Hauts-de-France: the City of Beer, dear to Xavier Bertrand, will see the light of day in the North

2023-12-09 21:22:35

“Flanders can show off,” announced the Hauts-de-France regional council on November 17. At the end of a long selection process, it was finally the application of the town of Bailleul (North) which was selected for the establishment of a future Regional Beer City which should see the light of day by 2025 or 2026. The Nordlys site, and its former textile factory which has been shut down since 1988, must be reorganized with exhibition spaces, discovery spaces (workshops, beer library, microbreweries, etc.) and festive and catering areas.

A project estimated at 20 million euros, a “showcase” for the regional brewing industry, in the heart of inland Flanders where hops are historically grown. It currently has 14 breweries, including some heavyweights like the 3 Monts brewery or that of Pays Flamand, which produces Anosteké.

A “beer route” should also be created, which will pass through the three other candidate territories (Pévèle-Carembault, Arrageois and Avesnois). “The regional city of beer must be proudly worn for and with all of Hauts-de-France,” assures the region. The idea had been regularly mentioned since 2019 by its president Xavier Bertrand (LR), but its contours had until then remained extremely vague. The metropolis of Lille, like other emblematic communities in the region, therefore preferred to refrain from applying to the call for projects launched last year.