B.R. Blonde, a change of life in Sainte-Ode

Magerotte, in the Laval valley

B.R. Blonde is one of the beers made by Brasserie Demanez in Magerotte, in the municipality of Sainte-Ode and the Bastogne district. This village should not be confused with the name of another food business in the province. The official tourism presentation locates the venture in the Laval valley, at the entrance to the Deux Ourthes Nature Park. The detour brings another scale to the Ardennes brewing landscape.

Leaving banking to brew

The brewery began in March 2014. VISITWallonia presents Sébastien Demanez as a former banker who retrained as a brewer. This transition gives the story a tangible human dimension. It does not make the business a medieval survival: it is a contemporary project established in a rural area and making use of its opportunities. The interest lies precisely in the passage from one profession to another, with the learning and organisation that food production requires.

A rounded blonde rather than a display of bitterness

The presentation supplied to the brewers' fair describes B.R. Blonde as an organically certified beer at 6.2% ABV, with light bitterness and a rounded, gentle character. These few words are more useful than an accumulation of undocumented aromas. They identify the product without confusing it with the brewery's Triple, Christmas beer or wheat beer. Strength and full name remain useful references when several bottles share the same visual identity.

Fermentation continues the story

Tourist sources specify top fermentation followed by bottle refermentation. This means the bottle is not just a transport container: it also belongs to the process stated by the brewer. A general method should not, however, be used to infer an identical keeping time or evolution for every recipe. The VISITWallonia food route connects this production with other skills in Sainte-Ode, placing beer among the area's wider activities.

Organising an encounter

Before setting out, check current contact details, available bottles and visiting conditions with the brewery or tourist office. Older brochures help explain history but do not guarantee today's opening hours. It is possible to discover the village without planning a tasting. The Mardasson photograph serves only as a district-level landmark: it shows neither the Magerotte buildings nor a Demanez brew.

Drink in moderation.

Photos and credits

Photo 1 — A geographical landmark in Bastogne; the Demanez product and brewery are not pictured. Jean-Pol GRANDMONT · CC BY 3.0 · Source.