Craft Beer Arrives In Paris

We know…We can’t believe it either. In yet another sign that craft beer has finally arrived on the world stage, serious beer can now be found in Paris.

It’s common knowledge that the City of Lights has age-old traditions based in wine. It’s a part of their history and deeply embedded in their culture. The beers that they do brew are ordinary at best. They’re an afterthought for a people raised on wine and it shows. The French actually have a better reputation for the sparkling waters they bottle than they do for their beers…But all that appears to be changing.

Visitors to Paris have long been known to return to the states with a bottle (or two) of a good French wine stashed in their gear. And why not, French wine can be great and has international rep. But soon travelers may be coming back with something entirely new – bottles of Parisian craft beer.

The Brasserie de la Goutte d’Or is the first serious craft brewery that Paris has seen in recent history, according to Elise Marafloti, writing for her excellent lifestyle site, HipParis.com. “The brews of la Goutte d’Or are a unique and exciting blend of owner Thierry Roche’s passion for artisanal beer ” writes Marafloti, as well as his “love of the neighborhood where he lives and brews.”

The neighborhood’s unique identity does factor deeply into M. Roche’s vision and the brewery he’s building in Paris. Marafloti explains:

The Goutte d’Or is a bustling neighborhood cradled by Barbès-Rochechouart and La Chapelle … It is home to a working class community of predominantly North and West African immigrants, a vibrant quarter commonly referred to as Little Africa.

At the heart of the neighborhood is the Marché Dejean, a busy street market where the sights and smells might make you forget that you are in the middle of Paris. Crowds of locals, sprinkled with colorful dashikis and skullcaps, shop for all of the spices and ingredients you probably won’t find in most traditional French restaurants. The Marché Dejean is also where Thierry finds most of his ingredients for his neighborhood brews, including ginger, hibiscus, hot pepper, and dates.

When the Brasserie de la Goutte d’Or first opened last October it was treated first as a curiosity but quickly found its fans. And Mousier Thierry’s handcrafted brews are all named with the neighborhood in mind, Marafloti reports:

Each of Thierry’s handcrafted brews is bottled with a colorful label that gives a proud shout-out to its locale. Château Rouge, a red IPA with spicy notes, was named for the busy metro stop that opens out onto the Marché Dejean; Léon, a dark brew with hints of ginger, references some local businesses found on the nearby street the beer was named after. For Christmas this year, the Brasserie is promoting its Charbonnière, a slightly spiced and peaty amber beer at 7.5% alcohol, named for the street that draws you into la Goutte d’Or as you venture off the Boulevard de la Chapelle.

With the success of small breweries like the Brasserie de la Goutte d’Or and the opening of craft beer stores like Peoples Drug Store on Montmartre, The City of Love and Lights has turned a major corner. Paris is no longer just about its wine -It’s beginning to get a serious reputation for its beer!