“Something’s brewing in Montreuil…” is what seems to be the initial headline on the subject of Deck & Donohue (source). Indeed, something is brewing over in Montreuil, and it’s fantastic. After checking out the founders, Thomas and Mike’s, brew blog AND having the perfect timing as they opened shop officially in March, I knew I had to pay a visit. Last week I traveled across Paris’s borders to the eastern suburb that is Montreuil. Thomas & Mike greeted me with a smile as I entered their magical craft brewery. The space is pristine – it’s new and the equipment is plopped in the middle as it should be. It is filled with light with an industrial touch, and the natural sun rays make for a stunning and delightful space to get their craft on.
After giving their Trouble #6 a tasteroo, the two showed me their set up and explained the 4-1-1 to their beer magic. The space may seem small, but it’s where they do it all – brew, fermentation, bottling (that is semi-automatic) and packing. We sipped their beers on a little metal table I had the pleasure of tasting all of their gamme, each of which has something different to offer. You can also go to visit their headquarters on Saturdays from 10h-15h to taste their beers, it’s certainly worth the trek.
Deck & Donohue currently has 4 beers : Mission Pale Ale, Trouble #6, Monk and Indigo IPA. All divine. As a hoppy beer fan and an IPA fanatic, their Indigo IPA did just the trick for me. They will also have a seasonal beer to top the list this year.
I discovered the Alsacian/American duo on Instagram, not only to friends commenting and linking me with many exclamation points, but mainly though @regard’s Instagram, the art director that did the microbrewery’s visual identity. I Immediately started to follow , getting so excited about eventually venturing out to check out the space and be a geek.
France is the sister country of the magical Belgium, the land of delicious Abbaye beer and brewers of all kinds, also the source of inspiration where brewers such as those that started New Belgium Brewery in Colorado (also, heaven). Their know-how has been a staple in the world’s beer making, and if you haven’t been to Belgium already, you probably should. France always had the access to incredibly delectable Belgian beers, and also has countless breweries in the regions across the land, but for some reason their own artisanal beers just aren’t as well known in the capital as they should be. But this is all changing. Beer shops are popping up left and right featuring more and more French and other European beers, and even sometimes a little je ne sais quoi from the good ol’ USA.
In fact, changing so much that there is the first ever Paris Beer Week this year, in May.
Deck & Donohue‘s beers (bottled or on tap) are served in places like Holybelly, Cantine California & Les Trois 8… You can get them on shop shelves like at Moustache Blanche, and I have a feeling they will be more and more present in the months to come.
Something about supporting local production is so satisfying!
Follow Thomas & Mike on and to stay in the know on where to find their delicious beers.
Deck & Donohue
71, rue de la Fraternité
93100 Montreuil