When this corona-coraziness is finished, the family and I really want to plan another trip to France to get out away from the big “tourist” cities. The kids are getting old enough to appreciate it, and our recent genealogical research keeps landing us in Normandy, Alsace, and Midi-Pyrinees.
What are the best breweries one could incorporate into a roadtrip around the perimeter of France?
My time in France is limited, but I did spend time in the Alsace region. My best advice beer wise is to drink the very nice Alsatian wines, and only sample the not so great beers. That was 22 years ago. The wines are still nice, but the beer may have improved.
Northern France including the Alsace is where the breweries are generally. Biere de garde, which is the only BJCP-recognized French style, is from Northern France. In Normandy drink cider. Etienne Dupont is a great producer. Alsace has great white wines. Perhaps in the Pyrenees you can get sidra, Spanish cider. I can’t speak to any recent breweries.
My experience in Alsace a couple of years ago echoes the others. Not much going on with beer but the wines and ciders were wonderful.
Paul
I was in Normandy in 2018 and we didn’t run into any local French beers or breweries while there. Not saying there aren’t any, just we didn’t find any.
I would suggest a few days in that area. It is beautiful with a lot of history. In addition to the Normandy American Cemetery visit the German Cemetery at La Cambe.
Have been around France several times and suggest drinking the Belgian beers which are available widely on tap, and quite fresh.
This is true. In '99 when in Paris I did that. Realized the prices were high compared to beer in Germany. Changed to Red Wine, which was cheap. That may all be different now as the EU and Euro are in place.
I’m waiting for international travel to resume. Plans for 2020 were dashed.
Thanks for the input, all.
Google mostly turns up breweries in Nord Pas de Calais – next door to Belgium; so no surprise there. La Choulette seems well thought of.
I hadn’t thought about sidra, but it would be interesting to try some of the genuine Spanish article. I’ve only had American interpretations of it.
I definitely love France, but I think Chris will be a much better choice this summer. What’s the best island you can visit there?
For sure, France will be a great place, especially if you go for culinary and wine tours. However, if you want to do the same In Greece, then I would definitely look into a trip to Santorini. The place is full of amazing wines and incredible food to try and be combined with a romantic walk near the caldera. You can’t find many places in Europe that combine all these activities, and as much as I love France, it still can’t beat the sunset of Santorini. You can easily add in what to do in Santorini a few private tours around the island, which are cheap for the value you get.
In October 2017, I was in Belgium but planned a day trip up to Normandy. Visited Brasserie Thiriez http://www.brasseriethiriez.com
It’s south of Normandy, close to the Belgian border. Arranged a tour. Was interesting and had several samples after that. Mostly farmhouse style ales. I would definitely recommend the experience.
Thanks for the tip.
Apart from the Spanish sidra, Normandy is also known, apparently, for their local cidres. Definitely accumulating some ideas.
I visited France in 2019 on a Contiki Europe tour. On this list were two other countries like Germany and Austria to see and taste a good beer. I liked most with the tour company because you interact with locals and eat their food, as we did in a family restaurant. When we had been in Marseille, we stopped at a microbrewery and drank La Cagole beer. Such a tasty and fresh beer I have never consumed before. I would recommend visiting any region in France and try any local beer. For such an experience, do some research on https://18-35.travel/topdeck-vs-contiki/ and choose a suitable tour company for you.
Thanks for sharing!