Philomenn Brasserie ToukenPhilomenn Brasserie Touken
©Philomenn Brasserie Touken|Yann Josselin

The secrets of Breton craft beer

Philomenn, Touken craft brewery

When I travel, I always like to take the time to get a taste of the area. On the Côte de Granit Rose, this includes the know-how of the Trégor region. Today, I’m pushing open the door of a local brewery to discover the secrets behind the making of a traditional Breton beer that is well known to beer lovers: Philomenn, brewed here in Tréguier for almost twenty years.

Getting there

A brewery where locomotives are brewed

Fifteen or so of us made the appointment and the tour began.
The guide began by telling us about the history of this unique building on the banks of the Jaudy. We learn that this red brick building, typical of the industrial architecture of the early 20th century, once housed the locomotives of the Côtes du Nord steam train.

Images from the past

It was built by the famous civil engineer Louis Harel de La Noé. Thanks to old photos from the period, we can imagine the landscape of days gone by, when the rails and railway bridges have completely disappeared.

Traditional brewing, a union of the elements: earth, water, air, fire…

But back to the beer, why Philomenn? We’re told how this family brewery has evolved since it was founded in 2007, the quantities produced, its presence in the region… Then we enter the brewery, where the smell of soot has been replaced by the scent of malt and hops, giving a second life to a place steeped in history and character.

From raw materials to brewing

We go behind the scenes of the brewery and upstairs we enter the storage room for the raw materials used to make the beer. Water, hops, yeast, malt… each ingredient is explained to us and we can even touch and smell a few samples.

Trappist secrets

Then comes the production stage: brewing, hopping, fermentation and bottling… these beer-making methods, based on the ancient and traditional methods of the Trappists, now hold no secrets for us.

Tasting: blondes, rousses, brunes and then SPOUM

Then we’re invited to gather around the bar for a tasting of the different variations of Philomenn: blonde, red, white, peaty, stout or spoum. The brewers are on hand to answer our questions. “It’ll be a redhead for me, please! Finally, we toast to the beautiful view over the river.

During the tasting, I savour a “mousse” with the flavours of Trégor

The visit

5€

per person

Guided tour of the Philomenn brewery

  • duration: 1 hour
  • Fridays at 10.30am from April to September and during the All Saints’ holiday period, excluding public holidays.
  • Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 10.30am, during the summer school holidays, excluding public holidays.
  • not suitable for people with reduced mobility or families with young children under 12.
  • Rates: €5 and €3 for students and jobseekers.