The year 2026 will be an exceptional one for La Mentounasc. The craft beer brewed in Menton has won five medals at the international competition in Lyon on March 16th and 17th. A personal and departmental record. “We are the only brewers in the Alpes-Maritimes to have achieved this,” enthuses Rémi Guignot, one of the three managers.
The Biounda (blonde) and La Bianca (white) lemon beers from Menton received gold medals with scores of 92/100 and 86/100, respectively.
The natural blonde L’Ormea won a silver medal with a score of 80/100. Their two new IPAs, La Pamplemoussa and La Bière d’Aqui, just missed out on gold by one or two points.
Even better: “La Biounda and La Pamplemoussa have been ranked as the best in their categories,” adds Rémi Guignot.
A “beautiful reward” for the microbrewery that has been accumulating trophies since starting its activity in 2019 in a small garage in Garavan.
Nearly 500 beers were honored at the Lyon international competition, where La Mentounasc is one of the main participants due to economic reasons. In 2021 and 2023, the blonde and white lemon beers from Menton had already been awarded at this prestigious competition.
According to the organizers, nearly 7,370 samples were evaluated by professional and experienced amateur judges in 2026. A total of 68 trophies and 2,377 gold and silver medals were awarded to producers across all categories, with over 500 medals just for beers.
“This is a recognition of our work,” emphasizes Rémi Guignot. “Over time, we can sometimes deviate from the result. Participating in these competitions allows us to test and validate our product.”
It is also a quality guarantee for consumers. “An award can reassure undecided people to buy our natural or flavored beers,” the co-founder points out.
The microbrewery, now well-established in Menton and its surroundings, is looking to expand to other parts of the Alpes-Maritimes. “We have taken a second location to store our production and hired our first employee last December to expand to Nice and the western part of the department,” reveals Rémi Guignot.
Proof that their small business founded with their friend Alexis Gouttenoire in 2019 in a garage in Garavan is aiming for even greater heights.
