France is known for wine, of course. There certainly is a lot of it here, and relatively cheap too. But sometimes, you just want a nice beer, like when watching a football game or eating chili. France doesn't have a lot to offer in readily available beer. There's plenty of Heineken and a sea of good Belgian beer, but the common French beer tastes a bit like goat pee.
So after over a year of wandering in the beer wilderness, I finally visited La Cave à Bulles (www.caveabulles.fr) near Les Halles and spent almost an hour talking to the owner. Upon learning I was American, he was proud to show me the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Porter he had in stock. I left dragging home a trolley full of French artisan beers, all recommended by him as the best in stock of their respective styles.
What follows is the tasting notes of each of the first 3. I will post more as I try them.
#1: Volcelest, from Brasserie de la Vallée de Chevreuse. Blonde, 5.7%. This beer produced a good frothy head that stayed throughout the drink. It was a bit hazy, as many of these turned out to be, with a buttery gold color. The nose was of a yeasty hay, or kind of like a musty barn, but in a not-unpleasant way if that makes any sense. Obviously a bottle-conditioned beer. The first sip reminded me of Sam Adams lager (odd, as this was an ale) with a coppery flavor and excellent balance. I noticed a strong crystal malt influence. It had a medium mouthfeel, appropriate for the style. As the beer warmed a bit, the copper gave way to mandarin orange and light toffee flavors. This is a very well-made beer and I will look for it again.
#2: Etoile du Nord (North Star) from Brasserie Thiriez. Blonde houblonée. I knew before opening it that this would be a... ahem... distinctive beer. With a green bottle (against which I am very biased) and a big picture of hops on the label, this was going to a slap-your-face beer one way or the other. Leaving the bottle it produced a frothy, thick head and carried a heavy hop aroma with some skunk from the green bottle. The first impression was that of alfalfa-laden horse manure, in a sort-of unpleasant way. The beer had good clarity and a rich yellow color. The taste was spicy, and the back-end hops smacks the tongue like a whip. Fortunately, the skunk flavor dissipated quickly (or maybe I just got used to it), leaving a dry, citrusy taste encompassed in a nice creamy mouthfeel. If you love hops, you might like this beer.
#3: Page 24 with chicoree, by the Brasserie St Germain. Blonde-ish. Page 24 came out of the bottle with a healthy, soapy head. The nose was a bit soapy too, herbaceous from the hops. It had a pretty bronze-amber color that was only a bit hazy. A distinctly hoppy front-end followed with a slightly sweet orange flavor. The balance was off, with no middle flavors and a bland vegetal follow-through. The whole experience reminded me of a beginner's homebrew. It wasn't awful, but I won't be buying this one again.
