The Beer Scene In Paris Sucks (pt.II)
If you missed part 1 check it out HERE.
Is That Guy Drinking Alone In Public?
Saturday was MY day! The first and only full day I had to myself in Paris so I had a lot to take in. As mentioned earlier, I’d been to Paris ten years ago so I didn’t need to go see The Louvre or stroll through Cathedrals, been there done that. Today I just wanted to walk all day, take in the sights & culture and then end the day with, you guessed it, beer.
My first destination point was the Eiffel Tower, yes, I know I said “been there done that” but I couldn’t go to Paris and not see it again. It was about an 8km walk from my hotel to Champs de Mars so I picked up a coffee and a croissant and snapped a few pics along the way.
Yea, okay, I said I wasn’t going to the Louvre but how could I pass up that photo op? ^.
When I arrived at the Eiffel Tower around 11am there were already thousands of people and multi hour long line ups to get inside (luckily I wasn’t planning on going in). The one thing I didn’t remember from 10 years earlier was the giant bulletproof glass wall surrounding the entire tower. Paris hasn’t been the safest place the last few years so I understand why it’s there but it was kind of sad to see and definitely ruined views I remember seeing in 2009.
It was around noon when I finished strolling around Champs de Mars so I figured it was the right time to crack one of the beer I had in my bag. I mean, how could I pass on the opportunity to get a pour shot with the Eiffel Tower in the background? I went to the other side of the Seine and cracked open a cold-ish one I had brought all the way from home and poured it in to my Drink Tanks cup to keep things discrete. Then I remembered, this is Paris, I don’t need to keep it discrete! I’m in the land that embraces public day drinking. Oh well, I probably don’t wanna look like that guy drinking alone in Paris in the early afternoon.
Stumbling Upon Craft Beer
After an afternoon refreshment I decided to give my feet a rest and hopped on a rental bike. I rode about 4km in to an area called Petit Montrouge and saw what looked like some sort of open street flea market. Most of it was just people selling old books and things they don’t need but there was some pretty awesome photos ops and people watching.
Down one of the streets near the flea maket I found a lively little strip with lots of local fruit vendors, restaurants and artisan shops. Some gigantic colourful macarons caught my eye at a local bakery so I went inside to grab some lunch. Boulangerie d’alésia had a wall full of fresh baguettes and glass cases bursting with mouth watering pastries. I grabbed myself a baguette au jambon et au fromage and a sugared donut filled with Nutella and was on my way.
Next up was a spot that I didn’t get to visit 10 years prior because it was closed for renovations, The Catacombs. It was a Saturday afternoon so I assumed it might be a long shot to get in without a long wait but I went for it anyway. I went to the back of the line and found a family that spoke English. They told me that the wait was about 2 hours to get in from where they were! <insert joke> The wait was sooo long I came back later that day and the streets were lined with skeletons as well <ba dum tsss>.
With my chin at my chest and my shoulders shrugged in defeat I walked in the direction of Luxembourg Gardens. I figured I could go sit under a tree and wallow in my sorrow. But about half way to the gardens I saw a commotion going on in what looked like a walled apartment community. I stepped inside and found another market but this wasn’t like the one earlier with old people selling their old, uh, crap. I’d stumbled upon Les Grands Voisins, a community market area inhabited by local artists and merchants selling their wares. It’s operated out of an old hospital site that laid dormant for years then in 2015 was transformed in to a site where locals and tourists could mingle and shop but it’s also a space for asylum seekers. Les Grands Voisins is an inclusive place of welcoming to all visitors and a great place to feel the warmth of the local community.
There’s so much colour and art all over the complex. A performance stage and a restaurant/bar. An upside down car used as a ping-pong table. Local artists selling handmade leather goods, florists, handmade jewelry and, my personal favorite, an local artisan craft brewer. Bonjour Brasserie sets up at Les Grands Voisins and gives market-goers sample tastings of their brews while selling single bottles to anybody who wants to purchase. After wetting my lips with a few samples I grabbed a bottle of the Witbier and the Cherry Brown Ale and continued on my way to Luxembourg Gardens. This time with a little more skip in my step.
If you’re planning a trip to Paris make sure to put Luxembourg Gardens on your list. It’s a huge park full of trees, walking/running paths, fountains and ponds, a palace and some amazing people watching. I could honestly sit there all day and hang out. I took a rest for about a half hour and then walked to one of my favorite spots in the gardens I discovered the last time I was there, the chess area. It’s amazing just watching all these old (and some young) men play non-stop games of chess in the park. There’s something relaxing about watching them.
After the gardens I took a walk up towards the Notre Dame Cathedral. The fire had happened just two months before I arrived and I was intrigued to see what it looked like now. I remember going in there 10 years earlier and being jaw-dropped by the size and beauty of it. Just like the Eiffel Tower, seeing it 10 years later was very different. It’s now gated off and closed to the public but even over the gates you can see how much damage was done. It doesn’t look the same at all.
