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BEER
TREND
SAVOURING BEER AT THE LILLE TERROIR FESTIVAL
Craft beers span the colour and taste spectrum to provide enthusiasts with an extensive choice
of products. In a market that has been made challenging by declining alcohol consumption,
they offer two major advantages – their alcohol content is low and their price tag affordable. Generally
speaking, the drop in volume goes hand in hand with superior quality and this is the backdrop
against which countless local breweries have emerged across France, buoyed by the enthusiasm and
creativeness of passionate entrepreneurs. The beers display a regional identity, boldly venturing
into terroir terrain, but despite this, French breweries have borne the brunt of spiralling inflation,
and have had to cope with an unprecedentedly complex economic environment. So much so that
one in ten breweries claims to be considering closing permanently this year, as revealed by a survey
conducted by the French brewery and SME federations whose findings were published on May
16. In this complex market, brewers are having to contend with an increase in their overheads,
with the cost of inputs, packaging, raw materials, transport and energy reaching high levels. These
headwinds, though, are not preventing many breweries from continuing to invest in their production
facilities and recruit staff in a bid to future-proof their businesses and develop their ability
to innovate in a marketplace that remains in growth mode. Its creativeness and high standards
have turned the beer industry into a force to be reckoned with in the drinks market. The following
examples illustrate the trend.
BRASSERIE LILLOISE: AN IMPRESSIVE STORY
Set in the heart of the northern French city of Lille, Brasserie Lilloise proudly publicises its environmental
credentials with local ingredients across three product ranges. The brand’s iconic label,
Lydéric, is made from local juniper berries added during the boiling phase. Re-fermented in the
SUMMER 2023 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE
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