Brewberry (Paris, FR)

8/21/12

We stopped by a couple of days before we were to leave Paris and, unfortunately, Brewberry was closed.  They were also on vacation, like many of the businesses in Paris in August.  Luckily, its first day open was our last full day in town.

After a mind blowing day of water lilies at Monet's Giverny, meeting new Australian friends on the train and a less than spectacular visit to the Marmottan Museum, we headed to the Latin Quarter in hopes of finally finding some good beer to add to our Paris memories.  So far, it had been a bit slim but I wasn't trying that hard with a full itinerary of cool touristy sites with Gloria and our nieces.

Brewberry is in the middle of an eat street with a variety of restaurants all around it.  The bar itself sells a few snacks; we each had a bread and cheese plate: goude and roquefort.  Both excellent, but we thought we should have eaten before getting so excited about the beer selection.

Lily ponds of Giverny

From the outside, the few wooden tables in front of a plain store front doesn't seem to promise much, but the inside is unique and fun.  With bottles lining the wall like good beer store, the center is filled with a half dozen or so tables.  The rock ceiling is low for this 6 foot 4 inch Dutchman, but gives the place a cozy feel for drinking beer.  Besides, I was either at my table beer in hand or bent over with the iPad hunting through each label for a next great find--standing upright never really happened.  Even when the tables filled later in the evening, it was a comfortable and inviting bar with lively but not loud conversation.

For most Americans, the set up will be a bit unusual.  It's basically a liquor store with some cold bottles and tables.  For Minnesotans, imagine being able to hang out and drink all night at the Four Firkins.  We ordered a Mikkeller Magnum IPA and a Brugse Zot Tripel from De Halve Maan in Bruges from the chilled beer chalkboard list to get started.  Distracted by the stacks of bottles around us, we simply picked from the shelf and asked to have the bottle chilled while we drank the ones in front of us.  And, if a bottle is needed for the hotel, it can be put in the cooler for take away at the end of the night.  A great system of drinking without the puritanical barriers of US liquor laws.

We were among the first to arrive and sat inside because the outside tables were reserved.  Evidently, we weren't the only patrons anticipating Brewberry's opening up again.  Everything about the stop was friendly and helpful.  When we asked if there was Wifi (pronounced wee-fee in France and Belgium), Cecile simply gave us a direct access code since it wasn't set up. Very useful since I was looking up many of the beers I didn't recognize on the wall, like my next beer Monts des Cats.  This is a French Abbey that is producing their beer via Chimay.  Trappiste is in the name, but not an official trappist beer with a logo.  An interesting find nonetheless.

Inside Brewberry with  owner Cecile behind computer

To end, Gloria tried the Reinaert Grand Cru from DeProef, which was a very good beer, but a little lighter than we expected it to be. And, I finished with Rewired, a brown ale from 8 Wired Brewing of Marlborough, New Zealand.  I asked about the brewery and got an explanation of the name as a slang for ??? in New Zealand.  Some googling says it's a term of endearment for a rustic guy from Kerkom.  Cecile didn't have the description for the beer in her head on the first day back from vacation, but retrieved her tasting notes and talked me through the beer. When I tasted it, her description was spot on. Cecile is one of the best beer whisperers I've met.

The staff was friendly, hard working and attentive while still letting us sit and enjoy each beer. It takes a while to get use to the pace of service in Europe.  To many Americans, food and drink service feels slow.  After nearly a month in Belgium and France on this trip, I'd acclimated my expectations and learned how to ask for what I wanted.  At Brewberry, the staff seemed to adjust to the client expectations, treating each to their custom.  No only smart business, but it makes for comfortable drinking for everyone. They even got us an outside table on the street when a reservation cancelled. Admittedly, I was having fun and drinking fast after a short post-Belgium drought and they gladly accommodated my enthusiasm.

Cold beer board to the left of our round

Right before leaving the now packed bar, Cecile chatted with a us for a little while, even suggesting a new beer bar that opened a few weeks ago called La Fine Mousse, another bar with good beer, Express de Lyon, that we had already tried during an earlier stop at Gare de Lyon station, and a bottle shop called La Cave a Bulles. Very much a beer lover, eager to support beer, even in places other than hers.  We had intentions of trying La Fine Mousse, but when we noticed the late hour, we had to head home to pack for the next leg of our trip to Rennes in the morning.

We took home a bottle of Lindeman's Cassis, technically available in the US but this black currant lambic is hard to find and a favorite of mine. Tired when we got to the hotel, we went to bed and ended up having the Cassis the next day just before our noon hotel check out along with a strawberry tart from a local cafe, which went together very nicely.

