The massive microbreweries boom in France since 2010s (which was itself fuelled by the British and American revival a few decades ear) – has undoubtedly refreshed the beer sector, long abandoned to the drink industry behemoths (the 3 main international groups still hold 70% of the market in France).
However, demand from the “market”, distributors and large retail outlets, as well as profitability imperatives and investors, are pushing craft breweries towards quantity and standardisation.
Craft breweries that want to survive often have no choice but to face up to these challenges, sometimes at the expense of quality, creativity, methods, or using the best products – fresh, local, seasonal, organic, rare, harder to exploit and often more expensive.
Basalte Brewery is unique and offers an alternative: it is a pico-scale craft brewery that only produces a few dozen litres a month, founded and operated as a secondary activity. Basalte can be dedicated to its own values, free from any economic considerations – it is immune to pressure from any intermediary.
Basalte is located at the foot of the volcanoes in Auvergne, France, and draws some of its resources from this generous terroir. Basalte Brewery’s beers are brewed with the legendary water from the volcanoes, and are exclusively made with organic French cereals, which are malted in the area.
Because Basalte is unique, so are its beers: rare, or ephemeral even, they are a reflection of a rigorous and passionate process, born from a touch of creativity and shaped by the finest raw ingredients.