History of the THBEER – The First Burger Beer
Hello Burger Fans.
Today we’ve decided to tell you the beautiful story of our house beer: the THBEER.
What better way to tell this story than a cross‑interview of the main players, Thomas from The Huggy’s Bar and Renaud from Brasserie {C}, to narrate the tale?
Who came up with the idea of a Burger beer?
Renaud: THB. They were focused from the outset on special beers and the desire to do beer pairing.
Thomas: That’s true. In fact, while developing our Beer Guide, we found very interesting beers to accompany all our Burgers with very specific flavours. Whether to accompany foie gras, BBQ sauce, Herve cheese or something else, we had no problem finding quality pairings.
On the other hand, for the less “exotic” burgers with more classic flavours (grilled meat, cheddar, bacon, etc.), nothing really satisfied us.
Why did you choose Brasserie {C} as a partner?
Renaud: We were already working with The Huggy’s Bar because they served Curtius on tap. We hit it off right away because we’re from the same generation and we share the same entrepreneurial spirit. We were already communicating a lot together back then.
Thomas: It was precisely during a discussion with our friends at Curtius that we realised the easiest way to find a beer that would meet our needs was probably to create one from scratch. The crazy project of creating our own beer, which would become “The First Burger Beer”, was born.
And then, what were the stages in developing the beer?
Thomas: Very quickly we knew we wanted an amber beer. We wanted a round and generous beer to accompany the “rich” side of the Burger.
Then we wanted a light but present bitterness so that the beer could assert itself in the mouth throughout the burger tasting.
Renaud: Since they already had a precise idea of what they expected, the work was easier for us. We very quickly suggested working with an American hop, Cluster, an old American hop variety. Americans are renowned for their good hops. It was obvious that there had to be an American touch in a good Liège beer to match the rest of the concept. It’s the Cluster hop that brings that little hint of caramel. We had to translate a tasting desire into a creation process: a warm amber colour, a flavour with a hint of bitterness, with character, that stays in the mouth after a bite of burger, that holds up in terms of body.
The recipe was found quickly. It’s still improving from brew to brew, but the recipe is well defined.
When was the first batch of THBEER produced?
Renaud: The first tastings took place in September 2014 during the THB staff day. Tasted and approved, and above all tasted to excess, by the team 🙂.
Renaud, how would you describe it?
The Huggy’s Beer (THBEER) is an amber beer of high fermentation, brewed from top‑quality ingredients.
Its noble chestnut‑brown robe symbolises its robustness and bold character, while the orange rays that pierce it testify to the sunshine of the barley that makes it.
Designed and conceived around the very concept of the Burger, the THBEER develops a range of slightly caramel aromas, carried by a gentle bitterness that lingers to accompany the flavours of a 100% beef grilled meat.
Brewed without any added sugar, the THBEER retains a note of lightness that whets the appetite. Its white, compact head places the THBEER in the age‑old tradition of exceptional Belgian beers.
THBEER is sold exclusively in The Huggy’s Bar restaurants. What feedback have you had from customers?
Thomas: Very quickly the feedback was very good! In addition to tasting great, I think people really appreciated the approach of young entrepreneurs collaborating to create an innovative, local product based on genuine know‑how.
What’s more, the pairing is really successful, which is very important and allows you to enjoy the experience in its entirety: you don’t come just to eat a burger, you enjoy a “complete” meal.
Does the success of THBEER match your expectations?
Renaud: Yes, we’re super happy with the product and even happier that it works so well. It’s a great reward for our brewery too.
Thomas: The success of the beer far exceeds our expectations. We had in mind to make a fairly specific beer that might not appeal to everyone.
But we’re realising over time that this initiative appeals to people and that they’re very keen to try the beer and, most of the time, they like it a lot.
Thus customers who wouldn’t have drunk beer at first are converted and enjoy our concept even more in its entirety.
Finally, do you have any exclusive info for readers or a juicy anecdote?
