Tom's parents, Carla and William Schuwer, bought the abandoned farm, 6 kilometres south of Malmedy, in 2006 and converted it into a brewery. Since then, they've been doing everything themselves, "from recipe development and ingredient selection to label design and sales". Tom was involved in the brewing from the start, but bit by bit has taken over the running of the business. His mother Carla and sister Elisa take care of the hospitality side.
From the tables in the beer garden, visitors can see at the copper-coloured brew kettles in the barn. At weekends, the Schuwers also give brewery tours on request. As we arrive, Tom is heaving a sack of freshly milled malted barley onto his shoulder. The pleasant smell of grain hangs in the air. In the mash tun, he mixes the grain with water and turns on the heat. After a good hour, the resulting mash is filtered, a few kilograms of hops are added, and all is brought to a boil. Later, Tom will add more hop cones (flowerheads) to the brew, because "that's how we get nice the hoppy flavours”. And you can taste them clearly in the six different types of beer made at Bellevaux.
We go down into the cellar. Already on the stairs, we can feel a significant drop in temperature. Below, we see the metre high stainless steel tanks in which the beers mature. As soon as the brew has cooled down, the brewmaster adds yeast a specific culture for each type of beer. After that, it takes about three to four weeks until the brew is ready to drink. But you can try it earlier. This sneak preview is what the brewers call "Zwickelbier" or “bière de cave”. Tom opens tap in the tank to take a small amount and holds the glass up to the light. The brown ale glows with strong chestnut colours, its foam is firm, it smells malty. Tom takes a sip and nods. The brewmaster is satisfied.