My Paris Week In Beers
The difficult thing about writing about Paris is being original. Countless creative people have already transformed the effortless style & whimsy of this timeless city into mesmerising pieces of art and poetry meaning before I’ve even typed a word I feel like I’m already several steps behind.
So how exactly would I describe Paris? To put it simply; it’s nice to walk around.
The buildings are symmetrical, ornate and don’t tower above you to make you feel small, rather you feel connected to the life on the streets. It’s a warm feeling that can almost be observed visually which is why the cafe seating all faces out towards the street. Art is everywhere and the parks pop with the colour of uncut gems. As a local of over 20 years said to me "I am always finding some beautiful new place in this city.”
I’m not immune to a bit of tourist track sightseeing in somewhere like this.
The locals have a reputation of knowing their city is so nice and therefore don’t have to be polite to tourists and yeah, don’t expect a kiss on the cheek from anyone working minimum wage but in 90% of my experiences Parisians are perfectly polite people who want you to enjoy their city as much as they do.
As Paris is the French capital there is obviously a stunning variety of French and world cuisine on display and during my stay I ate plenty of pastries, sweets and meats. What I didn’t indulge in much of was beer. France has a growing craft scene as well as beer traditions but it is still very much wine country, meaning I only had six total beers during my eight nights in this special place.
This is how I spent most of my time in Paris. Just a guy with his wine and his bread.
We arrived in Paris on a Friday, staying in the 19th arrondissement which is a little further out of the iconic city but featured several bustling neighbourhoods including a few with a big African and Middle Eastern influences.
You might think arriving in Paris on a Friday we would have hit the aperitif right away to get started on a long boozy night but we didn’t for a few reasons. 1) We were lucky to be spending two Fridays in Paris, 2) Paris has nightlife every night and 3) the Panthers were playing. I picked up two tins from the supermarket downstairs (the service there was the traditionally rude time people are warned about) a French Kronenbourg 1664 Blonde and Belgian La Chouffe. It was the first time I tried a Blonde 1664 and I thought it was a nice tart and sweet version of the classic French lager. The La Chouffe Blonde in a can was maybe not as spicy, well balanced and rich as the bottle version but it could be my mind playing tricks on me.
Penrith won by the way.
On Saturday and Sunday we were filming for our upcoming series, which I usually don’t write about due to spoilers but as I only had one beer I figured there’d be no harm talking about it. The beer I had was an amber ale from Paris brewery, La Parisienne, called La Rousse. Despite being 5.5%, it was relatively light in flavour which tended towards tender caramel and stone fruit notes.
Just a normal Parisian photo.
After the work was done Katie and I took the rest of the week very slowly (recommended) and as a result I have hardly any notes about the beers I drank other than I enjoyed a few from Brasserie Demory, a Parisian brewery that is readily available across the city. Their IPA leans towards the modern style, sharp but not overpowering. My favourite was their Citra Lager which I enjoyed at Blend Burgers, which might seem like a random choice for lunch until you learn that hamburgers now outsell baguettes in Paris. The lager is tangy, light and exceedingly refreshing which makes it a friend of any burger and therefore a friend of mine.
Blend have a few locations and a really sick cookbook if you never make it to Paris.
At some point I reviewed this rather intriguing collaboration beer brewed by Fauve Craft Bière from Montpellier in southern France and Vocation Brewing from Yorkshire, UK. I was really impressed by this beer that was so good it almost made me forget I was in a bar that was themed after one of my favourite movies.
Watch my full thoughts.
And that’s it for beers in Paris. Because this instalment of My Week In Beers was so lacking I’d like to give a few recommendations of things to do in Paris.
Find a cafe that you like and go as often as possible (this includes evening drinks).
Spend big in a brasserie starting with onion soup, a traditional main, a dessert such as île flottante or crème brûlée and don’t skimp on the wine. (I recommend L’Hotel du Nord)
Then for balance, eat a cheap steak with cheap wine in a no-frills brasserie.
Sit alone in a park and sketch, paint or write.
People watch couples spending hours trying to get a good photo at the Eifel Tower.
Search for the perfect croissant in the morning, and perfect croque monsieur in the afternoon.
Walk around the neighbourhoods rue Montorgueil and Mont Marte. If they were too touristy for you ask a local for a tip for a neighbourhood off the beaten track.
Remember what Anthony Bourdain said: “Most of us are lucky to see Paris once in a lifetime. Make the most of it by doing as little as possible. Walk a little, get lost a bit, eat, catch a breakfast buzz, have a nap, try and have sex if you can, just not with a mime. Eat again. Lounge around drinking coffee. Maybe read a book. Drink some wine, walk around a bit more, eat, repeat. See? It’s easy.”
And lastly, don’t worry about being original.
Mont Marte, touristy but still beautiful.
