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Beer is getting an edge. Once an indispensable accessory for the football fan or the Wetherspoons barfly (can be replaced by PMU), it is now on everyone’s lips. Paris is no exception, with local and artisanal beers popping over the months.
BEER CONNOISSEURS, HELLO!
The Demory brewery, in Bobigny, opened its doors to us during a festival of craft beers. Here they make high fermentation beers that will give, for example Ale type beers, and low fermentation beers that will give lagers. We learn that in Europe there are some very strange beers with spontaneous fermentation. They do not need yeast in the wort because, exposed to the open air, it is seeded with wild yeast. These so-called “lambic beers” are produced near Brussels. They are also called Gueuze, when several different lambic beers are blended together, as one would do with wine. And, with cherry, the mixture becomes Kriek. They are part of the family of sour beers that so delight the Germans. In their speciality, Gueuze, you can even find coriander! But, rest assured, Parisian beers are not aimed at the wildest of palates.
THE BEER GOES FREE
This libation is not new to the capital. We find the trace of the first statutes of the brewers’ guild of Paris… in 1268! However, when you say “Paris”, you imagine yourself more with a glass of champagne than a pint of beer. Fortunately, over the last twenty years or so, things have changed. Today, there are 50 in the Ile-de-France region and 1250 in France. The north-east of Paris in particular is seeing breweries flourishing. And why not taste them at the brewery where they are made? We all think of La Parisienne, with its famous cycling beauty, which is actually in Pantin. That’s also where you can find the Gallia brewery. More than just tasting, why not put in the creation? In Montreuil, at La Montreuilloise, which bears its name well this time, it is possible to be a brewer for a few hours.
DEMORY, FLAG-BEARER OF FRENCH CRAFT BEER
It was the star brewery of local Parisian beers that hosted the festival we visited in 2019. Founded in 1827, the Demory house is well established in Paris. It was very popular until the beginning of the 20th century when there were still more than 3000 breweries in France. But with the Second World War coupled with competition from large groups, it disappeared in the 1950s. In 1980, when there were only about thirty breweries left in France, the “Craft Beer Movement” appeared in the United States. Put briefly, it is born of a desire to return to more authentic products and hit back against the dominance of large groups. In 2009, the Brasserie Demory Paris was reborn from its ashes thanks to a team of enthusiasts. And in 2017, the brewery reopens, this time in Bobigny, a short stroll away from the Ourcq canal.
A new hoppy chapter has started…
+ Music : Peggy Gou – Starry Night +
Where is it? Bières Demory Paris SAS 1, rue de Paris 93000 Bobigny. To register for a visit, it’s here
Many thanks to David Penn for his photos.
