French beer

[An Ankoù]

No apologies for resurrecting this old thread rather than starting a new one.
I think many of you know my views on French beer: the stuff from up North- bière de garde- is lovely, some saisons are nice, but they're not exactly Best Bitter. The beer from Alsace, which you'd expect to be decent because of its German heritage is sweet gunk- Fischer Tradition being a tradition I'd rather not know about. Beer in my neck of the woods is nondescript to awful. Coreff in Finisterre, set up under the guidance of the late, great Peter Austin, produces some tolerable beer, but the session stuff (around 5%) is inconsistent and really nothing special. Lancelot produce some great strong styles in the Belgian tradition with their own twist, but again, not sessionable. Their blanche (Blanche Hermine) like all the French blanches I've tried so far, is to puke for. Then we've got small local breweries who produce names like "*************" and La Kekette (a play on a word which means "todger" or "willy") and the beer's about as good as the names. Then there's beer brewed with buckwheat or chestnuts!

RANT OVER. This is about NINKASI.
Ninkasi hail from near Lyon, which is not in Brittany. I quite haven't got to the bottom of what they are: it seems to be some sort of gastro-pub chain with a central brewery. Their beer is gorgeous: their "French IPA" is everything you would hope for from a first-class English IPA (not American). Only 5.4% abv and hopped with Mistral and Aramis. I don't know Mistral, but Aramis is classic English even if it's grown in the Alsace. Nectar of the gods! The second is their Pale Ale, hopped with Glacier (I think) and Mosaic. 4.5% and gorgeous in the American style- I think the malt bill is the same for both. So, having tried two, and having bought up the remaining 2 bottles of IPA, I'm on the search for more. I'm also on the search for Mistral hops and I reckon I can formulate a recipe from the info given on the bottle.
If Brittany Ferries ever get their oars out and people start coming here again, look out for Ninkasi. It's worth the nearly €6 a 75 cl litre bottle, I suppose that's about UK pub prices.

 

[Wynne]

I like the beers of Brassèrie Octopus, Chaingy, nr Orléans also sold in Octopub, Centre Commèrcial, Saran. Their “So British” was my personal favourite. They were still going last August - I just hope they have survived.

 

[An Ankoù]

I like the beers of Brassèrie Octopus, Chaingy, nr Orléans also sold in Octopub, Centre Commèrcial, Saran. Their “So British” was my personal favourite. They were still going last August - I just hope they have survived.

I haven't come across that brewery. I'll look out for it, thanks.

 

[nickjdavis]

@An Ankoù


Have any of you had any of the Biere de Ble Noir style...Seemingly dark or amber beers brewed with up to 50% of roasted buckwheat in the grist originating from the Breton region? Edit: (on second reading of your post I see you mention buckwheat with an exclamation mark so perhaps your views might be less than positive

I'm always looking for new styles to have a go at brewing so was looking for some feedback as to the flavours of such beers and also possibly at sourcing 2 or three bottles so I can decide if its something I really would want to brew.

Brasserie Lancelot - Telenn Du
Brasserie Bretagne - Dremmwell
La Belle Joie Brewery - Gamme 56
Brasserie Bretagne -Armen

...are examples of the style that have come up in "Research".

 

[An Ankoù]

@An Ankoù


Have any of you had any of the Biere de Ble Noir style...Seemingly dark or amber beers brewed with up to 50% of roasted buckwheat in the grist originating from the Breton region? Edit: (on second reading of your post I see you mention buckwheat with an exclamation mark so perhaps your views might be less than positive

I'm always looking for new styles to have a go at brewing so was looking for some feedback as to the flavours of such beers and also possibly at sourcing 2 or three bottles so I can decide if its something I really would want to brew.

