Brasserie du Clocher
Brasserie
About this Brewery
Place: Malonne
A brewery in a church! Brasserie du Clocher occupies the former Chapelle du Piroy in Malonne, on the outskirts of Namur. The imposing nineteenth-century building sits proudly at the edge of the village and was restored with considerable help from local volunteers before being converted into a working microbrewery in 2015, with the brewing vessels installed in the former choir.
The first Philomène Florale was brewed there in December 2015 and went on sale early the following year. An amber beer, Philomène HoptimAle, joined it in 2017 when the brewery was formally inaugurated. A bottling line was subsequently added, allowing the small brewery to handle the production process itself.
The brewery takes its beer name from Sainte Philomène, to whom the former chapel was dedicated, giving both the beers and the brewery an unusually close connection to the building they occupy.
Glasses in this collection
Curator's Note
Inside, the brewery somehow manages to feel both like a former place of worship and a young, enthusiastic brewing operation. The small shop is little more than a counter within the same space as the brewing vessels, while the chapel’s former bell is displayed near the entrance, weathered but carefully preserved.
The brewery is very much a working place rather than a polished visitor attraction. On our visit, the staff were friendly and happy to talk about the beers being produced. The young brewer serving at the counter was particularly proud of a stout he had helped create only a couple of months earlier — a good reminder that, despite the historic surroundings, this is still a brewery experimenting and developing its range.
It is an unusual combination: the building feels as though it should not quite contain a modern brewery, yet somehow the two belong together remarkably well.
Brasserie du Clocher welcomes visitors, although opening arrangements have changed over time and are worth checking before travelling.