19th century, the village was home to more than 7 breweries on various farms. From 1858 to 1996, the Grade brewery was one of Belgium's flagships, producing hundreds of hectoliters a year. For over 20 years, a group of villagers dreamed of taking up the challenge and relaunching a brewery.

The gamble paid off, as the Brasserie coopérative et participative de l'Orne was born in July 2018 from the determination of 19 local citizens.

They wanted their cooperative, with a social purpose and stemming from the Transition network, to produce a local beer of quality, participatory and respectful of the environment. These objectives, enshrined in their charter, will take precedence over the profit motive and guide all their decisions.

The brewery will initially be located in the heart of our village's old brewery. What a symbol for the villagers!

From September 2018 to January 2019, the brewery buildings were refurbished with the help of the cooperators to meet technical and sanitary requirements in terms of production.

In December 2018, there were already around 100 cooperators who believed in the project. A year later, they launch their first brew, which is presented to the 300 cooperators. L'Ornoise was born!

The story continues. In the early 2020s, the brewing cooperative had to contend with the biggest health crisis of the century and floods that famously damaged its brand-new equipment. These two traumas did not dampen the enthusiasm of the young brewers. They launch a new beer during the great confinement. 16ORNE was born. But the decision was made: to continue growing, the brewery had to find a new location.

The cooperators looked for a farm in Mont-Saint-Guibert that was large enough, accessible and available. They found the Ferme à la Dîme on the heights of the village, a stone's throw from the Brabant university campus. After a few months' work, the move took place discreetly, leaving the way clear in 2023 for l'Ornoise Triple! Their third marvel.

 

Summer 2024 will see the birth of a fourth beer: Ornoise RôZette. An original, fruity, sour beer made from the fruit of the aronia plant, a mysterious medicinal plant used by the indigenous peoples of North America.

And there are plenty of other projects in the pipeline, including a number of collaborations with the farm's artisans: coffee stout, cookies made with spent grain...