Last round at an outside table on the street

If I find myself in Paris again, Brewberry will be my first stop for a couple of beers plus a bottle  for each night of my stay.  No ice machines in hotels, or ice for sale anywhere that we could find, so a small refrigerator in the hotel is a must unless you want to be drinking semi-warm tallboys of Hoegaarden, Kronenbourg or Pelforth after a walk from a local grocery store.

Brewberry was easily my best stop in Paris, and one of the very best drinking experiences of the trip.  I did spend a day at Westvleteren and a week in Brussels, so it's high praise among tough competition. While an oasis in the heart of a somewhat barren but growing beer scene, Brewberry would be a great beer bar anywhere in the world.

Delirium Hoppy Loft (Brussels, BE)

7/30/12

Moved upstairs from the noisy Pub to the quiet Hoppy Loft, and quickly I'm drinking a draft of Mikkeller 1000 IBU Light. I've never heard of it, which is happening a lot to me today. A note on BA says it's all the hops and half the alcohol of their 1000 IBU, which explains some of my perceptions further down.  The bartender at the Monasterium told me to drink it because it's supposedly the hoppiest beer in the world.

Drafts at the Hoppy Loft of Delirium Cafe

It does bite a bit, and grows thick like black licorice. Initially, it seems to be no big deal, but then it hits. Body is light but not thin, so the hops float way above the base beer. Perceived hoppiness is high, especially in the taste, but the nose is big but not overwhelming.

I've smelled bigger like Stone Ruination IPA and better. It's a big, hoppy beer but it doesn't meld together beyond good. Worth a try for the novelty; however, I won't be ordering a second glass.

As for the Hoppy Loft itself, it's pretty cool. Wagon wheel tables and a much lighter musical background that's just above the normal voice tone chats going on around me. Crowd up here is older than in the Pub and the atmosphere is more more relaxed.

The purpose of the Hoppy Loft is to showcase American, Danish, Italian and Dutch microbreweries. So while I haven't actually had the Dark Horse, Anchor and Anderson Valley selections listed, those taps are off limits for me. Thought I might delve into the list a bit deeper later in the week.

Star Trek time shift.

So, it's later in the week now and back to the Hoppy Loft to have a brew on the way home to the hostel. While I am loving Belgian beers, I am craving hops.

To feed the beast, I try a I Beat You Double IPA by Mikkeller. Very dark amber and looks heavy for an IPA. Good lacing around a thick, grassy pine resin with spices in the nose. Blistering strong bitterness that lingers like grass clippings over an off putting toffee and caramel for the malt. For me, DIPAs come in two forms: sublime and stupid. This is not sublime. But, if you're looking for an over the top chewing on hops, this is your IPA.

The bartender offered to help me find some Belgian IPAs, which led to a Dutch beer named Ignis & Flammable by Brouwerij de Molen. Not pretty in the glass. Amber to copper ale with a uneven, large bubbled head.  Bottle says it has Galena, Chinook, Simcoe, Cascade and Amarillo hops, and dry hopped with Amarillo. Nose is day old grass clippings, pepper from the 7% ABV and a sweet caramel underneath. Belgian funk from the yeast blends well with the hop. Taste is earthy with a clear hop presence; a subdued grapefruit messes with the whole concoction listed as a Flanders IPA. I could see where some would dismiss the beer, but it really is growing on me.  If there's a path to hops for Belgians, this is it.

Nice night at the Hoppy Loft, which cut such a difference compared to the relative solitude and relaxing atmosphere of Moeder Lambic. Even on a Monday night, the party is in full tilt, though mellow compared to the thumping sounds coming up from the Pub and Cafe downstairs.  While a bit raucous, it's a great place for  a beer that's well served with bartenders that are knowledgeable and, in the Monestarium and Hoppy Loft, helpful.

Alive! (Mikkeller, Copenhagen, DK)

I had this one in the fridge for a while--forgot it in the back.  Hard to pass up a wild ale at the Four Firkins , especially from the funky brewer Mikkeller.

Fluffy off white head rolls up to the top of the glass, and tries to run away with each pour.  Hazy burnt orange beer that seems to clarify as I drank.  Toffee, baker's chocolate, strong spiciness and light funk with increasing earthiness as it warms.  Bone dry and thins significantly as it warms.  I'd drink this one fairly fast if I had another.  Very good beer for the night, though I'm heading for some water to work on the cottonmouth.

Simcoe Single Hop IPA (Mikkeller, Copenhagen, Denmark)

Copper ale with gold highlights, and, because I was watching football too closely, a fair amount of dregs in the bottom of the glass. Dirty white head on top that lingers for a long time. Simcoe hop is clean and clear in the nose, but not very strong. Need a swirl to pop it up. Strong carbonation bite along with the hop bitterness. Not an overly hoppy IPA, but very fun to drink.