From Hops to Beer
"BREWERY, a workshop housing tanks, boilers, mills, and all the other instruments, apparatus and facilities required for making beer. Beer is an extremely old drink."
Denis Diderot
The Vauclair brewery between Arc-en-Barrois and Giey-sur-Aujon, brews artisan beer. Amidst rustic décor, spring water, malted barley and hops slowly transform into a double-fermented beer, thanks to the special know-how of the brewer.
This beer, called "la Choue" in memory of the story of Vauclair's Priory, is a lively beer, and naturally cloudy from its fermentation on yeast lees.
The hop is an indispensable element in making beer, as it gives it its bitterness.
Hops grew perfectly in the picturesque village of Rivière-les Fosses for over a century, up until 1970. Above a former oil mill, which in itself is worth a little detour, the "Maison du Houblon" ("House of the Hop") invites you to come and learn about this very special plant. You will be told about its appearance, properties, characteristic smell, and spectacular growth. Tools, models, documents and photographs guide the visitor through a year of what is difficult labour for the hop-planters. During a short film, the last hop-growers of South Haute-Marne and their spouses share with you their daily routine, their words filled with memories.
