Bière de Monaco, a beer brewed on Port Hercule

Few things feel less Monégasque than a brewery, which is exactly why I’m so glad this one exists. Bière de Monaco is brewed right on Port Hercule, in a bar where you drink beside the tanks, and it’s a rare spot in the Principality where a pint costs roughly what it would in any European city. If you’ve been searching for «Monte Carlo beer», this is the one brewed here.

A brewery that had been here before

Monaco had its own brewery for much of the 20th century. It stood in Fontvieille from 1905 to 1972, and then it closed. Gildo Pallanca-Pastor, owner and founder of today’s Brasserie de Monaco, set out to revive the tradition, and on 1 August 2008 he brewed his first blonde on Port Hercule, drawing on secrets handed down from the old brewery.

The kit was made to measure by Kaspar Schulz, a German firm that describes itself as the world’s oldest maker of brewing equipment, dating from 1677. It took four months to install several tonnes of it on the harbour, including a 1,000-litre mirror-polished steel brewhouse, five fermentation tanks and four serving tanks. The head brewer is Valentin Kuhn, who works with organic malts.

What beers are brewed in Monaco?

The brewery makes four. The Blonde, a 5.2% top-fermented beer with German and Alsatian hops, and the one that made its name. The Blanche, a 4.8% wheat beer, light and slightly spicy from the coriander added during brewing. The Ambrée, 6%, with caramelised malts, along the lines of an ale. And a seasonal brew that changes through the year.

None is filtered or pasteurised. They’re poured on draught straight from the 1,000-litre tanks, with no transport involved, which is the whole point. One honest caveat, the amber is on the website but not on the March 2026 menu, so I’d ask before setting your heart on it.

The blonde has an award the brewery is proud of, the Fourquet d’Or at France’s 18th National Beer Competition, held on 2 and 3 May 2014 in Saint-Nicolas-de-Port, among 500 entries. It had already won a gold and a silver at the same competition in 2010.

How much is a pint in Monaco?

Here’s the other reason to come. On the 2026 menu, a 30 cl half of blonde costs €6, and the wheat or seasonal €7. A pint is €9 for the blonde and €10 for the other two, and a one-litre stein €18 or €19. For comparison, at a club like Twiga Monte Carlo a 33 cl beer costs 15.

And you can pay less still. There’s a happy hour every day from 18:00 to 20:00, which Visit Monaco puts at 50% off beer and wine by the glass. If you want more ways to stop Monaco draining your wallet, they’re in free and cheap things in Monaco.

The Brasserie, from lunch to the small hours

The Brasserie de Monaco opens every day from 12:00 to 2:00 on route de la Piscine, facing the sea, with a terrace and an industrial-style room of steel and raw wood built around the tanks. At lunchtime, Monday to Friday, there’s a main-and-a-drink deal for €20. In the evening, Tuesday to Sunday, there are pizzas from €14 to €26.

To go with the beer, I’d order the plate of six barbajuans for €16. They’re Monaco’s signature fried pastry, and what they are and where they come from is in Monaco’s food. From 18:00 resident DJs play, and the big matches go up on giant screens, AS Monaco included.

Fitting it into your visit

The Brasserie sits right on Port Hercule, beside the Rainier III swimming pool, on the stretch the Grand Prix circuit runs through. It’s a good stop after a walk round the harbour or before heading up to Monte-Carlo for the evening, which I cover in full in Monaco nightlife.

If you like your beer, take a bottle home. The shop sells screen-printed 1-litre bottles for €20 and 3-litre ones for €42, refilled for €9 and €24. To me that’s a better keepsake than any magnet from Casino Square.

My verdict

Bière de Monaco won’t change a craft-beer fan’s life, and it doesn’t claim to. It’s a fresh, unfiltered beer brewed on the harbour, at a normal price, in one of the liveliest and least pretentious spots in Monaco. That’s why I’d slot it into any day trip as the mid-afternoon break.