From grain to beer in the Luberon

We met Pierre-Marie and Bérangère LOISEL in their brewery, they tell us about their profession, their products and their commitments.

A bet won 

Set up in Les Taillades in 2017, the Brasserie Lub' de Pierre-Marie et Bérangère was born from a professional retraining.

“In my first life I was a consultant for large groups in the Paris region. 20 years ago I started brewing my own beer in my kitchen for my family and friends. My hobby became a passion, I practiced a lot as a self-taught and we visited many of our colleagues. These early approaches were essential before we started.

With my wife we decided to change our life and leave the Paris region. First settled in the Toulouse region, then in the Luberon, where my wife's family came from. What I like about the Luberon is the good weather, the Natural Park and the tranquility of the place. There are plenty of places to go for a walk and there are exceptional products. It is a region where good eating is valued, we participate in this philosophy with our products.”

A profession, a process, a tradition

Brasserie Lub' is a family business that promotes artisanal production and participates in the training of the youngest.

“What made us want to change our profession was the ability to create something with our hands. We wanted to bring happiness to people by creating a user-friendly product that we can share. Being a brewer means trying recipes, creating tastes, beer is a product where the field of creation is almost infinite... We are a medium-sized brewery that produces about 40,000 litres of beer a year. We have a resident range of 5 beers, plus a few exceptional brews from time to time. We also make custom beer for the Maison du Citron in Menton and part of our production is exported to the Netherlands. With my wife we both work and welcome an alternate. Many interns come to see us to learn the craft of brewer!
When you have the chance to have knowledge, it's important to take the time to share it.”

Pierre-Marie and Bérangère share their know-how with young enthusiasts throughout the year. But exactly how do we produce beer? The ideal opportunity to learn more about the production process was presented around a brewery. We explain everything in detail, from grain to beer.

A profession, a process, a tradition

The beer production process consists of three main stages: crushing, brewing and fermentation. Let's see this closer!

“We start with crushing. The dried grain is passed through a crusher so that enzymes and sugars are accessible for further processing. The grain is then placed in a vat, which is the brewing stage. In a large basket that can accommodate up to 125kg of grain, a machine passes hot water through the tank. For about an hour all the sugar from the grain will come out. At this level you get a molt of non-alcoholic beer, it is a sweet syrup of cereal. This preparation is sent to a fermenter where we add an essential ingredient, yeast. We use lots of different yeasts depending on the recipes, it is the yeast that makes the beer. For a month, yeast will work the moult and turn sugar into alcohol and gas. We distinguish two stages in the fermenter; the first two weeks the fermenter is at about 20°C for the yeast to work and make gas. Then the last two weeks, this is the phase called “the guard”, where the whole fermenter goes to 2°C. Yeast will slow down and clarify the beer to develop something other than alcohol. It develops different tastes that depend on the yeast used, cloves, citrus fruits... After a month we pass on to bottling beer. So it takes us a month to produce beer, from the crushing of the grain to the bottling of the beer.”

There are many possibilities, different tastes, but what do you recognize a quality beer? According to Pierre-Marie, a good beer is above all taste! It is also a form of thickness in the mouth and of course on this refreshing side so essential. And consumers are there! Brasserie Lub' equips itself to be able to increase its production and satisfy all its customers.

“We have five fermenters of 500L and one large of 2000L. Demand increases which drives us to increase our production, in a few days we will receive two other large fermenters of 2000L each. We will be able to produce 8500L of beer per month compared to about 4500L currently. We double our production to satisfy our customers and for our greatest pleasure! ”

Short circuits and organic products: A philosophy

For their products Pierre-Marie and Bérangère have made choices, they proudly display their commitments and participate in the development of their sector.

At the base of the product are the raw materials. The choice of raw materials at Brasserie Lub' is in line with a strong course of action.

“We work with organic raw materials. Cereal is a sensitive product that can sometimes be very processed, hence our choice. We work with French and malted cereals in Belgium. Hops are very little cultivated in France and come mainly from abroad. It should be noted that as a small brewery we do not have access to French production, reserved for large industrialists. With the association 'La Bière de France' we are working on the development of a project to implement hops in France and more particularly in the PACA region.”

The development of a local network is also one of the commitments of Brasserie Lub', which works with the Luberon merchants.

“In addition to our requirements on our raw materials we work with local partners. 80% of our production is less than 30km away from the brewery. We really position ourselves on a short circuit, close to our distributors. You can find our products at Biocoop, small grocery stores and producer stores, especially in Coustellet, or Carrefour Market des Taillades. We also do a lot of direct sales. With the recent obtaining of a License 3 we will develop on-site consumption and tasting of our products. We value our sector, our organic networks and local producers.”

In addition to the partners mentioned above, you can find the products of Brasserie Lub' on their website and online shop: www.brasserielub.com. Brasserie Lub' won a gold medal for its white beer at the Concours International de Lyon, an award that showcases their work and commitments for Luberon consumers and professionals.

This meeting was an opportunity to learn more about the artisans of our region. If you liked this article, don't hesitate to find Pierre-Marie and Brasserie Lub' in a dedicated video available on our social networks. Remember, the Luberon is full of exceptional products created and developed by passionate and exciting craftsmen.