originally known as Brasserie Bourgeois-Lecerf, was founded in the late 1970s by Alain Dhaussy, a third-generation brewer and an early player in the French specialty brewing revival. Located in the rural community of Hordain, this classic farmhouse brewery dates back to the 1880s.

La Choulette brews a wide range of specialty ales. The flagship is La Choulette Amber, their take on classic bière de garde which they first introduced in 1981. Prior to introducing a bière de garde in the early 1980s the brewery produced typical lager beers in the German tradition. See biÈre de garde. La Choulette produces several variations on biere de garde, including La Choulette Blonde and Les Sans Coulottes. True to La Choulette’s status as a specialty producer, it makes a range of seasonal brews, bière de mars (“March beer”) for spring and Choulette de Noel, a few fruit ales, and several other brands brewed under contract for other companies.

La Choulette is unusual in that its products are bottled sur lees (“with the yeast”), a technique of the past that is no longer practiced by the majority of French specialty brewers. This traditional technique allows the beer to develop additional flavor complexity with age. The products show a charming variability that one would expect from a small farmhouse brewery.

With annual production of around 4,000 hl (3,400 US barrels), La Choulette remains a small boutique brewery. The products are available in France, Italy, Great Britain, and the United States. Mr. Dhaussy, who is passionate about the region’s rich brewing history, operates a brewing museum on the site.