Brasserie Lancelot - Telenn Du
Brasserie Bretagne - Dremmwell
La Belle Joie Brewery - Gamme 56

Hi Nick,

Lancelot is a good brewery and they make some decent beers around 9% much like Belgian Tripels, Duchesse Anne, in it's various incarnations is very ok, but very strong. Telenn Du (black harp in English) is made with buckwheat (sarasin) and is drinkable, but you wouldn't want more than one. Bonnets Rouges is mixed with elderberries and is ok and Blanche Hermine is, imo, mingin.

Brasserie Bretagne is, I think, a renaming of Britt. I don't like their beers very much, Dremwell is another sarasin beer and I recall throwing half my last glass away. I don't know Gamme 56. It appears to be a microbrewery near Lorient. I'll look out for them.

You might try Pen Kalet (Brasserie la Tête Dure) in Guer, his beer isn't bad, but he's tiny and I don't think it travels far. Another, bigger one is Skummen in Acigné, near Rennes. Some of their beer was almost drinkable.

Brasserie Bretagne -Armen

...are examples of the style that have come up in "Research".

Hi Nick,
Lancelot is a good brewery and they make some decent beers around 9% much like Belgian Tripels, Duchesse Anne, in it's various incarnations is very ok, but very strong. Telenn Du (black harp in English) is made with buckwheat (sarasin) and is drinkable, but you wouldn't want more than one. Bonets Rouges is mixed with elderberries and is olk and Blanche Hermine is, imo, mingin.
Brasserie Bretagne is, I think a renaming of Britt. I don't like their beers very much, Dremwell is another sarasin beer and I recall throwing half my last glass away. I don't know Gamme 56. It appears to be a microbrewery near Lorient. I'll look out for them.
You might try Pen Kalet (Brasserie la Tête Dure) in Guer, his beer isn't bad, but he's tiny and I don't think it travels far. Another, bigger one is Skummen in Acigné, near Rennes. Some of their beer was almost drinkable.

If I were going to copy a French style, I'd go for Bière de Garde- La Choulette is one of my favourites, I'm not to keen on Ch'ti. I think I'd avoid saisons unless I used separate fermenters and bottles as i'm not sure that the saison yeasts contain S. diastaticus, which can contaminate the equipment and be a bit of a buggger to get rid of.

 

[An Ankoù]

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[nickjdavis]

Hi Nick,
Lancelot is a good brewery and they make some decent beers around 9% much like Belgian Tripels, Duchesse Anne, in it's various incarnations is very ok, but very strong. Telenn Du (black harp in English) is made with buckwheat (sarasin) and is drinkable, but you wouldn't want more than one. Bonets Rouges is mixed with elderberries and is olk and Blanche Hermine is, imo, mingin.
Brasserie Bretagne is, I think a renaming of Britt. I don't like their beers very much, Dremwell is another sarasin beer and I recall throwing half my last glass away. I don't know Gamme 56. It appears to be a microbrewery near Lorient. I'll look out for them.
You might try Pen Kalet (Brasserie la Tête Dure) in Guer, his beer isn't bad, but he's tiny and I don't think it travels far. Another, bigger one is Skummen in Acigné, near Rennes. Some of their beer was almost drinkable.

cheers....as ever the difficulty is getting hold of such beers to sample them to determine if I really want 40 pints of the stuff!!!!....maybe I'll just have a shot in dark and throw together a recipe based on a guess as to what might be in a dark version...maybe some pale malt/buckwheat to make up the majority of the grist and then some caramalt and a touch of roast barley for some colour.

I'm in no hurry to brew it...maybe a winter project!!

 

[An Ankoù]

I can see the attraction of buckwheat, one might imagine it's a cereal like spelt or emmer. In fact it's not even a cereal. The seeds remind me of fenugreek seeds to look at, but they taste nothing like. I think you're wise not to knock out 40 pints of the stuff until you've tried it.

 

[RichardM]

I like the beers of Brassèrie Octopus, Chaingy, nr Orléans also sold in Octopub, Centre Commèrcial, Saran. Their “So British” was my personal favourite. They were still going last August - I just hope they have survived.

