Beer guide to France
France has a long tradition of brewing despite it's reputation for wine
French Brew: When we think of France it's usually fine wines and Champagne that come to mind. However, it has a centuries-long tradition of brewing centred in the North of France, Alsace and along the borders of Belgium. The beers from here are similar in make up to the pale Belgian and German lagers.
Beers to look out for
Kronenbourg 1664: The famous pale lager has an alcohol content of 5.5 per cent and has become the best-known French beer in Europe. It holds 40 per cent of the market in France.
Meteor: An unpasteurised Pilsner-style lager containing 4.6 per cent alcohol.
Mortimer: This is special. Mortimer is a highly distinctive lager containing 8 per cent ABV, which is produced using peat-smoked whisky malt.
Desperado: Produced by Brasserie Fischer in Schiltigheim, this beer contains 5.5 per cent alcohol and is flavoured with a touch of Tequila.
Adelscott: Another beer by the Brasserie Fischer brewery containing 6.4 per cent alcohol and amber-red in colour, which has a sister beer called Adelscott Noir containing a slightly higher ABV of 6.6 per cent.
Fischer Gold: This is Brasserie Fischer’s “normal” lager, which weighs in at a considerable 6.5 per cent ABV.
Kasteel Cru: A relatively new lager produced in a joint venture between La Brasserie de Saverne in Alsace and the famous Coors Brewers.
Ancre and Kanterbräu: Two other beers from Alsace, which are available all throughout France.
Bières de Garde: These are a range of beers that originated in the Calais region and were traditionally brewed in farmhouses during the winter and spring. They were bottled, cork-sealed and kept in the cellar for consumption later in the year. Bières de Garde are usually copper or golden in colour and tend to be quite strong in alcohol content. Some to sample include Trois Monts 8.5 per cent AVB, Jenlain 6.5 per cent AVB, Ambrée with 7.5 per cent AVB. Sadly, you're unlikely to find these traditional brews at France’s main airports ...
Pelforth: Hailing from Lille these ales contain a lot of malt. Blonde has 5.8 per cent AVB, Brune 6.5 per cent AVB, and Pelforth Amber 6 per cent AVB (introduced in 2003). You'll find these in Nice Airport where they also serve a shandy called, what else, Panache.
Pietra: A brewery on the island of Corsica produces this 6 per cent alcohol content beer (Pietra Amber Beer). It's brewed to an unusual recipe that includes chestnuts and undergoes a lengthy period of lagering. Normally sold in a bottle.
Thirst quencher: Despite the dominance of the 1664 lager, it’s always worth asking if the bar you’re at stocks a regional beer or a Bière de Garde.
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Updated November 2011