ATELIER VRAI

ATELIER VRAI represents a young, independent brewing culture that has consistently combined craftsmanship, artistry, and a strong sense of purpose since its founding in 2016. It all began under the name ATELIER DER BRAUKÜNSTE (Studio of Brewing Arts) with a small nanobrewery at Romrod Castle. Behind this small but sophisticated company was Nico Döring – and remains so to this day. Early on, he also brought Benedikt Steger, the founder of the Blech.Brut brewery, on board. It quickly became apparent that the demand for their beers exceeded their local capacity. This led to the move to contract brewing: first in the Bamberg area at the family-run Binkert brewery, and later also at Glaabs Bräu in Seligenstadt. Despite the changing brewing locations, ATELIER VRAI invested early in its own state-of-the-art canning line, which is operated jointly with the brewers at Blech.Brut. This blend of cooperation and independence continues to define the brewery today.

Elaborate beers with character and attitude

The focus of the range is on modern, sophisticated beer styles: big, juicy, intensely hazy Hazy IPAs, uncompromisingly fruity Sour Ales, and experimental series, each following a central theme. The barrel-aging program, launched during the winter of 2020/21, receives particular attention and now encompasses more than 100 different wooden casks. These casks are used to mature powerful stouts, porters, barley wines, and wheat wines with extremely high original gravity and potent alcohol content. The cask variety ranges from bourbon and single malt to rum, sherry, and tequila, as well as exceptional options like maple syrup or apricot brandy casks. A key element of the process is the subsequent blending – the marriage of different brews. Inspired by the world of whisky distilleries, this targeted blending creates beers with great depth, balance, and a distinctive character.

More than just enjoyment

ATELIER VRAI understands craft beer not just as a beverage, but as a cultural movement. Quality, creativity, diversity, sustainability, and respectful collaboration are core values of the brewery. This philosophy is also reflected in the design: each beer series follows a common theme. Carefully selected photographs, special printing techniques, and images created by artificial intelligence form a unified visual language that exudes aesthetics and timeless elegance. The name "VRAI" stands for freedom and authenticity – derived from the Middle High German "vri" and complemented by a deliberate linguistic nod to French. Since moving to an old farm in Heidelbach in 2022, the brewery has even more space for ideas, experiments, and future projects.

Free, authentic and with great passion, extraordinary beer creations are made here that you absolutely must try.