They are still going. I am at a campsite in Olivet, just outside Orléans enjoying a bottle of their APA, purchased from the local Auchan hypermarché.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

cheers....as ever the difficulty is getting hold of such beers to sample them to determine if I really want 40 pints of the stuff!!!!....maybe I'll just have a shot in dark and throw together a recipe based on a guess as to what might be in a dark version...maybe some pale malt/buckwheat to make up the majority of the grist and then some caramalt and a touch of roast barley for some colour.

I'm in no hurry to brew it...maybe a winter project!!

I can see the attraction of buckwheat, one might imagine it's a cereal like spelt or emmer. In fact it's not even a cereal. The seeds remind me of fenugreek seeds to look at, but they taste nothing like. I think you're wise not to knock out 40 pints of the stuff until you've tried it.

I had an absolute disaster trying to brew with buckwheat a few years ago, definitely need some rice hulls or something, the mash ended up like a thick porridge which wouldn't drain.

 

[RichardM]

We've been in France almost three weeks now. I have found good beer from small, local, breweries everywhere that we have stayed; Tours, Clermont-Ferrand, Avignon and Vichy before Orléans. We have a couple of nights near Caen before getting the ferry home, so I will see what I can find there.
What's also good is that I found these beers in supermarkets, in the local produce section. They seem to much better at stocking local products than British supermarkets. However, they do sell all the usual Leffe, Desperado and other international beers.

Edit
I should add that most of the beers I've had have been US style beers. Some are called IPAs or American Pale Ale. Everyone does Ambre, Blanche and Blonde beers.

 

[Wynne]

Brasserie La Riole from La Ferté St Aubin (about 10 miles south of Olivet) also do some interesting beers. I particularly like their blonde which is nicely dry-hopped. Enjoy your “fin de séjour”!

 

[Galena]

I had some Meteor IPA at the weekend, I enjoyed it, not hopped to the ridiculous.Described as

IPA – 330ml, 4.8% abv.

A light and hoppy French session IPA.
One of the last independent, family owned breweries in France, Meteor Brewery has been operating for nearly 400 years."

I have no idea of it's availability though

 

[Wynne]

Agreed on Metéor IPA - a decent beer.
Ch’ti IPA and Grimbergen Pale Ale are also among my staples when in France with an occasional Saison Dupont or Duval Tripel Hop thrown in.

@RichardM - in Olivet, there’s a shop called Le Tire Bouchon where they have a micro-brewery and a very wide beer selection..

 

[RichardM]

Agreed on Metéor IPA - a decent beer.
Ch’ti IPA and Grimbergen Pale Ale are also among my staples when in France with an occasional Saison Dupont or Duval Tripel Hop thrown in.

@RichardM - in Olivet, there’s a shop called Le Tire Bouchon where they have a micro-brewery and a very wide beer selection..

I should have posted earlier, we are leaving for Ouisterham in the morning.
Anyhow, the selection in Auchan was pretty good.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I was going to say voll dam it's a tidy drop in moderation, had it up the big mountain outside Barcelona 1997

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I had an absolute disaster trying to brew with buckwheat a few years ago, definitely need some rice hulls or something, the mash ended up like a thick porridge which wouldn't drain.

I know from experience how much the Brétons like their buckwheat, particularly galettes (buckwheat crepes for those that don't know), but putting it in bread makes for the most horrendously smelly flatulence.

But it was a traditional part of the mix in medieval brewing in the Low Countries - I guess they planted a mix of crops to make sure they had something to eat regardless of the harvest, and brewed with a grist of whatever was left over.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

I know from experience how much the Brétons like their buckwheat, particularly galettes (buckwheat crepes for those that don't know), but putting it in bread makes for the most horrendously smelly flatulence.

But it was a traditional part of the mix in medieval brewing in the Low Countries - I guess they planted a mix of crops to make sure they had something to eat regardless of the harvest, and brewed with a grist of whatever was left over.

I was following a 'medieval' recipe, some sort of juniper thing. Can't remember exactly what went wrong other than the porridge but I won't be trying it again!