A craft beer revolution brews in Paris

At one end of the bar, a student grins as dark-colored stout oozes from the tap; at the other, an after-work crowd eases into the evening with a few locally brewed beers. La Fine Mousse is ample proof that in Paris — the wine connoisseur’s holy land — craft beer could soon become the drink du jour. East of Montmartre in the city’s La Goutte d’Or (Drop of Gold) district, brewery owner Thierry Roche has been taking bold steps to mature the French capital’s taste for craft beer. Named after the district, the brewery doubles as a bottle shop. Since opening its doors in 2012, Brasserie La Goutte d’Or has fast become a nerve center for those in search of artisanal beer. Roche, 43, credits this newfound enthusiasm to the promotional efforts of Paris’ craft beer community. “France is a wine country, so the main objective was and still is about educating the bar owners and their customers,” he says. A proud Goutte d’Or native, he views his brewery not only as a creative project, but also as a catalyst for change in an area often associated with crime. Roche’s unwavering pride in his neighborhood doesn’t stop at social change or the brewery’s moniker; it extends to the ingredients and names of his beers. Sweet and feisty, it bears no resemblance to France’s ubiquitous Kronenbourg 1664, and feels as if a full-blown spice party is happening in my mouth. [...] aside from becoming synonymous with fashionable restaurants, the word brasserie actually means brewery. Compared with Paris’ extortionate beer prices — it’s not unusual to pay 8 to 10 euros a pint — Bar Demory’s beers are reasonably pitched at 5 to 7 euros. Intrepide IPA, a deep golden-colored ale with a punchy malt, goes down nicely with Demory’s homespun pork sausage made with rosemary, onion, thyme and white wine. With a fine selection of hand-pulled beers like Astroblonde, Cosmoblonde and Nova Noire, rotating bands and DJs, and a young, urbane clientele thirsty for something new, Demory has been successfully transported into the 21st century. The bottle’s ’50s-kitsch-style label of a woman reclining next to an Alpine lake under a peach-colored sky looks like an image that could have been dreamed up by Don Draper — with a suave, refreshing taste to match. A down-to-earth host, Thillou attributes the beginnings and burgeoning success of craft beer in Paris to the community’s genuine love of beer — and desire to share that love. Breweries such as Outlands, La Goutte d’Or and Demory, bottle shops Brewberry and La Cave à Bulles, and bars Le Supercoin, Les Trois 8 and La Fine Mousse are all supplying beer to the masses. The city now has its very own beer festival, Paris Beer Week, which celebrated its third year in May with events across the city — blind tastings, food pairings and tap takeovers from visiting foreign brewers. Dedicated craft beer alchemists have concocted a recipe that is tweaking the city’s taste buds and are determined to make Paris one of Europe’s great beer destinations.