Ted Ury and Antoine Lesch realised one of their dreams when they launched Are We Friends beer at The Tube in Luxembourg City in September 2023. The entrepreneurs reveal plans in the making.
Beer brewing in Luxembourg has a long tradition: it’s believed the first brewery was founded by monks at Neumünster Abbey around 1300. While the largest brewery today remains Brasserie Nationale, producing Battin and Bofferding, craft beer has resurged in recent years.
Adding to the ranks of craft brewers is Are We Friends. Its founders, Antoine Lesch, 24, and Ted Ury, 26, first met in Boy Scouts and enjoyed a good drink together from time to time.
The founders have their own unique creative and entrepreneurial skills, which served the launch of a new brand well. In addition to developing the Are We Friends, Ury works as a financial accountant. Lesch, who came up with the product’s design, is a creative force: he launched his clothing brand, Soin, in 2017 and has collaborated with a wide range of companies, from Luxair to Twisted Cat and the Olliewood Skateshop, to name a few.
“The idea was to have a good and new alternative to the mainstream beers.”
Antoine Lesch, co-founder of Are We Friends
Early beginnings
In April 2023, the pair began brainstorming and had an initial 1,000-litre trial batch made, brewing alongside Twisted Cat. “It was a guess, we didn’t know what would come out, but we said, ‘Let’s risk it’,” Ury explains. “We weren’t sure if it would be good. But the day we went there and tried it for the first time, it was a big relief that it tasted good.”
Produced in Dudelange using Luxembourg water plus German hops and malt, the beer contains 4.8% and “has a low-key taste of lemon, and you have an aftertaste which is quite nice,” Lesch explains.
“It tastes different to any beer in Luxembourg,” Ury adds. “If you go to Belgium, you’d probably find a beer that tastes similar, but we haven’t tasted a beer quite similar to ours.”
Youthful and provocative
As Lesch explains, the name of the beer is “a sentence you can play with. It’s funny when someone orders a beer, and the server comes with beer and asks ‘Are We Friends?’, it’s an icebreaker. Or if you meet friends or have a date with a girl and ask ‘Are We Friends”’ It’s a bit of a joke, but it’s working very well.”
Also different is the marketing approach: “We’re more youthful, more provocative, and I think that’s also what people like about our beer, to have something new,” Lesch explains. “The older generation shouldn’t underestimate us.”
The third batch is currently being sold, while a fourth batch is in production. The team also plans to launch a new alcoholic beverage this summer, although they can’t reveal details quite yet…
Those interested in tasting the beer can visit one of the 12 bars where it’s currently served or order it online—the founders will personally deliver it.
This article was first published on Forbes Luxembourg “Are We Friends fait rimer bière et convivialité“
