“I’m selling everything!” »: in the Oise, the crisis decimated artisanal breweries in a few years

“You call for brewing equipment, I sell everything!” “. Since December 31, the DS brewery in Russy-Bemont (Oise) in Valois has ceased its craft brewery activity. “We stopped beer sales but we are closing the brewery with our heads held high,” emphasizes Benoît-Pierre Scancar, the co-creator. With Paul, we could have continued but we didn’t want to go into debt out of passion.”

The adventure that began in 2021 was nevertheless promising. “We wanted to educate the palates in the style Craft by offering an Anglo-Saxon beer more focused on hops and yeasts, explains Benoît-Pierre. We produced between 5 and 10 hectoliters of beer per week. Over four years, we released 16 different beers, including 4 permanent ones. We tried to find a place for ourselves by moving away from traditional beer like that which Saint-Rieul can make.”

Oise, like the other departments of Hauts-de-France, experienced a euphoric period at the turn of 2015. There were then up to 25 breweries in the department. Today, there are only ten left.

“It’s time for me to retire”

Like others, Benoît-Pierre Scancar was caught up in the crisis. “We didn’t have the resources to cope,” laments Benoît-Pierre. However, we had anticipated by purchasing a ton of malt to resist the 300% increase in the price of malt, but the increase in the cost of energy, glass and paper for labels was fatal to us.” Especially since it was accompanied by a drop in alcohol consumption in 2024 and 2025.

“For us, this reduction in consumption represented up to 50% of our production,” specifies the former brewer. In addition, many professionals, beer cellars or bars, which were my clients have also closed.” And to make a sad observation. “Breweries like ours, which have been in existence between three and five years, have suffered too much to resist,” declares Benoît-Pierre. At one point in France, there was a brewery every 30 km, that’s too many.”

At the start of the 2000s, there were only three breweries in the department. Among them, the Petite Brasserie Picarde located in the north of the department, in Grandfresnoy. Here again, it is at the end of its activity. “I no longer produce beers, I sell my stocks and I sell my equipment,” announces Pascal Détrez. I made beer for 14 years out of passion, I worked alone with a small production, 11,000 liters of beer per year, which allowed me to obtain remuneration of around 1,000 euros per month. Given the context, it is time for me to retire.”

For him, the turning point dates from 2020. “In the Oise, it was euphoria with a significant development of craft beer structures,” he emphasizes. Many set up without experience, they did not last because they had to be strong enough to cope with the decline in sales and the increase in costs.”

Between 26% and 35% losses

Even at the historic brewery of Saint-Rieul, the first in Oise established since 1998 in Trumilly, difficulties are being felt. “The average basket has decreased, both on site and in terms of orders where our deliveries are spaced further apart,” notes Thomas D’Heygère, sales manager of the brewery. We can estimate our losses between 26% and 35%, whether in direct sales or via distributors who have almost all disappeared.” To resist, the Saint-Rieul brewery has relaunched the principle of returnable bottles.

“We compensate a little for the increase in glass,” recalls the salesperson. In 2025, 36.5% of bottles purchased were returned.” A bar has also been set up in the brasserie. “It’s a way of diversifying the source of our income and it corresponds to customer demand,” indicates Thomas D’Heygère. We also continue to innovate with the upcoming release of Rêve d’agrume, a citrus-flavored beer.

In his microbrewery called Pap’s installed in his garden in Saint-Aubin-en-Bray, Rémy Juquel has been a resistance fighter in the west of the department since the closure of the breweries in Méru, Froissy and Chaumont-en-Vexin. “I have ten years of experience and I have taken a step back from the profession,” he recalls. My vision has changed, I want to live from it but I don’t want to survive from it. I’m getting by because I work alone at home, my expenses are reduced, I don’t have rent to pay. But my turnover, which increased every year, has stagnated for three years.”

The fault lies in a “very complicated” economic context. “Beer is not a basic necessity and people are more careful,” he says. Before I had customers who filled their trunks with boxes of beer, today they just take a box from me.” Even consumer habits have changed. “People ask me for non-alcoholic beer but I don’t make any,” he emphasizes. Today, I sell fewer bottles but I sell more barrels.”