«Heavy Metal, Heavy Beers»: a look back at the Pétrole Festival in Saignelégier2 reading minutes

Microbrewery Fridays - Max Moeschler

It would seem that when it comes to beer, not all roads lead to Rome, but to Saignelégier, in the heart of the Franches-Montagnes. For a change, we're taking a look back at one of the BFM brewery's wonderfully wacky events: the Pétrole Festival.

«Heavy Metal, Heavy Beers», proudly announces the poster. The tone is set: the evening is dedicated to hard rock, and the metal and other hairy music, with three local bands showcased on the famous Hopscène, which sits proudly in the heart of the brewery.

As always, the venue is warm and friendly. On the chilly evening of January 25, the metalhead crowd lived up to its reputation: leather, tattoos and piercings are the order of the day. But if you're a newcomer to the genre, rest assured: in the world of the metal than anywhere else, no matter how impressive.

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Hostilities kick off with Shanghai Guns, distilling a heavy metal straight out of the eighties, brilliantly recalling the classics of that era. The frenzied rhythms, ultra-melodic guitars and twirling vocals keep the audience coming back for more.

The atmosphere then changes drastically with Gran Torino, whose typical stoner tinted with hard rock and grunge shake the walls of the brewery. Heavy, slow, often bluesy and always effective, their music is the kind that smells of beer and cigarettes, and the whole audience finds itself shaking its head as one.

It was already late when Mathilde from Locle took to the stage to close the evening. Here again, the atmosphere changes radically: described as black metal atmospheric, hybrid style originating in Scandinavia, their music intrigues, then hypnotizes.

But what would an evening at the Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes be without the indomitable indigenous beer? In keeping with the musical program, strong beers of all kinds are in the spotlight.

It's the perfect time to sample «Mandragore», a subtly spiced black winter beer, «Bats», a fantastic amber beer with a smoky, tea-spiked taste, and the famous «Alex le Rouge», a black beer on steroids whose color and power certainly inspired the evening's name. 

Write to the author: max.moeschler@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: ©️ BFM