Beer from wine country
Although better associated with grape than grain, the nations of France, Spain, Italy and Portugal still have much to offer the beer lover. Richard Jones reports
It is a much maligned experience in some of the more hardcore beer circles bringing with it overtones of characterless, mass produced ‘Euro fizz’. Yet while the wine industries of France, Spain and Italy might be the envy of the world, a glass of Sancerre or Pinot Grigio doesn’t quite hit the spot after a summer’s day on the tourist trails of Paris, the olive groves of Tuscany or simply soaking up the rays on the Costa. There is simply nothing better than the sight of a draught beer in its own dedicated, branded glass when served in a traditional café at the end of a hard day’s holidaying. If there’s a better accompaniment to tired limbs, parched tastebuds and ‘watching the world go by’ then I’ve yet to experience it. However, while the beers of France, Spain and Italy certainly excel under these conditions, it would be a mistake to ignore them on occasions when the contents of your glass are required to take on more of a starring role.
It could be argued the beer industry in France bears a certain similarity to that of the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. Although the French have never been the world’s largest consumers of beer, at the beginning of the 20th century there were in excess of 1,000 breweries in the country. What followed was a lengthy period of closure, decline and consolidation leading to the situation today where the market is dominated by the brewing giants Scottish and Newcastle (owners of the best selling beer in France, Kronenbourg) and Heineken Interna.....
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By Richard Jones
Section : International Focus
Page number : 31