On To The Final Stretch (aka the Beer Marathon)
It was about 4pm by the time I left the Notre Dame Cathedral and I still had about 5 stops on my list. I also always need to factor in time for photos so I picked up my feet and hurried along. This was my last night remember, I had to pack it all in!
About 1.5km away was another bottle shop I had researched beforehand, La Cave à Bulles. This spot was a little more DIY and homebrewer vibes than La Binouze Rochechouart, the bottle shop I had visited a few days earlier. They had just a few beer on tap but walls full of bottles to to consume on site. Most of it was warm storage though which is…questionable for some of the styles. This was something I noticed at the other bottleshop as well. Lots of warm storage, although La Binouze Rochechouart had more beer available in the cooler than La Cave a Bulles.
Next up was fromage. No, that’s not some sort of clever name for a brewery, I literally wanted to shop for some cheese to bring home with me. I Google’d “the best cheese shops near me” and Saisons Fromagerie popped up as the best. The selection was crazy and the staff was super helpful in finding me some aged cheeses that I could bring on the flight with me without having to keep them cold. The most notable was the aged Comte I bought. So much stinky cheesy goodness.
After sampling all that cheese I needed a pick me up so I hopped over the Terres de café to grab a coffee and a bag of beans to bring home. From the little tables sitting outside to the old bean dispensers inside, this tiny shop hop so much great atmosphere. The owners, who were working when I popped in, were so nice and helpful as well. We chatted a bit about where I’m from and my fav coffee roasters in Vancouver. The coffee was amazing as well. I actually contacted them when I got home to see how I could order some to Vancouver but, unfortunately, the shipping costs would be way too high. Maybe I should start importing coffee??
As I walked around sipping my coffee and snapping more photos I started to feel a few drops of rain. Within seconds those few drops turned in to a torrential downpour! Luckily for me, Bar Demory was right around the corner. Or maybe I wasn’t so lucky?
The bar was dank, dark and empty. It looked like a nightclub with the lights turned halfway up at the end of the night. The staff was inattentive to the fact that I just walked in and was sitting at a table waiting to order. I had to go up to the bar and flag down the bartender to order a drink (as I stated above, the place was empty). The beer was decent, I believe I had an IPA, but I was so uncomfortable in there I just downed it and got the hell outta there.
The downpour only lasted a couple minutes and the sun came back out so I walked around a bit more looking in some shops around the 4th arrondissement. Around 7:30pm I was all shopped out and found a Vélib’ rental bike to make the 3km ride up to BBP Canal.
As soon as I arrived at Brussels Beer Project I could see it was the hot spot in this part of town on a Saturday night. The crowds were forming inside and out as I strolled in to find myself a spot. I ordered the Zenith Zest Farmhouse Ale and a veggie burger and found myself a spot near the bar. The tasting room was hip, bright and lively. There were young families, travelers and all kinds of people inside drinking and having good times. It was a really cool vibe and I would’ve stayed longer if I didn’t have an early flight to take in the morning.
Celine Dion, Justin Trudeau and Small Batch Beer
About a 5 minute walk from BBP I found a little local craft brewery/bar called Le Triangle. Although I needed to get back to my hotel, pack up and get some rest, I couldn’t resist rolling in for one pint in this quaint local spot. Le Triangle is definitely easy to miss though. No fancy signs, no big presence in the street, not really in a busy shopping area but that’s probably what made it so cool. Well, that and the picture of Celine Dion they had up on the wall. They also had a picture of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from the visit he made to the bar a couple years back. Think what you will of our PM, it’s still pretty cool that this tiny brewery was paid a visit by the political leader of Canada.
I sat at the bar facing a small batch brewing set up but they also had a small dining area and a food menu that sounded really, really delicious. Too bad I had just eaten a burger. They’re beer menu was pretty fantastic as well featuring their own beers as well as some select options from around Europe and beer from Dieu di Ciel and Dunham Brasserie in Quebec.
As I researched for this blog post I discovered some sad news. It seems as though Le Triangle closed it’s doors at the beginning of December 2019. It’s a bummer because this was probably one of my favorite locally based spots I visited on my trip.
Maybe The Beer Scene Doesn’t Suck
Maybe my blog title was click bate? Maybe the beer scene does suck a little? Maybe a bit of both?
As a commentor from my first post pointed out, there are a lot of spots I might have missed in Paris. Unfortunately with limited time on work trips I don’t get to fully take it all in. I know there were highly rated spots outside of the city core that I would’ve loved to have visited but I just didn’t have the time.
I will say though, as I reflected back on this trip while writing parts 1 and 2 of this post I realized that the beer scene doesn’t suck at all. It’s not up to par with cities like Vancouver, San Diego, Denver, etc but Paris can hold it’s own and you can see that there’s a new wave of brewers looking to bring the beer scene up the ranks.
As far as tourism in general is concerned, Paris is one of the greatest cities in the world. History, culture, architecture, food, nightlife. Paris has it all. Hopefully my blog post gave you all some ideas of places to see and eat and drink (not just beer) if and when you visit Paris.
Here are a few photos from my trip that weren’t posted throughout my articles. Au revoir !
