In Amélie and Morgan’s cellar, Norman beers are finding a new place in Caen

They are in the finishing stages. The choice of tables, the adjustment of the brand new tap, a final lick of paint… After having had the keys at the beginning of March 2024 to the Tilbury premises, then to the Brasserie Caennaise, Amélie Fourré and Morgan Gicquel continued the work, rue du Havre, in Caen (Calvados). It is there, equidistant from Place Foch and Bassin Saint-Pierre, that the couple Breton thirty-somethings hopes to open “mid-May” their first joint affair, a cellar and a beer barbaptized The Good Pretext.

A cellar and a bar for Normandy beers

This name has followed them for a long time. When did their friends scattered between Brittany, Normandy and the Paris region urge them to get married, so they could have “a big party”. It took place for their ten years of living together (without putting a ring on their finger). Six years later, the memory adorns the sign, designed in Caen, like a large part of the interior design.

For their retraining in commerce under IV license, these two former communicators play without complexes the local map. Alerted by a friend working in the sector, they discovered that Normandy is home to no less than 115 craft breweries. In Caen, they did not yet have a dedicated place. Even if some bars, restaurants and wine shops serve it.

At Bon Prétexte, Norman beers will be highlighted and sold in two different ways. On the cellar side, Amélie Fourré and Morgan Gicquel leave “on 300 references ” of beers by the bottle or in cans, spirits (local calva, gin or vodka, like those concocted by the Dorr distillery, in Bretteville-sur-Odon), perries and ciders, of your choice in a refrigerated display case and on the shelves. They can be tasted on site.

On the bar side, the two have four beers to choose from on tap. “A blonde of thirst”, an IPA, an amber and a “curious”, which will change “according to the season and new recipes from the brewers”. As a call price, the blonde will not be “ not sold above €6 per pint“. The acquisition of an “independent” printer, that is to say not supplied or maintained by an industrial distributor, is the subject of an online financing campaign, on the Ulule website.

Boards for 25 seats

In addition, Amélie and Morgan plan to slide charcuterie and Norman cheese boardstapenades, even a roasted camembert, on a few tables, for, at most, 25 seats inside.

Enough to fuel a real “neighborhood bar” in the evening, in a sector of Caen which is a little deprived of it.

Practical. Le Bon Prétexte, at 33, rue du Havre, in Caen (Calvados). Open Tuesday and Wednesday, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday and Friday, from 4 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, from 3 p.m. to midnight, Sunday in summer, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Facebook and Instagram.

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