Beer in France?

I like to travel as much as i like to try new good beers. Next weekend i will spend in France. Do you know any name or kind of beer in France?

Biere de garde or saison would be the obvious ones for me.

This list might help:  http://www.beeradvocate.com/lists/fr/

The only half decent French beers I know are from Brasserie Thiriez (Biere de garde). But, honestly, in my humble opinion, France and beer do not go together well. Better beer pubs serve Belgian beers. I’d stick to wine.

i would agree- look for the Belgian beers, and if you like wine…lots to try.

You knew I’d come out of the woodwork for this one. I have a meeting now but am adding a response to my todo list.

Hey Phil! long time.

Up to 3.5 kids now - plus a growing consulting business - it’s been a while since I’ve brewed, unfortunately. But it’s always in the back of my mind :wink:

I’m the founder (I used to say president, but we’ve never had elections and I’m not as active as I used to be) of the Paris Homebrewers Club. I’ve seen the French beer scene explode over the last six years, with pretty decent (although not quite “American” numbers), growing from 200 to more than 600 breweries over the last ten years, with a very large portion of that growth over the last four years. Quality used to be an issue, and understanding that volume is important (do not spend 6 hours brewing 5 hectoliters when you could spend 6 hours brewing 50 hectoliters) is still an issue, but there are some truly great beers here.

I could go on for a long time about the craft scene here, but it’d be better to just show you - are you going to be in Paris at all next week?

This used to be true, even up to five or so years ago, but is most definitely no longer the case.

Then they must have been well hidden last time I was there, which was in July, between Belgium an Bretagne :wink:

Did you visit Paris at all? The boonies are not particularly well-served at this time - Lyon has some interesting stuff now as well, but not as much.

FWIW, I like Jenlain Ambree.

I will be in paris this summer if all goes as planned on our family euro trip. Look forward to checking out the new brewing scene.

Cool!  I have a big box of hop candy headed to la cave a bulles (today or tomorrow) and should be there by next week.  Tell Simon your first piece is on me, haha!

Simon is the godfather to one of our kids, actually - and I am quite familiar with your hop candy, they’re great!

Look me up when you get out here, I’d be happy to take you guys out and see the beery sights.

Not this time, but being Belgian I’ve been to Paris many times, obviously. I find most French pubs depressing with biere a la menthe an absolute low :wink: but I did go to cidrerie Dupont in Normandy, which is absolutely awesome. From Bretagne I do remember the Cervoise, a beer with seven herbs and honey, which is ““interesting””.  And of course there is the ubiquitous Leffe, an export product that almost makes me feel ashamed to be Belgian.

Yeah, not a fan either.

Glad to hear things have changed because I lived in Paris for a year in 2004-5,and I do not have fond memories of French beer. I mostly drank this swill called 1668 or something which was reminiscent of American mass-produced lager. I hung out with some British ex-pats, and there were quite a few decent Irish pubs with decent beer, one in particular called The Frog and Something over by the Bibliotheque National (sp?).

Wow, that’s just nuts?  Small world~