Beer:
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L'Étincelle is an amber lager infused with noble hops. A low fermentation that celebrates local malted cereals.
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Alc: 4.5% Vol
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The brewery:
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In the mid-2010s, a group of friends discovered craft beer production and embraced a new passion. Weekly microbreweries are shared between their own consumption and free-price bars in a collective house.
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In 2015, five members of the group founded Brasserie du Virage. It settles in the Distillery of Saconnex-d'Arve, just bought by the Commune of Plan-les-Ouates, and shares its premises with other craftsmen, including the historical activity of distillation. The brewery takes this name for three reasons. First, from a geographical point of view, it is located in the bend that precedes the village of Saconnex-d'Arve. It was then a question of proposing styles of beers that had not yet existed in Geneva; which was a turning point in the Geneva brewing community and finally, for the five founders, a professional turn. In the fall, after several months of work, the first brews are produced and marketing begins immediately.
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The first year allows the development of new recipes to define what has since become the regular range of the brewery. In parallel, experiments continue through limited editions. Dozens of pop-up beers have since been crafted, ranging from white india pale ale to rum barrel-aged barley wine, bitters, seasons, stouts and mixed fermentation beers. It is also the moment of the first collaborations with friendly breweries and projects that are important to us. The place opens every week to visits and tastings to build a direct link between producer.ice. s and amateur.ice.s.
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The Brasserie changed its legal form in 2018 to become a cooperative company whose shares are wholly owned by its employees. This transformation reaffirms our values regarding work: horizontal functioning and egalitarian decision-making between employees. Le Virage is also one of the breweries at the initiative of the creation of the Association of Independent Breweries of Geneva (ABIG) which was born at the beginning of 2018.
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In order to allow the development of the brewery and better working conditions, we invest in 2019 in equipment. This is an important step with new brewing and fermentation tanks. A few months later, like the entire business, our business is hard hit by the COVID pandemic. La Brasserie survives thanks to a loyal clientele of individuals and the diversity and trust of its professional customers.
This period also marks the transition to 100% local cereals with the decision to supply us exclusively with Geneva barley and wheat, malted by the Cercle des agriculteurs in Satigny. By also favouring the closest hop suppliers, we realize our desire for production that favors the shortest circuits.
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Expected and prepared for years, the renovation work of the building finally takes place in 2023 and requires the Brewery to stop production for six months. The building is rebuilt and renovated and a brand new tasting area is born. The Brasserie takes advantage of its redevelopment to review the ergonomics of work and the location of the various production stations. A new bottler is installed after the work to improve the quality and conservation of our bottled beers.
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Today, the Brasserie du Virage is made up of six permanent people, always passionate and eager to share and meet new people.