“Oui oui mon ami, je m’appelle Lafayette!

The Lancelot of the Revolutionary set

I came from afar just to say Bonsoir

Tell the king ‘Casse toi!’ Who’s the best?

C’est moi!”

Hamilton fans worldwide have been captivated by the gracefully arch swagger of the inimitable Daveed Diggs as the great French Revolutionary hero, sweeping through the first act of the multiple award-winning, genre-defining show with glamorous panache. While Lafayette’s pivotal role in the American Revolution has been immortalized by Diggs on Broadway, his significance to American history and politics can be seen all around us. There are 36 U.S. towns and cities bearing the name of America’s Favorite Fighting Frenchman, a namesake college dating back to 1826 in Easton, Pennsylvania, and the American Friends of Lafayette society dedicated to the preservation of his memory and legacy, formed in 1932.

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour Bicentennial

It is the American Friends of Lafayette that’s behind Lafayette 200—a 13-month celebration of the bicentennial of Lafayette’s farewell tour of the U.S. as the “Guest of the Nation.” His prestige and reputation inspired then-president James Monroe and the U.S. Congress to invite Lafayette back to celebrate the nation’s 50^th anniversary and reinvigorate a new generation of Americans with the “Spirit of 1776.”

In the company of his son Georges Washington Lafayette, he met with presidents and dignitaries and was given a hero’s welcome across the country as thousands lined the streets of each town and city he visited to honor him. The last surviving great Revolutionary War general, Lafayette was and remains a hugely revered figure in both American and French history, a champion of the revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity, a passionate abolitionist, and a skilled military leader who did, indeed, “make the other side panicky.”

Retracing Lafayette’s Journey

With an agenda spanning the full gamut of Lafayette’s original visit, including hundreds of events in the many stops he made as he traversed all 24 existing states at the time, and covering approximately 6,000 miles, Lafayette 200 combines celebration and education consistent with the American Friends of Lafayette’s mission to share his story and his role in shaping American history.

Bringing a wide audience into these events provided the impetus for the society’s collaboration with neighbors The Virginia Beer Co. and their friends at Fauve Craft Bière in Paris on a beer to celebrate all that Lafayette means and stands for in both nations, and an ode to Franco-American friendship.

“Early on during our planning, we realized that not everyone is a ‘history nerd’ and that we needed alternative ways to engage the public,” says American Friends of Lafayette vice president Robert Kelly Jr. “Our Vive Lafayette! beer, along with a Bicentennial Wine from Williamsburg Winery, have been very successful in promoting Lafayette’s legacy in a fun, accessible and inclusive way.”

The Virginia Beer Co. team was keen to get on board.

“Brewing in Williamsburg, Virginia (America’s colonial capital), we are constantly surrounded by history,” says co-founder Robby Willey. “Add to that our plans for expansion in 2025 with a new brewpub in Yorktown, Virginia, and we are quite literally in the midst by some of the most important places related to Lafayette’s visits to America. This synergy was a launchpad to creating a partnership with AFL and months of discussions for creating the perfect pint for this occasion were underway.”

A Transatlantic Collaboration

The project took a significant amount of planning, which commenced in June 2023 for a launch on October 19, 2024, at the American Friends of Lafayette’s annual Yorktown Day cocktail party, celebrating the surrender of the redcoats. However, as preparation commenced The Virginia Beer Co. team realized a critical ingredient was missing. To truly celebrate Franco-American friendship a French partner was needed.

Having previously worked with Paris-based Fauve Craft Bière on a collaboration beer and event at their Parisian brewpub “Les Cuves de Fauve,” the Virginia team reached out to their friends at Fauve to become the group’s French partner.

“We’re proud to see a part of Fauve in the U.S., and we’re even more proud that it has been through the Virginia Beer Co. team who is a great source of inspiration for us,” says Fauve’s co-founder Antoine Robic.

A Distinctly Franco-American Flavor

When putting together the recipe for the beer, the goal was to create something that was both approachable and contained local ingredients to showcase the harmonizing brewing potential of a Franco-American collaboration. The Virginia Beer Co. contributed Virginia-grown Red Wheat malt, adding a hyperlocal touch.

“These malts are simply impossible to get in France so as brewers, it’s always rewarding to see how these ingredients play together,” says Robic.

Fauve added Franco-Belgian Pilsner malt, which Robic describes as adding “gourmandise” to the beer—a hard-to-translate concept that he summarizes as “some roundness, some sweetness.”

Fauve also included Barbe Rouge hops from France’s Alsace region, a hop their team uses in their core Océan Indien range which Robic notes as adding delicate red berry aromas. These were complemented with Mosaic and Strata for a herbaceous nose with a touch of strawberry which comes out nicely pronounced in the flavor—bright, juicy and refreshing berry popping moreishly, with the promised soft, rounded body.

It’s About the People

The project brought a lot of joy and an opportunity for education to all parties involved.

“Truly it was the learning opportunity! Both our team and the Fauve team admitted to not knowing much more about the Marquis de Lafayette than his part in the American Revolutionary War,” says Willey. “Coming up with a new way to connect to our shared histories in our shared professions by creating our shared passion—beer!—was a holistic experience.”

The Virginia Beer Co. team is actively involved in both Virginia and, through the Brewers Association, international trade efforts, so adding the partnership to their team’s outreach portfolio was another plus.

For Fauve, the collaboration also chimes well with their ethos and goals.

“This type of project is exactly why we decided to go into craft beer in the first place. For us, craft beer is about people,” says Robic. “This collaboration is one of the best examples since we started our brewery back in 2019. We learned from each other through this collab and it is a true example of camaraderie between American and French people who share the same passion for craft beer, even though we are separated by an ocean.”

Savoring History

Each can of Vive Lafayette! includes a QR code taking drinkers to the American Friends of Lafayette website, where they can read up on Lafayette’s lifelong activities promoting universal human rights.

“Throughout his life, Lafayette brought people together and we hope that his beer will do the same,” says Kelly.

It’s hard to think of a more fitting tribute to the “Hero of Two Worlds,” buried in Paris’s Picpus Cemetery but covered with soil he brought from Bunker Hill to preserve his Franco-American identity for eternity.

For more information about Lafayette 200 and to find events near you visit the website event calendar. Vive Lafayette! is available on tap and in cans at the Virginia Beer Company’s Williamsburg taproom and certain American Friends of Lafayette events only. Beer provided by The Virginia Beer Co., tasting notes are the writer’s own.

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