Englishman in France

[WillFrites]

Hello all,

Nice to make you acquaintances. I am Will, an English chap who moved to France six months ago. Back in the UK I had done homebrew wine , beer and cider....mainly from kits, plus the usual sloe gin etc.

Sadly all my brewing stuff is back in the UK (money is tight with renovations) so fudging some homebrew nettle beer at the moment. Utilising old water bottles, bread yeast (don't judge me) and sugar.

Looking forward to perusing the site for tip and ideas along with helping where I can.

 

[MyQul]

Welcome to the forum

@Dutto may well be able to tell you how to go about sourcing ingredients for homebrew rather than relying on nettles, bits of twigs etc, as he's regularly bimbling around France (were hoping they'll keep him but he keeps coming back :lol:)

 

[WillFrites]

Welcome to the forum

@Dutto may well be able to tell you how to go about sourcing ingredients for homebrew rather than relying on nettles, bits of twigs etc, as he's regularly bimbling around France (were hoping they'll keep him but he keeps coming back :lol:)

Thanks for the tip. Might I point out I have officially patented twig wine/beer...some trendy bar will pay a fortune!
Funnily enough my 'mates' said the same thing about me.

 

[marlon]

Welcome Will Frites. Can't say I'm excited by the thought of tasting your beer, but hey - each to their own - if it works for you, that's great. Full marks for innovational thinking.

If you're looking for hints and suggestions about brewing on a shoestring, you've come to the right forum.
As Myqul says, Dutto spends time in France and is about to plant a small hop garden there, so he'll be able to help out with your hops. He's a really generous bloke and I know he won't mind sharing them. :grin: :whistle:

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Welcome to the forum :

This thread may be of use 5 litre water bottles make good demijohns with a 9 mm hole for an airlock - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=49462

.

 

[WillFrites]

Welcome Will Frites. Can't say I'm excited by the thought of tasting your beer, but hey - each to their own - if it works for you, that's great. Full marks for innovational thinking.

If you're looking for hints and suggestions about brewing on a shoestring, you've come to the right forum.
As Myqul says, Dutto spends time in France and is about to plant a small hop garden there, so he'll be able to help out with your hops. He's a really generous bloke and I know he won't mind sharing them. :grin: :whistle:

Cheers Marlon,
Well if I disappear for good in a few weeks you know it wasn't a successful experiment! Until then needs must...spied some gorseflower begging to be used.

At least I know I'll have someone who can point me in the right french direction (he'll be fed up of my unending cries for help).

 

[Gerryjo]

Hi WillFrites and welcome to the forum
Great to see you're not afraid to be experimental as I like to try out the odd one now and again.Tried a Rowan berry beer last year although used too many of the wee berries so will try again later in the year.Have also brewed with bread yeast and I quite liked it.So keep us informed and any questions just ask regardless as we've all been there.

 

[Dutto]

Welcome to the Forum. :thumb:

Been past St Valery-Sur-Somme many times on our way south-west from Calais or Dunkerque, but nowadays we go the Portsmouth > St Malo route and get a decent nights sleep!

The cost of beer kits in France can be eye-wateringly high! e.g. ...

https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00DTV7LXQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I would sooner stop drinking than pay €59 for 5 litres!

The good news is that a search will produce cheaper (but NOT "cheap") kits like this one ...

https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B001D6OO1G/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

... where a 23 litre Coopers kit comes in at €23.25!

Personally, I would get stuff delivered to any friends or relatives due to visit us (definitely gear, kits and hops) and get them to bring it with them as the price of their visit! :whistle:

Never tried "Nettle Beer" but done a Pumpkin Beer for Christmas and a Chilie Beer for the hell of it!

If you are ever passing Severac 44530, please drop in and have a beer or three! :lol:

 

[chesters-mild]

Welcome to the forum Will!

 

[geetee]

Nice one mate, my son lives in Paris and a few years back I had thought of setting up a brewery there BUT as I am sure you know bureaucracy in France is horrendous and would probably take years and only if the Mayor is in a good mood and sympathetic to English ( unlikely)

Been to Berck Plage just up the road from you a few times, a really nice place to live and people friendly, hope you manage to get supplies, there is always daytrip ferries back to Dover/Folkestone to top up!

 

[WillFrites]

Welcome to the Forum. :thumb:

Been past St Valery-Sur-Somme many times on our way south-west from Calais or Dunkerque, but nowadays we go the Portsmouth > St Malo route and get a decent nights sleep!

The cost of beer kits in France can be eye-wateringly high! e.g. ...

https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00DTV7LXQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I would sooner stop drinking than pay €59 for 5 litres!

The good news is that a search will produce cheaper (but NOT "cheap") kits like this one ...

https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B001D6OO1G/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

... where a 23 litre Coopers kit comes in at €23.25!

Personally, I would get stuff delivered to any friends or relatives due to visit us (definitely gear, kits and hops) and get them to bring it with them as the price of their visit! :whistle:

Never tried "Nettle Beer" but done a Pumpkin Beer for Christmas and a Chilie Beer for the hell of it!

If you are ever passing Severac 44530, please drop in and have a beer or three! :lol:

Hey Dutto,

Having had a little look online I did cry at the prices here. A lot of the lower end beer kits are almost double what my local homebrew shop was charging, and even those had a premium on them.

Luckily I should have friends and family visiting fairly regularly so I do like the idea of a homebrew standing charge.

Chilli Beer sounds...sore.

That's very kind of you, once I am settled I intend to to some galavanting so I shall pop Severac on the to do list. Likewise if you are passing up here. Im ten minutes from St Valery 80230

Cheers for the advice

 

[WillFrites]

Nice one mate, my son lives in Paris and a few years back I had thought of setting up a brewery there BUT as I am sure you know bureaucracy in France is horrendous and would probably take years and only if the Mayor is in a good mood and sympathetic to English ( unlikely)

Been to Berck Plage just up the road from you a few times, a really nice place to live and people friendly, hope you manage to get supplies, there is always daytrip ferries back to Dover/Folkestone to top up!

Oh don't start me on the bureaucracy, just sorting a French bank account took me three months and evidence of my parents income! Bizarre. Luckily the village I am in, the locals and the mayor have been very welcoming, helped by the fact my French is reasonable I believe.

 

[GDog]

Booze is so cheap in France, it doesn't even sound worth it!

I drive south West (Loire stopover, then Dordogne) every August I love the place and plan moving there eventually too!

 

[MyQul]

Booze is so cheap in France, it doesn't even sound worth it!

I drive south West (Loire stopover, then Dordogne) every August I love the place and plan moving there eventually too!

You've got till Wednesday. Then the drawbridge is pulled up (on both sides) :lol:

 

[WillFrites]

Booze is so cheap in France, it doesn't even sound worth it!

I drive south West (Loire stopover, then Dordogne) every August I love the place and plan moving there eventually too!

For dodgy wine and terrible lager yes. However once you get into decent wines, ales and beers it gets expensive here (or maybe I just have expensive tastes).
Plus it is the joys of experimentation and so on.