By Eric WildersonGreetings Beervana,
It is quite fashionable to suggest that France is the land of wine - from Bordeaux to Provence, to Alsace and Burgundy - there is no doubt that wine is held in high regard by the French. But to suggest that finding a good beer is hard to do, to propose that there is a lack of ale houses, to assume that there is only wine in France would be, and is, quite utterly, wholly absurd! For one need only to step one little toe-pinky inside Paris, open the eyes and see that beer, beer is everywhere! From blondes and wits, browns and stouts, beery boissons are pouring forth from cafes, bars and restaurants.
Now, one might argue that the beer scene in Paris is quite different from some of the smaller towns in the outer provinces. One might argue that only in Paris can one find Lefe blonde on tap at normal cafes or 11oz-ers of Chimay Triple for under two Euros at any typical
supermarket. Well, this might be true, after all, I have not visited every small town in France! but I have traveled to and lived in the belly of the wine beast - Bordeaux - and let me set the record straight right now; when in Bordeaux, drink beer!
My wife is originally from Bordeaux and we make the trip there to see her family about once a year. Her sister now lives in Paris so we decided to visit there first. Her neighborhood is full of cafes, bars and restaurants which are full of people come 5:00 pm. We were so jet-lagged that we didn't really care where she took us and fortunately it turned out to be a gem - Cafe Charbon. (Rue 109 Oberkampf, 75011 Paris - Tel. 01 43 57 5513) This vintage venue has old, wooden tables, booths, and chairs; the charm pleases. The french doors on the facade open to the street and natural light floods the salon. I took my place at the bar for I was there was to discover the beers to be had.
I asked for, and was generously given, a taster of the Edelweisse. The barmaid was quick to recognize my Anglophone accent and insisted on responding to me in English. I indulged her a
bit and was very surprised to learn that her level of English was impressive for someone who has never lived in an English speaking country! I would later learn that she is not alone, for most, if not all, of the French that I have met have a minimal control of English. The Edelweisse didn't quite do it for me so I inquired about their beers "enbouteille" or 'in the bottle'.
At last, a find! A Belgian blonde named and labeled for the cafe - Charbon - is 6.5 abv. in a 33cl bottle for 3.9 Euros. This bottle conditioned brew has a slightly cloudy, golden appearance with malty nose of corn and cotton candy. It may have been a bit oxidized with a metalic taste but was still very drinkable. Quite unfortunate for if the bar would promote this beer rather than Pelforth, an easy to find brown ale, on its Happy Hour menu, the turn over might be increased
and oxidized beers avoided. Oh well. We also had a 37.5 cl bottle of La BeCasse - Kriek a la cerise (also known as Belle-Vue Kriek) weighing in at 5.1 abv. A dark rose, clear color and a light cherry nose and a pink head, this brew has a light, fruit taste that finishes sour and tart. Note: let it warm up a bit, the bitterness will say hello.
Second stop,
Academie de la Bier - (88 Blvd. de Port Royal, Paris. Tel. 01 43 54 66 65). With 12 beers on tap, including Westmalle, Maredsous Blonde and Amber, St. Feuillian, La Chouffe and
Chimay, and over a hundred by the bottle, this small venue is worth checking out. Unfortunately, I went right at opening (around 3:30) on a Sunday and the place was quite dead but at least it was open (later, we traveled to the Frog and Rosbif, a local chain of brew pubs, which we found closed for the day!). As a general rule of thumb, most of the ale houses don't open until the afternoon but do not fret for many a tasty quaff can be had pre-noon at neighborhood cafes all around. At the Academie de la Bier, I had the Westmalle Dubbel on tap
for 4 Euros and 20 cents for 25 cl. My sister-in-law had the Kriek St. Louis from a bottle.
Third stop not far from Cafe Charbon, L'Ile de Goree, restaurant Senegalese for dinner (70 rue Jean-Pierre-Timbaud). On the menu are two Senegalese beers - Flag and Gazelle - which can be found at most West African restaurants. I opted for the Gazelle as it came in a sixteen ounce bottle opposed to the twelve ounce Flag for the same price.
This light lager was refreshing and decent, although I don't remember it much; the rum and hibiscus juice cocktail that I had drunk as an aperitif put me a little over the edge ;-) Anyway, at least I took a picture!
Well, that's all for Paris, for now. I'm off to Bordeaux. Stay tuned for my dispatch concerning the beers to be had in the heart of wine country. Further reading and more extensive coverage on beer in Paris can be found at:
www.beermad.org.uk/writings/paris.shtmlwww.classiccitybrew.com/paris.html
