Brew pub, craft beer reinvented in the heart of Lyon

Seated at a table next to a window, customers at the Malting Pot in Lyon Part-Dieu enjoy their meal and beer. In front of them, there's a clear view of the kitchen and the microbrewery. While it may seem obvious that the dishes served at the restaurant are prepared on-site, it's more surprising that the same is true for the beer. Yet this is the choice made by Andeol, the owner of the Malting Pot establishments: to produce and sell his beer in the same place. Like hundreds of other French brewers, he decided to open a brew pub—a bar that brews the beer he serves.

Selling your own beer is a unique opportunity to have complete control over the consumer experience. The owner of the malting pot reminds us, in his three establishments, “ the spirit is to introduce, not to make people drunk.” And in a brew pub, introducing is certainly selling beers that you know and that you are therefore able to recommend, but not only that. It is also about offering an experience, accompanying the beer tasting with food and atmosphere.

In his establishments, the experience Andeol wants to give his customers is primarily based on quality and conviviality. For beers, the idea is to never be forced to drink the same thing all the time. On the menu, there are always ten different beers that change regularly. In fact, this choice is almost a brew pub specialty. As the owner of the Malting Pot explains, “ as soon as a brew is finished, we can make another beer .” But everyone will find something to suit them. There is always “ at least one blonde, one white, one IPA, an aromatic IPA like NEIPA, for example, and generally, a triple .”

But once again, the brew pub isn't just about the beer. In this brew pub, the food is almost as important as the beer. This is evident in its slogan, " Beers from here, food from elsewhere ." As Andéol points out, " We do somewhat elaborate cuisine. In a fun pub style where you can actually eat. We're more focused on coming to our place, we'll introduce you to world cuisine ."

But offering cuisine as elaborate as the beers we produce isn't the only way to deliver a true tasting experience. When we think of Lyon's beers, one name quickly comes to mind: Ninkasi. This brewery, founded in 1997, is now known throughout France. And for good reason: it's now a franchise with 26 establishments. As Andeol points out, between Ninkasi and Malting Pot, " there's a big difference in concept and direction ." Basically, Ninkasi is a concept inspired by American microbreweries of the 90s. In these, the goal is to taste beers, eat burgers, and also listen to music. In these establishments, the idea is less to magnify the beer with elaborate cuisine than to offer a festive atmosphere.

In a brew pub like the Malting Pot, the least we can say is that the beers are produced nearby. Behind the bar, large metal vats are visible. This is where the malt and hops are transformed into beer. In " the fermentation room, we will make what we call the wort. It's the sweet liquid made from cereal malt and hops. The cereal malt will bring the sugar, and the hops will bring the bitterness and the aromatic or floral aspects ," explains Andéol. And next to it: the fermenters. It's in one of these vats that the wort will become the drink we all know. To do this, we collect the sugary liquid and then “ we put it to ferment in one of the eight fermenters. At that point, we add the yeast. This will digest the sugar to create CO2 on one side, which brings the bubbles into the beer, and alcohol on the other. This process lasts two to three weeks, and when it is finished, the beer is ready ,” concludes Andéol.

Then, the beer is either bottled, stored in a keg, or, most often in the case of the Malting Pot, stored in one of the brewery's seven tanks directly connected to the bar. " Thanks to them, 1,000 liters of beer are available directly from the tap ." While it is not impossible to find a beer from Andéol outside of one of its three brew pubs, the vast majority of the beer it produces is distributed in pints or sometimes in bottles in one of its establishments.

Producing within the bar also means producing in the heart of Lyon. And the urban lifestyle often means a smaller space. “ You have less space, so you have to optimize it a lot, ” emphasizes the owner. Sometimes you even have to give up. Forgoing an extra fermenter, larger tanks, or space to store bottles.

Generally speaking, the French beer market has been expanding since the 2000s. However, according to the INSEE, profits have been declining for the past two years. Unofficial studies, such as the "Projet Amertume" survey, which aims to identify French breweries, note that in 2024, only 33 new breweries were created, while 104 closed their doors.

Having been in the market for 10 years, Andéol has indeed noticed that this environment has evolved. While he has indeed noticed that the market has not been in the best shape for a few years, he also highlights the fact that the barriers to entry have also increased. He explains to us that " before, small breweries that were set up were often people who started with a very small investment and gradually grew. Today, you have investors who are interested in the issue and who put in larger budgets. When we started 10 years ago, someone who invested 10,000 euros could start in their garage and grow. Today, if you put less than a million euros on the table, it's risky. " To this, he adds that there is also greater competition from " large groups that tend to improve their range and make big marketing efforts to bring consumers to their homes ."

It's therefore difficult to stand out from your competitors by only offering beer. Thus, offering a tasting experience by opening a brew pub seems to be a solution. In any case, this is the path that the Malting Pot team wants to follow. Its owner explains: "The future, we see it more today in the rise of other brew pubs because that's what works and the market for selling kegs or bottles to bars or beer cellars is quite saturated. "

Also read : “ French cuisine has always been a cuisine of influences ”

According to the latest reports from the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFDT), alcohol sales and consumption continued to decline in France in 2023. According to Andéol, this is due to two factors: public health campaigns, which have helped reduce both alcohol and tobacco consumption; and declining purchasing power.

Faced with French people drinking less alcohol, it may seem risky to work in the brewing industry. However, the owner of the malting pot isn't worried about the future of his establishments. According to him, “ the future of breweries is rather to diversify because today, consumers drink less alcohol. We also have to be able to meet the needs of these people [those who don't drink alcohol] because if we ostracize them anyway, they won't come anymore. That's also why it's interesting to be in a brew pub. We have other outlets. We can go to the soft drinks and offer other things. That's why we added two [homemade] soft drinks to the menu .”