Brasserie Nationale Book Explores Centuries of Brewing History in Luxembourg

On Thursday 3 April 2025, Brasserie Braustuff in Bascharage hosted the presentation of the book La Brasserie Nationale – D’artisans locaux vers l’acteur mondial (From Local Craftsmen to Global Player), authored by Yves Claude, Director of the Musée Brassicole des Deux Luxembourg in Diekirch.

The book primarily focuses on the two visionary breweries that merged in 1975 to form the Brasserie Nationale: Brasserie Bofferding in Bascharage and Brasserie Funk-Bricher, previously located in the Grund district of Luxembourg City.

It also covers the histories of Brasserie Battin in Esch-sur-Alzette and Brasserie de Dudelange – two smaller breweries acquired over the years – as well as a dedicated chapter on Bofferding’s "twin" brewery in the United States.

The publication details various strategic developments, export opportunities and other key topics related to the industry.

According to the author, Yves Claude, the book is the result of nearly seven years of research and one of the most comprehensive overviews of these Luxembourgish breweries and contributes to the historical documentation of major companies in the Grand Duchy.

Also in an interview with Chronicle.lu, the museum director spoke about the origins of the idea to create this book.

“The origin of this book does not come from Bofferding or Bascharage or so on, but it comes from Diekirch, because we found an old beer truck, which had been prepared in 1975. [...] And this truck had disappeared and we found it back and finally started renovating it. Initially, it would cost €5,000, but in the end, it cost €36,000. [...] And Mr Georges Lentz offered to pay the rest. And to say ‘Thank you' [...] I decided to prepare something that he couldn't buy himself,” Yves Claude said.

Georges Lentz, Administrateur délégué of Brasserie Nationale, also shared his remarks: “We thought it would be a good idea to have, let's say, a book on our brewery and the fantastic merger with the Bofferding Brewery and the whole history. And I think that's when he kind of said: 'Well, I would like to do that for you.' So I said: 'Well, that's a great idea.”

One of the interesting facts discovered by Yves Claude during his research concerned massive tanks resembling rockets that had been installed at the brewery in the last century. “The archives of the brewery have disappeared, so I had to rely on public information and interviews and it's by doing these interviews that some very crazy things came out - like the story with the Russian embassy in Luxembourg, who thought that they were putting rockets installed in the brewery. So very, very crazy,” he shared.

The 340-page book, published in French, features 209 photographs, 162 documents and 85 objects. It is priced at €45 and is available at the Musée d’Histoire de la Brasserie de Diekirch and at Ernster bookshops.

IK

(L-R: Raymond Martin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Brasserie Nationale; Yves Claude, Director of Musée Brassicole des Deux Luxembourg; Georges M. Lentz,  Administrateur délégué of Brasserie Nationale; Mathias Lentz, Director of Brasserie Nationale; Credit: Ievgenii Karanov)