[Trappist]

Hi,
The region of Han-sur-Lesse is a wonderful region for doing beery things.
A visit to nearby Rochefort and it's abbey where they make the splendid Rochefort trapppisbeers is already a must-do. That's only a 7km away and in 9 minutes you are already on place.
Han-sur-Lesse is also the place where the famous "caves of Han" are located. That's a nice thing to do too, and the entrance is actually situated in the centre of Han-sur-Lesse. Easy Peasy.

Nearby are two breweries, which we both paid a visit.

First: Brasserie Saint-Monon (located at Ambly - 13km away from Han-sur-Lesse)

https://saintmonon.be/en/home-en/

The Legend:

Around 645, Monon de Nassogne, a hermit monk from Scotland, was assassinated, beheaded, in the Ardennes forest where he had taken up residence following the call of an angel of the Lord. His remains were placed in an oratory which quickly became a place of pilgrimage. Since then, it has been said that miracles have happened there!

Among these, many years later, the birth of a divine beverage: Saint-Monon. Today, 5 brews are flowing freely in the small village of Ambly and being exported to true beer lovers.

Saint-Monon is the protector of farmers, farm animals and crops. We must thank him for watching over the farm where Saint-Monon, barley, malt, hops, bees and beehives are brewed, as well as the nature that surrounds us.

This place is only open on Saturday afternoons to visit.
Lucky that there was a guided tour at that moment, which we also could participate.

IMG_20250419_142017 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

IMG_20250419_142031 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

This is how the brewery looks alike.
Brewmaster Pierre Jacob giving all the details here. A great job full of passion !

IMG_20250419_143136 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

Brewery tours make you thirsty, so we installed us inside the brewery tavern.

IMG_20250419_143141 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

At the back we actually could see the brewery. It's just that other room in the back.

IMG_20250419_142650 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

IMG_20250419_142656 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

IMG_20250419_150307 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

IMG_20250419_150253 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

We had a couple of excellent beers!

Triple au Miel - 8vol% (for export it's called "Premium Honey Beer")
A triple honey beer made from honey from their apiaries.
It is not very sweet but develops floral notes.
Folks, this is a masterpiece! What a great beer! The honey has been added before the yeasting process.
It has a great triple flavor and the honey flavors are not hidden at all.
A beer you simple NEED to order again...and again.

Saint-Monon Brune - 7.5vol%
The aroma presents notes of dark fruits, caramel, fudge, and a touch of chocolate. The taste reveals a stronger presence of dark fruits, especially plums and berries, accompanied by chocolate, peppery spice, candy, and burnt sugar. It offers a delightful balance without being overly sweet, finishing with a spicy, fruity note. The body is somewhat thin, average carbonation.
Again a GREAT brew !!!

Well, did we had some enjoyable visit at brasserie Saint-Monon.
This is Holiday on very high levels folks 

Second: Brasserie de la Lesse

We did the visit by walking from Han-sur-Lesse towards Eprave, where the brewery is located.
That's about 2.8km, a 30 minutes walk.

http://www.brasseriedelalesse.be/

Good to see that there is a bar & terrace
Fr : 17:00 - 20:00
Sa : 10:00 - 21:00
Su : 11:00 - 19:00

Includes a shop too
Mo, Tu, We, Fr : 09:00 - 17:00
Th : Closed
+ Bar Hours

Guided Tours with visit + tasting :
12 EUR/person
Visit without tasting :
7 EUR/person
Duration : about 1h30
No minimum number of participants

A brewery that takes the time to brew beer, not money.
The manufacturing process is entirely natural. It does not use any preservatives, colorants, additives, flavor enhancers, stabilizers, clarifiers, foaming agents, correctors or others that often pollute so-called craft beer.
In terms of the process, the Brasserie de la Lesse does not use any forcing. No centrifugation, no forced saturation with CO2, no pasteurization.

It does not use any modern techniques inherited from the industry, which aim to reduce production costs and artificially improve the beer (color, taste, creaminess of the foam, clarity, saturation, etc.). Beer is a living product, made with living raw materials. This requires a lot of knowledge and a great ability to adapt.

That's some great desciption of the brewery, taken from their website.

We didn't do the brewery visit, but had alot of their beers at the cosy bar.

IMG_20250413_122906 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

The brewery tavern is housed inside an old rustic building.

IMG_20250413_122852 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

A couple of tables and this bar. Yes, quite a small place really.

IMG_20250413_143827 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

IMG_20250413_143840 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

The beer to start with is their amazing plsner called Top Lesse (nice wordplay)
Folks, this is one of the best pilsners I ever had. 4.2 vol%
So crispy hoppy and fresh.
How amazed was I to notice this pils has been bottle refermented.
I don't think I had a bottle refermented pils before.
What a fantastic brew !! And there's more to come....

IMG_20250413_132151 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

Cheese cubes to pair the beer(s) with.
Great artisanal cheese with ALOT of flavor. That asked for more orderings.

IMG_20250413_122846 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

Second order!

L'HIVEResse
A warming winter brown ale at 8vol%
Available in 33cl and 75cl Bottle.
Brewed using the same recipe as the Brune des Braves, distinguished by its rich and subtle spices.

L'Esprit Triple'S
A stunning triple at 8vol%
Available in 33cl and 75cl Bottle.
A smooth blond tripel with alot of flavors going on.
Great refreshing hoppy aromas too. Great density, a satisfying delicious triple.

IMG_20250413_131717 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

Our third - one for the road - order:

IMG_20250413_132049 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

IMG_20250413_132124 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

La Bière du Brasseur - The Brewer's Beer
(Only available at the brewery!)

When the brewer gives free rein to his imagination and his know-how, it results in an ephemeral beer full of surprises.
Available exclusively at the Brasserie de la Lesse, it reserves a unique moment for those who will have the chance to taste it.

This is a Scotch ale at 7.5 vol%
Not that dark really. It is an amber colored beer.
It has a great malty roasty flavor to it, hence being called a Scotch.
A tasty smooth beer that has that typical fresh nature water mouthfeeling, like all the beer from this brewery do have. Natural products !!

IMG_20250413_132142 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

Brune des Braves
Formerly called La Rouge Croix
A brown ale at 7,5vol%
Available in 33cl Bottle

The special malts and Belgian yeast that compose it give the Brune des Braves its unique mahogany color, its smoky and full-bodied taste.
Its delicate tannins will make it a beer of choice to accompany your game dishes, raclette or all your chocolate cravings.

We did not try all of their beers, but were nicely surprised with the quality, especially that natural feeling is amazing. Reminds me of the ever first La Chouffe beers, made with springwater.

IMG_20250413_152032 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

IMG_20250413_152037 by Filip Geerts, on Flickr

To conclude this article, I would like to present the ancient water mill situated in the center of Eprave, just steps away from brewery. It is truly a great relaxing walk from Han-sur-Lesse.
I can wholeheartedly recommend doing this.

Cheers,
Filip

[Jay]

A wonderful report Filip, beautiful beers in beautiful surroundings...the stuff of many happy memories.

Cheers
Jay