Brasserie Chouffe is pronounced ‘choo-ffuh’ — almost as though you are having a sneeze. Tucked away in the green hills of the Belgian Ardennes, in the tiny village of Achouffe, is the home of one of Belgium’s most recognisable beers — Chouffe. The brewery is very close to Bastogne and the border with Luxembourg.

And yes, there really are gnomes everywhere: on the bottles, on the signs, in the shop, around the brewery. Once you arrive at Chouffe, there is absolutely no escaping the little bearded creatures. There is (naturally) a gift shop and a restaurant on the grounds of the brewery.

Brewery Tour

You have to plan ahead and check the tour dates on the calendar on Chouffe’s website. The booking calendar is released on a rolling basis, with visits generally available up to four months ahead. If a date isn’t showing, it may simply not have been released yet rather than being fully booked. English tours are fairly rare outside the summer months — there were only two English tours in May 2026 when we went. You book online (achouffe.i-reserve.net), pay in advance and receive an email confirmation. Tours are also run in Dutch and French.

We signed up for the Standard Package, which runs for 1 hour 30 minutes and includes a free tasting of three beers (a non-alcoholic option is available). There is also a Premium package at a higher cost and longer duration. The meeting point for the tour is the gift shop, but the tour itself starts inside a beautiful old stone farmstead.

A Little History on How Chouffe Came About — Did the Gnomes Really Make the Beer?

The tour starts with an introduction to how Chouffe came about. It began in the late 1970s when two brothers-in-law, Pierre Gobron and Chris Bauweraerts, decided that making their own beer sounded like a good idea. They started experimenting in the garage belonging to Chris’s mother-in-law.

On 27 August 1982, they produced their first batch — just 49 litres of beer. It was very much a hobby at the beginning, but the hobby got rather out of hand. The brewery grew, the beer became increasingly popular, and eventually the two men left their regular jobs to concentrate on brewing full-time.

So, Why the Gnome?

A great question — and one the tour covers with a lovely insight. The brewery sits in the Vallée des Fées — the Valley of the Fairies — and the surrounding Ardennes is full of folklore and legend. The little gnome became part of the identity of the brewery, and eventually the different beers acquired their own characters.

The most famous is, of course, Marcel, the gnome associated with La Chouffe. I love the idea behind the mascot — it’s completely charming and heart-warming. And once you’ve visited the brewery, you’ll understand why the gnome theme works so well here.

Brewing Action

After the history lesson, they walk you right into the operational heart of the brewhouse. You get to stand next to the massive, shiny stainless steel vats while the guide explains the brewing process — the ingredients, the fermentation and the different stages involved in turning it all into the beer that eventually ends up in your glass.

And Then Comes the Important Part — the Beer Tasting

After about 45 minutes of walking around the brewery, past the giant fermentation tanks and the bottling lines, it’s time for the part everyone has secretly been waiting for — the tasting. It takes place at L’Auberge des Lutins, the brewery’s tasting room, and the official Chouffe tour describes this as another 45 minutes of the experience.

This is where you get to try the Chouffe beers rather than simply hear someone talk about them — and, frankly, beer always seems to make more sense when it’s actually in front of you. You get a choice of three beers; non-drinkers can choose a zero-alcohol beer or a fruit juice.

The Chouffe Gift Shop

Once the tasting has you feeling nice, cheerful and maybe a little tipsy, the tour concludes directly outside the gift shop. Warning: they have put that cute gnome mascot on absolutely everything, and it is impossible to walk out empty-handed. First you spot the beers, then the gift packs, then the bottles, glasses, clothing, hats, mugs — and the list goes on. Plenty of Chouffe souvenirs to tear a hole in your wallet.

If you like the Chouffe glasses, this is probably the place to get them. I bought one for my brother and had to resist keeping it for myself for the entire trip.

More Beers… and Food

By the time we finished spending too much money in the shop, it was time for lunch. We drove to the Achouffe valley but the restaurant there was closed, so we turned back and went to La Taverne de La Chouffe. It has a lovely interior — a cosy vibe with huge stone fireplaces and massive exposed wooden beams. Mr G had a burger and I went for the nachos. The food was delicious — and who would say no to a tasting platter of Chouffe beers!

Practical Information

Final Thoughts

Even if you don’t like beer, I think that, being in Belgium, you should make time for a visit or two to a local brewery. After all, Belgium is famous for its beer — and Chouffe can’t get much more local than this.

It may now have joined a larger corporation, but it has kept its operations local and still runs in a very down-to-earth manner. We were told that many of the employees are local to the area, and that they haven’t changed much of the original brewing formula.

For two men to turn their passion into a successful business and still operate in the same hometown where it all started, Chouffe Brewery definitely deserves a visit. Not to mention the cute mascot — even if you have no liking for gnomes, you’ll leave wanting more of them.