THE ORIGIN.
CHOUFFE TALES 2
Baraque Fraiture, The Beercountry & Achouffe.
Following a study of Prof. Arnold GoodBeer the kulminating point of the lowlands was 6666 years ago the region of “Baraque de Fraiture”
Under this high-relief there was an unbelieveble activity: little bearded red hatted men were brewing here the best ever brewed Beer.
The size of the “underground” brewery was unbelievable great: 30 million barrels a year. Thank to gravity law, this Beer floaded thru creeks and river to the lower part of the country.
Some Flemish villages have names that refer to this situation: “Bierbeek” ( = Beercreek ) and “Biervliet” ( who is another word for “Bierbeek or Beercreek”).
Due to a mysterious implosion of this underground brewery, the little redhatted population and their big brewery desappeared in the earth. “The Baraque de Fraiture” collapsed 100 meter and the highest point of Belgium was a few 10-ish miles further.
One little bearded red hatted man, usually we name this person a “gnome”, survived to this desaster. His aim was to stay alive untill he found someone who could be able to brew the mythical gnome recipe. He wandered lonely around, during 6666 years, in the deep dark forest of “La Cédrogne” and thrue the “valley of the elfes” in Achouffe.
On a day, he saw an unusual activity in Achouffe. Two enlighted Beerspirits, a flemish and a Walloon, had decided to create a small hobby-brewery and where busy to fit the brew-equipment together.
This very smal brewery was ready for start-up end august of 1982. The night before their first brew, the gnome put a little package made from oakleaf on the doorstep of the small brewery.
The would-be brewers discovered this package the next morning. The package contained:
An empty acorn filled with a secret Beeryeast.
A Beerrecipe written on the oakleaf within the acorn was packed.
On 27 august 1982, a little batch of 49 liter was brewed according the recipe on the oakleaf. The Beeryeast from the acorn was added to the wort for fermenting. After the fermenting time the wort became a wonderfull Beer...
Around 6 weeks later, on 3 october 1982, the little gnome opened the door of the small brewery. The brewers, Pierre & Chris were very surprised and looked to the gnome with their mouths wide-open and stay there fixed for a while.
The little gnome explained them his story and asked the brewers the possibility to try the Beer. With his 2 small hands he took the glas with Beer, brought it to his lips, drunk a mouthfull of it and desappeared suddenly into nothing...
Since then, the gnome of Achouffe never appeared again...
To commemorate this mythical event, the brewery decided to place the picture on their labels in honor of the Chouffe-gnome...
Story compiled and translated from legends by:
Chris Bauweraerts, founder of “Brasserie d’Achouffe”.
