Sipping on Saturdays — Christmas Beer

It is almost Christmas and that means you can find Christmas beers gracing the shelves of grocery stores in Paris.

The tradition of France's Christmas beer started in the 11th century and comes from the North (thanks to the strong beer traditions of Belgium). It is said that the brewers used to serve their favorite clients beer made from the ingredients harvested in October. This late harvest allowed the malt to mature at a much slower pace—which made a very delicious brew.

Christmas beer is known for its amber color and caramel flavor but modern brewers add all sorts of extra ingredients—such as cinnamon, coriander, honey and ginger.

The most widely available Christmas beer is Leffe Noël. It can be found in most grocery stores and it comes in a large 750ml bottle. You can usually find a bottle for under 3€ so it is very affordable— especially when compared to the price of beer at a bar/cafe. I bought a bottle last week and I thought it was quite good. In fact, I happened to be walking by the grocery store today and I popped in to buy a bottle.  It isn't the best beer I've ever had but it is a nice way to celebrate the holidays.

If you want to find a more speciality Christmas beer then you'll have to venture out to a few of Paris' beer stores. I've yet to visit them myself but I've listed two of the best beer stores in Paris.

La Cave à Bulles
45 Rue Quincampoix
Paris, 75004

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Bootlegger
82 Rue De L'Ouest / 14 Rue Croce-Spinelli
Paris, 75015

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